AC750 / EX3700 misleading red router light and signal strength
I just installed an AC750 / EX3700 range extender yesterday, and it works great, however, the Router light goes from green to orange to red within a few minutes no matter where I situate it. Coinciding with this sequence is an observable indication via the extender's web interface of the 2.4Ghz signal strength steadily dropping from 130Mbps down to 6Mbps. HOWEVER, when I run speed tests through the extender, I am consistently seeing 30Mbps d/l, and any device I connect to it appears to work fine. Checking my main router logs (a Netgear WNDR4000), I see nothing unusual. The extended was assigned an IP via DHCP yesterday, and there are no additional entries for its MAC address.
Based on actual performance, the red Router light and the indication of poor signal strength via the web interface appear to be misleading.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what may be causing this?
HOWEVER, when I run speed tests through the extender, I am consistently seeing 30Mbps d/l, and any device I connect to it appears to work fine.
Double check you have really used the 2.4 GHz channel by selecting the network name for this band. If the connection does became really bad, well possible your wireless client has changed to the 5 GHz band.
Re: AC750 / EX3700 misleading red router light and signal strength
Here is where the extender's display quickly settles (6Mbps) after initially indicating 130Mbps for the 2.4Ghz connection. This happens no matter what channel I configure on my wndr4000. Yet speedtests consistently register around 25Mbps d/l...and my client smartphone is indeed connected to the extender.
Re: AC750 / EX3700 misleading red router light and signal strength
Yes, I see approximately 25Mbps d/l via the extender's 2.4Ghz connection, whether or not mobile data is enabled or disabled on my smartphone, despite that the extender's web interface consistently indicates a 6Mbps 2.4Ghz connection and the Router indicator remains red.
Moving the extender to within 10 to 15 feet of my WNDR4000, I can observe 130Mbps connection from extender to router, and router light remains green...but only for a while before once again eventually turning red, and before the web interface eventually begins reflecting only a 6Mbps connection. It makes no sense whatsoever.
It is puzzling. It's possible that the connection speed is unstable, and the EX3700 is reporting a minimum. But if that were happening I'd expect that you'd see performance issues - web sites not always responding for instance.
You might also want to time the download of a file, and not depend only on the speedtest report.
The WNDR4000 is an old router, so I guess it's possible that this is a wifi interop issue of some kind. Did you try configuring the extender->router link to something slower than "up to 300". Also, are you running 1.0.2.10 firmware in the router, or something else?
Re: AC750 / EX3700 misleading red router light and signal strength
I have tried both "up to 143" and "up to 300" on the WNDR4000, but the extender's setting isn't changeable, and reflects "up to 300" no matter the setting on the WNDR4000.
My WNDR4000 is at the latest firmware, but perhaps my next step should be to replace this router given its age.
Re: AC750 / EX3700 misleading red router light and signal strength
I also have connected my laptop to the extender, and see consistent 25Mbps speed tests, despite the red Router light and despite the reported 6Mbps 2.4Ghz router connection on the extender. 5Ghz is disabled (both connection and extender AP). The suggestion that the 6Mbps might reflect a minimum is a good one, but I've seen nothing to suggest disruptions -AND- the time in which it takes for the reported connection to drop from 130Mbps to 6Mbps is consistent after resets. I may take the extender to another location and test with a different router, or I may just ignore the issue and eventually replace the WNDR4000 and see what happens.
