Dual band working (i.e. incorrect automatic setup)

[JohnUU]

Hello again!

I've just acquired an EX7700 Tri-band Wi-fi extender (secondhand!) to go with my Netgear D6400 router, and hopefully to work with my existing Netgear EX7300 and EX7500 extenders.

Having got the EX7700 connected to the D6400 using WPS, and identified its IP address, I am able to communicate with it - only to find  that it has autonomously decided to adopt the SSID and password that I'd allocated to the 5GHz band (in the router setup) and to use those parameters for the 2.4GHz band! So, far from providing me with a single 'seamless' network, I've now got two distinct networks both operating in the 2.4GHz band!! That is NOT what I was expecting.

Reading "the manual" which came with the EX7700 implies that this is the way it is designed to work - which I find quite perplexing! - but, unlike the EX7500, there doesn't appear to be a Menu in the EX7700 which could enable me to change this situation, and use one of the the 5GHz bands for inter-extender communication and the 2.4GHz band for 'normal' wi-fi communication (which is what I was doing prior to obtaining this EX7700).

Perchance, has anyone out there managed to find a way to overcome this 'condition'? [I'm not going to be able to get any help from Netgear Support as the Extender had previously been registered. Incidentaly does any know if they allow a device to have its registration changed?]

[JohnUU]

Providing something of an answer to myself here - as well as asking a slightly different question.

OK, so I found that by choosing to answer 'No' to both the radio buttons on the Wireless sttings config page [No to One WiFi Name, and No to Enable Smart Connect] I can actually have the EX7700 transmitting the same SSID (and use the same password as the router does on the 2.4GHz band) as well as using the same SSID and password as the router does on the 5GHz band. So that part of the config "would appear to be" set up. [See attached file]

However, I now observe that although the check boxes show that the 2.4GHz service should in use as well as the 5GHz service, the EX7700 device doesn't appear to be happy on its Menu page, and declares that it's "not connected" - even though the wi-fi analyzer program (on my Kindle) would appear to indicate that there is a transmission taking place on the Channel I allocated (Ch.6) from the EX7700. Equally, the Router Link LED is showing amber (normally requiring that the extender is moved closer to the router!) even though the router is less than 2 metres away from the extender!! This is getting wierder by the hour!