EX6100 cannot connect to my router's 5GHz frequency

[ajmandi]

Hello,

I just got a Huawei E5186 4G LTE router from Europe, and I tried to get my EX6100 (bought from the US) to connect to my router's 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. It's able to connect to the 2.4GHz frequency just fine, but doesn't seem to be able to connect to the 5GHz frequency.

Now I know that since I bought the devices from two different regions, not all of the 5GHz channels are supported by the two devices, which is why I tried setting up my router's 5GHz frequency on channels 36, 40, 44 and 48, which are all the channels supported by both devices. The EX6100 is able to see my router's 5GHz SSID during setup, and I'm able to finish the setup wizard fine, but when I look at the Status page afterwards, it shows that the EX6100 is not connected to my router's 5GHz. No matter how many times I try to reconnect to the 5GHz frequency, it just won't work.

I tried to restore the extender to factory settings multiple times, but nothing seems to work. Both my router and extender won't allow me to change the region (tried this so that I may be able to find more common channels).

How can I resolve this problem?

Thanks in advance,
AJ

[TFD-Bel]

Hello,

Just upgraded my EX6100 extender with latest firmware EX6100-V1.0.1.36_1.0.114_07311820

and noticed same problem. This explains my poor wifi performance while copying files.

I tested lot of things to isolate the problem..

With my WIFI dongle (Cisco-Linksys AE6000 usb dongle) on my Win7 X64 Laptop,

I can connect to my home router to 2Ghz or 5Ghz WIFI Lans like a charm.

From my router, I also notice laptop device thru 2Ghz or 25hz channel connection. OK.

When I connect to the EX6100 extended WIFI networks, althrough my laptop does connect

to 2Ghz or 5Ghz extended network, I notice from the new console sw that EX6100

is only connected to router thru 2Ghz channel.

From my router, I also notice same single channel connection on 2Ghz channel.

I also tryed to reset factory settings and reconfigured the EX6100. During setup, it claims

that EX6100 cannot connect to "source" 5Ghz network (using WPA2 Key)...

Setting up EX6100 to only use 5Ghz router network, I cannot join internet.

(I am sure about WPA2 Keys I filled in in both router or EX6100 or laptop wifi dongle)

Even in Access point mode, I cannot connect EX6100 to my router thru 5Ghz channel.

Via 2Ghz, it's ok.

Firmware bug ???

??? Any idea ???

Thanks

Thierry from Belgium

[nhann]

Hi TFD-Bel,

Can you please try setting the different security options on your router and EX6100?

Please also try placing the EX6100 in the same room as the router.

Which channels are you using on the 5ghz band? Please try the different channels (36 + 40 + 44 + 48)

[TFD-Bel]

Hello,

I finally succeeded connecting the EX6100 to my router's 5Ghz,

not changing channel but by turning on SSID 5GHZ Broadcast from the router.

What I still do not understand is why the Netgear EX61000 does connect

like a charm to my router's 2GHz wifi with SSID Broadcast turned on or off

and does not to router's 5GHz when SSID is not broadcasted... Turning

router's 5GHz SSID Broadcast on, Netgear EX6100 does connect.

I do not use WPS, nor from laptop/smartphone connecting to Netgear EX6100

and router's 2Ghz and 5GHz have WPS Disabled.

Any Clue ?

Thanks !

TH

[nhann]

Hi TFD-Bel,

Were you experiencing the same issue before the firmware update?

If after the update, you started to experience this issue, please contact support as it may be because of the latest firmware.

http://support.netgear.com/general/contact/default.aspx

[TFD-Bel]

Hi,

I am not sure but I think it was working fine before FW Upgrade ...

Thanks !

TH

[bachastain]

EX6100.  The latest posted firmware for the EX6100 is broke.  My EX6100 was working for many months on EX6100_V1.0.0.28_1.0 without problems.  Note that I am NOT using Fastlane so I can connect with the EX6100 using both 2.4G and 5G.  I tried installing the new firmware EX6100-V1.0.1.36_1.0.114_07311820 and 5G immediately broke.  I can see the 5G SSID fine, and connect to the EX6100 5G SSID, but I have no internet connection.  I can ping the EX6100 at 192.168.1.250 but not my router or internet at 192.168.1.1.

2.4G still works just perfectly but I have no router/internet connectivity with the 5G.  After trying a bunch of different settings, none of which helped, I had to drop back and reintall EX6100_V1.0.0.28_1.0.  That fixed the 5G router/internet connectivity.

I conclude the 5G is broken on EX6100-V1.0.1.36_1.0.114_07311820.

Bruce Chastain

[TFD-Bel]

Hello,

Thanks for reply. For your info, after hours of testings, I got the rid of : the problem is caused

(as for 2Ghz than for 5Ghz band) by "source" SSID not being broadcasted:

I didn't see the problem because, for FON-based access, SSID of 2Ghz band must be broadcasted.

If you switch on 5Ghz SSID broadcast, EX6100 does connect normally and extend 5Ghz band coverage.

Switching it back off from source, then, Netgear lose connectivity... and this, as for 2Ghz than for 5Ghz band.

It is definitively a netgear problem as, even the SSID are not broadcasted, you can join, define and connect to source

2/5Ghz band specifying SSID name ...

Cheers

TH

[bachastain]

Must be a different problem.  Both my 2,4G and 5G SSIDs are being broadcast with no problem.  Other devices see both of them just fine.

If another device connects with the 2.4G it can see the router and internet with no problem.

If If another device connects with the 5G there is no connectivity with the internet.  It can ping the EX6100 just fine but not the router or the internet.

I have never attempted to suppress SSID broadcasting.

Downgrading back to the EX6100_V1.0.0.28_1.0 the device came with fixed it.  

Bruce.

[bachastain]

It just occured to me that I should have tried a factory reset after upgrading the firmware.  I'm not sure when I can do it (we need it to work at the moment) but I'll try that soon and report back.

Bruce.

[bachastain]

Nope.  Factory Reset using V1.0.1.36_1.0.114_07311820 did NOT fix the 5G problem.  Still can connect to the extender 5G SSID, but unable to ping the router or internet.  5G is still broke.

Falling back to EX6100_V1.0.0.28_1.0 fixes 5G..

Bruce.