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Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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EX6410 - why does it not hold it's settings

Smooter
Initiate

EX6410 - why does it not hold it's settings

So question all, why is it the EX6410 Wifi Extender looses it's setting every time it looses power and needs to be setup from scratch again? Why are the settings not written to an EEPROM or similar component? It makes it a pain in the backside product to own keep having to reset it up again for after any power related issues. This seems to be an epic fail in the products design.

Model: EX6400|AC1900 WiFi Mesh Extender Essentials Edition
Message 1 of 4
plemans
Guru

Re: EX6410 - why does it not hold it's settings

It shouldn't. 

What firmware version are you on? 

What method of setup are you using? WPS or the installation assistant? 

Message 2 of 4
Smooter
Initiate

Re: EX6410 - why does it not hold it's settings

Just updating now to 1.0.0.146, so my point about holding settings after a power off is, power offs are useful for a quick and full reboot, rather than a soft reboot, and secondly suppose your DSL router needed resetting up every time you power cycle it, they don't lose their settings.

 

I will admit whilst this extender more or less does what's required of it, I do find extenders largely next to useless because they're so clunky in terms of delivering an internet service, sometimes Netflix will stream, another time it won't, they're not what I call a reliable device.

 

I set mine up using the setup wizard, it connects to an ASUS router, and sometimes the services are spot on and other times not. I find it a mixed back on connecting with 2.4g / 5g, so this morning 5g was connected but not 2.4g, so if you have an older wifi device that only supports 2.4g, it might connected to the extender, but will actually have no internet access theoretically because the extender wasn't communicating with the router on the 2.4g band it appears. For my setup I have both 2.4 and 5g bands active connected to the router and it uses the same SSID as the router. The extender is installed to provide wifi to the bottom of the garden which works sufficiently well, but it's in the house where it seems to trip devices up sometimes.

Message 3 of 4
plemans
Guru

Re: EX6410 - why does it not hold it's settings

A couple things. 

1. did the upgrading the firmware (possible factory reset/reinstall afterwards) help with the settings retention? 

2. Extenders by their very nature are a bit finicky. Here's why.

  • they rely on the router's own connection. If the router isn't the most stable, neither will the extender be. 
  • most people are needing them for a reason. If its not a distance issue but an interference issue, they aren't necessarily going to help as they're still subject to interference. Try changing the channels the router is using in case there is interference
  • positioning. Many times things in the walls like hvac, foil lined insulation, etc can block signals. So moving an extender around can sometimes help quite a bit. and not just moving closer. Sometimes a lateral move can help more. 
  • The nature of how they work. Most people don't understand that the signal the extender is broadcasting is going to be 50% of what it receives. This happens because it has to use the same chip to go router----extender and then extender----devices. And it can't do both at once. And thats based on the speed it receives from the router. If its already at a really low speed because of distance and interference, then its only putting out half of that. for example, if its only picking up 70% of what the router is broadcasting, then what devices can use that connect, is only 35%.  This is true of all single/dual band extenders. The triband extenders have a dedicated backhaul to prevent that significant drop. 

 

How far from the router is the extender?

What materials are in between the extender and router? (what are the walls made of, what else could be obstructing)

Did you try other wifi channels in case there's interference? 

What actual speeds do you get from the extender? 

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