Install failure with DLINK DIR-615 wireless router

[bbon]

I recently bought a WN2000RPTv2, to extend my wireless LAN to the far end of my home. Problem to be addressed is that the wireless signals do not propagate very well through our adobe brick walls!

I have followed directions for install, but not been able to get it to work. The DIR-615 has WPS, so I first tried this, (several times, resetting the Netgear box to factory settings between trials). I used a WiFi analyzer application on an Android tablet to look at signal strengths, and it could see both the DLINK and the Netgear signals, and the signal strengths were adequate, but it just point-blank doesn't work.

Next I tried connecting a browser to www.mywifiext.net. Initially this didn't work, because I already have a functioning network and it talked to that network, resulting into a redirect to the Netgear support website. Duh, of course, but why doesn't the Netgear documentation tell you about this.

I tried the same thing from my tablet, with the same result. When I tried disabling the WiFi connection to my DLINK router, Android somehow remembered it and reconnected.

Finally, I unplugged the DLINK router. Then and only then was I able to connect the tablet browser to the Netgear box (www.mywifiext.net) and go through the setup guide. This failed over and over, presumably because the WiFi connection between the tablet and the Netgear box was unreliable, although they were only a few feet of clear air apart. Anyway, after multiple tries, I finally got all the way through the setup, including supplying the WPA pre-shared key for the DLINK LAN.

So, after restarting the DLINK router, I'm finally clear, right? Wrong. Attempting to connect with either the tablet or a Win7 laptop fails. I enter the key for connection to -EXT, and either device goes into an infinite cycle where it says "connecting" but never does.

I'm very disappointed in Netgear, both in the lack of troubleshooting documentation (I searched the support site, of course) and the failure of the device to respond according to the setup instructions. I'm just about ready to return the Netgear for a refund. Anyone got a solution that might help me avoid this?

[bobhirschfeld]

I'm having similar problem with the same combination of D-Link and Netgear that you are using. I got the extender to work, but it seems that every 24 hours or so, it stops working. The only way to restore service is to unplug the D-Link and let it restart. It automatically reconnects to the Netgear extender and continues to work for another day or so. I've had the D-Link for a few years and never had it fail like this until I installed the extender. I don't know if this helps you, or points out some sort of incompatibility between the two products.

[bbon]

I'm a software engineer, but I think that, unless it is part of your profession, WiFi is mostly black magic -- so many protocols, so much going on invisibly to the user, etc. Our problems could be some violation of standards by either D-Link or Netgear, or some conflicting interpretations of the standards. Thanks for your reply. Helpful? Yes, in that it reinforces my intention to take the product back. I should know by now to stick with one manufacturer for WiFi gear.