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If I add a second or third AC1750 Mesh Extender to a second and/or third room in my home and walk through with a WiFi connected cell phone, will the system hand off the phone from one extender to the next (presumably based on signal strength) atutomatically, or must I manually select the one I want to be connected to?
Between the router and extender. You can read into it as you will. I've said my part and explained what you'd need to do to get it to work. I've also recommended going with a mesh setup. Do as you will.
2. If you're needing more than a single extender, a mesh network would be better to move to. Reason why is if you're trying to use the "mesh" single ssid feature of the extenders, they can start connecting to each other and cause issues. if you're adding more than a single extender, you need to seperate out the ssid's fom the additional extenders (unique ssid for each) to prevent this.
The only time you don't need to do this is if the extenders aren't in range of each other.
Thank you fo the response. As you can see I am a novice with these devices.
The model number is EX6250-100NAS. It's an AC1750 dual band WiFi Mesh extender.
I have my cable modem and router in a central location of my house. I need to use the WiFi to stay connected to my cell phone because the coverage inside my house is not very good. I am ok near the router or in most parts of the house, but when I go into my office, the coverage is not very good. I've tried relocating the router but that only sacrifices coverage elsewhere.
So I have looked into these Mesh extenders and purchased the one above. The first thing I noticed was that if I use it on the same WiFi network as the rest of my devices, it works and helps in my office, but it will not hand back to the router if I move out of my office and go to the other end of the house. I almost returned it but thought of just putting the extender onto its own SSID. This works well because it appears that the range that it covers is greater than what the router could cover. I now get good coverage throughout the house.
The reasoni I asked the question though is because I would like to put a couple of Ring cameras outside the house and I wonder whether or not this extender will cover them. If not, I would like to add another extender (or two) to serve that purpose. There is also a balcony just outside that I very often am on with my phone and this area does not give me very good coverage either. So I figure that if I add another extender right near this balcony I can have coverage for my phone there and also be able to put a camera in that location as well.
So, I am wondering whether or not this second extender will take over the cell coverage automatically if I just walk out into its territory, or might I have to reconnect the phone everytime I walk out there and then again when I walk back into the other part of the house.
If you're running multiple extenders, you need unique ssid's for them or again, they connect to each other and don't work right.
If you've got unique ssid's, you'll have to switch the devices from ssid to ssid.
its why if you're needing more than 1 extender, that I recommend going mesh.
How big is your home? You said you're router is centrally located. maybe you'd be better suited towards a router upgrade if the one you have isn't good. you said the extender provides better coverage than the router does.
its mesh when you're using a single device. its not a true mesh system because the whole system isn't mesh.
Its a hybrid setup because the router isn't mesh. So it lets you use router + extender with a single ssid. Once you move past a single extender, if something isn't controlling them, they end up connecting to the wrong devices.
Yes, so that's why I created a new SSID with the extender...thinking that it would override the router's network. Now if I add a second one with the same SSID as the first (not the same SSID as the router) isn't that creating it's own netowork more or less apart from my router's network? Or is that since they are still feeding off the main router that it's not truly its own network?
Sorry for my confusion and lack of knowledtge on these.
Neither device is designed to act as a router with the device steering and controlling of daisy chain/star configurations.
You can add extenders but they'll need to have a unique ssid.
I'd highly recommend going with a true mesh setup like Orbi if you're planning on multiple device. I think amazon is clearing out refurbed orbi's right now. I'd take a look at those as its not much more to buy a refurb rbk43 than it is 2x ex6150's and youll have a single ssid solution that just works. The extra $ is worth not fighting it.
So just to reiterate, I am not wanting to have any device that's on the mesh system ALSO on the router's system. I have created a unique SSID for the extender. The Netgear webpage, when talking about this extender does mention something about seamless handoffs between muliple extenders. That's why I thought I could use more than one, each using the same SSID but not the one that I use on my router.
You're saying my setup will not do this, but the Orbi system will?
You can have a router and one extender on the same ssid. After you introduce extra extenders, it causes issues. Unless the extenders are NOT in range of each other.
Read that second clairification that I added. I am not using the same SSID on the router for my computer, TV sets and other devices as I am with devices on the extender. Sorry I neglected to mention that at first. The extender allows devices to connect using a unique SSID.
Never mind. It appears I am questioning what you have already clarified. Sorry.
My confusion is based on Netgear's own website mention of seamless handoffs when you add multiple extenders.
I don't see how an extender can effectively do a seamless handoff if they don't overlap each other omewhat but as I have said, I really don't know enough about these things. Seems to me that the connection would be dropped unless they do overlap. But you're saying they cannot overlap.
Thanks for your replies and the time you spent. I appreciate it and just need to educate myself a bit more.
I guess I couldn't find anywhere about multiple extenders.
But eitherway, technically it can work with multiple extenders. just not if they're within range of each other or if they are, if you make the ssid's unique.
So, not meaning to argue with you but there is a contradiction in what they are saying and what you are saying. They do btw say that 802.11k WiFi is needed in order for this to wrok.
I just may have to give it a try and see. If I do, I will report back and let you know, if you're cutous.
Bottom line is, in the product sheet they claim this extender is capable of "smart roaming" and elsewehere they define smart roaming as moving through the house and having the device select the best available WiFi signal. So this would imply that it will work with more than one extender. How else could it select the best available WiFi signal?
Again, I guess I have to just try it to see for sure.
Between the router and extender. You can read into it as you will. I've said my part and explained what you'd need to do to get it to work. I've also recommended going with a mesh setup. Do as you will.
So, I took the advice and purchased an Orbi system.
After spending about 3 hours setting the thing up, I find out that it too does not do seamless handoff!!!!
From another user in these forums in response to someone with problems getting seamless handoff to work, "There is no 'seamless handoff' with any consumer wifi regardless of marketing hype."
Which Orbi system do you own? The one I got is the Orbi AC2200. Cost me $300 from Best Buy and comes with RBR40 router, and 2 RBS20 satellites.
Firmware is 2.3.5.30
I am paying for 200Mbps and a test this morning using the Orbi indicated just that, maybe even a little bit higher. Not sure which modem it is, it was supplied by Spectrum. Never had any issues with it nor the Sagemcom router they supplied either except that it doesn't have real wide coverage.
-- I have no problem with the speed
I haven't tested directly at the modem as my computers are nowhere near the modem itself right now. Again, I don't have any issues with speed. Everything is working correctly other than the seamless handoff.
What makes me think the seamless handoff is not working is the fact that if I walk from one room with a satellite where I may have gotten -30dbm as reported by Network Cell Info on my phone, into another with the other satellite, the dbm drops off dramatically (to about -65 or so, UNTIL I turn off WiFi and then back on again. THEN I get readings in that second room with the second satellite much the same as I got in the first room. If I then walk back into the first room, I once again have to turn off WiFi and turn it back on again to get good reception. I SUSPECT the handoff MAY be taking place over several minutes but the only way it is seamless and fast enough is if I disconnect from WiFi and then reconnect once again. This is exactly the same situation I was in the other day with that Mesh Extender that I was using and which cost me half of what the Orbi cost and it is totally useless for cell phone use.
I have looked all through the Orbi setup to try and find somewthing related to seamless handoff and cannot see anything even remotely related to it. Doing google searchers, I have seen several threads where people have been complaing about exactly this and other issues with the Orbi. One real common one is the fact that 2.4 and 5ghz system IDs and passwords must be the same...according to Netgear, this is so that seamless roaming can indeed continue to work!! But......... shrug!
Sorry but I am very confused, humiliated and beginning to wish I never touched my setup to begin with.
One other thing to check is if you recieved the system and did all your updates in a row, sometimes it helps to factory reset and start over. Reason why is sometimes the firmware changes are enough from one to the next that it can cause issues with settings. With a new system, there's usually quite a few updates.
