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Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

Mbphoto
Guide

Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

So, last week, I received my first copy of this pretty piece of trash.

Spent 15 hours! trying to set up as a wifi extender.

I could easily extend my Wifi and connect to the extender, but my devices either had "no internet", or they didn't receive a valid IP.

 

In the end, ater chatting with support for an hour and trying wired connections (supervised the extender on my main rig and connected smartphone and laptop to it, both got an IP assigned (in the menu for connected devices) but none received one) and pinging between connected devices (they could not ping each other), I was told to give up, return that chunk and get a replacement.

 

In the meantime, I found out that there's an ethernet port in the wall in the corner where I wanted to set this thing up.

So I tried that port with my living room rig (HTPC) and, lo and behold, it worked like a charm (200 Mbps down and 100 Mbps up on speedtest) without any setup required.

 

When the new extender arrived today, I had already decided not to go through the hassle of setting up an extended Mesh network, but instead simply use it as an access point on that network connection.

 

 

Oh, how I was wrong. I've spent an hour now, trying to get this piece of crap to work, but it simply won't.

It says that there's a network connection (LED on the right), but the signal for the connected router is off.. ???

Also, in the Nighthawk setup app (Smartphone), I couldn't even connect to this piece of chunk, despite being connected via wifi directly to the extender. It said, I need a new firmware.

Said and done, new firmware installed via computer (192.1.68.1.250 works obviously).

The smartphone still cannoct connect. (With the old extender, I was able to at least do that..)

 

 

Long story short:

What do I have to do to set up an access point at a wall socket?

As I said, the internet simply just worked from my HTPC, but the Extender claims that there is no connection to the router. I'm 100% sure that this is not some magical wall socket that goes "directly into the internet", without a router inbetween.

However, I also have no idea, where this connection goes to, because this is a huge network (several buildings linked together, with access points where needed).

 

 

If you could help me out here, that would be really great.

 

 

P.S.: I'll try and set up an extender in the meantime, but the signal in that corner is really weak.

Model: EX7700|AC2200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Mesh Extender
Message 1 of 16
Mbphoto
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

Was able to set the extender up.. Used my laptop, got it to connect and show a connection to. (Default gateway listed as 192.168.1.250 for the extender, and 192.168.1.1 for the access point in the house)

 

I was able to go into the configuration menu on the extender and saw my ip, which ipconfig command confirmed. Everything was fine, yay.

 

Then I got my AS-WL300 (wifi adapter for pionner AVR) and connected it to my main rig to set it up. The WPS worked and it showed that there was a connection. I even saw both of them (one for the access point, another for the extender) and could switch between them.

 

I brought the adapter back to my AVR and connected it there. Network error.. gets stuck at "network setup" and never finishes that.

 

Looking at my phone, there's no connection.. "acquiring IP adress..."

Going back to my Laptop, I cannot login to the extender anymore.. and connecting to the extender results in:

No valid IP...

 

 

It looks as if connecting multiple device fuggs the whole thing up.

I'm so glad I spent over 100 bucks to get a wifi extender that can only handle one device...

 

Message 2 of 16

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

I got lost in all of that.

 

The EX7700 is wifi extender. It exists to do what the name says, extend the wifi from a router or some other Internet source.

 

I have scanned through your messages a couple of time but, beyond a reference to a socket in the wall, I can seen any mention of the source of your Internet.Perhaps I just missed it.

Message 3 of 16
schumaku
Guru

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue


@michaelkenward wrote:

The EX7700 is wifi extender. It exists to do what the name says, extend the wifi from a router or some other Internet source.


There is a short chapter on configuring the EX7700 as a wireless access point - should be not very difficult, in fact much less challenging than configuring an extender - in the fine manual. Lack of any insight what was really done, how the EX7700 config does currently look, if the router where the EX7700 is connected to is able to provide IP addresses, ... hard to help. Unless Netgear managed to break the EX7700 in AP mode just like the EX7000 since the intro of the Mesh firmware.. 

Message 4 of 16
Mbphoto
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

As stated:
Setup as Access point is not working. I used the setup tool (genie) and the setup doesn't work.. But, plugging in ANY device directly to that socket, I get a perfectly fine internet connection, dynamic IP and everything.

Setup as extender,connected to the access point in the house (no router in this building) worked as long as there was only one device connected.

Message 5 of 16

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue


@Mbphoto wrote:

Setup as extender,connected to the access point in the house (no router in this building) worked as long as there was only one device connected.


That could be the issue. Extenders are there to feed off a router.

 

It is the router's job to handle the allocation of IP addresses to everything on your network. No router = no address management.

 

That could explain why only one device can connect.

 

Even as an access point the EX7700 needs a router for this task.

 

You may have bought the wrong thing. Not knowing how your Internet service works, it is hard to know if you need a router or something else.

 

 

 

Message 6 of 16
Mbphoto
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

Yeah, I'm starting to believe this too. That's why I gave up the extender thing.. However, why did the Netgear support not mention this? I have the chat transcript and see that I clearly mentioned there was only an AP in our house.


On the other hand, why does it not work as an access point?
I connected the EX7700 to the ethernet cable that feeds the access point in our house and even then I was unable to set it up as an access point.
(that AP seems to have a connection to the router in some other building - not my house, not my internet, not my network - and is able to handle several dozen devices at once)


I now contacted the landlord and the IT guy from the company, since I believe it to be an issue with our network and not the extender.


I also believe that I should've just bought a cheap access point, but there's no going back now and the Nighthawk has to do that job..
Until I move again and hopefully get my own network.
Message 7 of 16
schumaku
Guru

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue


@Mbphoto wrote:
But, plugging in ANY device directly to that socket, I get a perfectly fine internet connection, dynamic IP and everything.

And what kind of IP address does the EX7700 get?

 


@Mbphoto wrote:
Setup as extender,connected to the access point in the house (no router in this building) worked as long as there was only one device connected.

Aehm ... there must be some network infrastructure in this house then, either driven from a router, or from an Internet modem. The fact that the EX7700 gets workable, and one device can get an IP address, might indicate that these ports are configred as access ports, allowing just one (courtesy two) devices resp. MAC addresses. 

 

Can you reach the EX7700 management IP (it's LAN IP) from other systems connected to this network, e.g. on other ports?

 

Without knowing more about this "magic" in-house Internet connection or network from the wall it's hard to help. 

 

Edit: To make things worse, it appears you have some other wireless router (correct?) where you had tried to connect the EX7700 as an extender. Or this wireless (router, AP, whatever) is also suffering from the similar problems. And at the end of the day, the additional network port won't be reachable direct from systems connected to your own WLAN and/or router. But who knows - already an eye on the IP addresses and subnets assigned on the different "Internet" connections would shed some light through the lenses.

Message 8 of 16
Mbphoto
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

I'll give that (figuring out what IP the EX7700 gets on the wall socket) another go once I get an answer from our IP guy.
I can only say that both my HTPC and my AV receiver were able to set up an internet connection when I connected them to that wall socket. (192.168.6.124 is what the receiver gets now)

Connecting the Nighthawk to that socket, shows a network connection led, but no router connection led (it does show the router connection led after setting it up as an extender, connected to the Access point, though)
The setup as an AP returned an error message, no Internet connection.. Which is ridiculous, since I'm using that internet connection right now.


From what I could gather, there are two wall sockets (one in the top left corner and one in the bottom right corner of our house) that go wherever the brains of the network sits.
The Access point in this house can be on either port, depending on where you need better wifi coverage (never tried switching there, though).


What I don't get, is why the AP can use these ports to feed dozens of devices, but not the Nighthawk..


Well, I'll update, once I get some help here.
Message 9 of 16

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue


@Mbphoto wrote:

On the other hand, why does it not work as an access point?


Because an access point also needs a router.

 

 

Message 10 of 16
Mbphoto
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

Forgot to clarify:

The Nighthawk worked only as a wifi extender, connected wirelessly to the access point in the house, and only to connect a single device (my laptop) to the internet.



Edit:
Yeah, Access point needs a router... Thanks for that.
Then, why the **bleep** does the access point in the house work?
I mean, replacing one by the other doesn't magically remove the router on the other end, does it?

This is the AP in our house:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AIR-LAP1142N-Cisco-Controller-Based-Access/dp/B001PC8LR6
Message 11 of 16
schumaku
Guru

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

And that other AP was installed by the landlord resp the IT company, or on your own on a similar network port? Still suspect the problems and limitations (no IP assigned to more than one or two devices) you experience are not an EX7700 configuration issues.
Message 12 of 16
Mbphoto
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

I don't have access to the router nor can I log into our access point.
It was definitely done by the IT company tending to all our needs (and sucking us dry wherever they can, with fake limitations and hour-long "work" billed and all.)
Since we got a new guy that knows his way around IT, (and took them on hard) everything got better and cheaper. Now, I'm hoping he'll be able to help me out here too.

I disconnected the AP and connected the Nighthawk to that port to set it up as a new AP, but it reported "no Internet connection".
Message 13 of 16
Mbphoto
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

Got word back from the IT guys.


They said, I need to assign an IP to the Nighthawk, since it wouldn't work with the automatic IP.

 

Guess, I'll give that a try, use it as an access point, and see if I can assign an IP manually.

If all fails, I'll simply go and buy a friggin Switch for 20 bucks.

Model: EX7700|AC2200 Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band WiFi Mesh Extender
Message 14 of 16
GrandOak01
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

My EX7700 took DNS control when it was configured to R7000 using WPS. All seemed well until I connected a phone and a couple laptops to it which resulted in No Internet issue, despite them receiving valid IPs from R7000 DHCP.
Message 15 of 16
GrandOak01
Guide

Re: Nighthawk X6 EX7700 no internet issue

Do you have NAT for wireless controling access to WiFi port(s)? Read somewhere that there is some sort of MAC "Translation" which occurs. It sounds like real MAC of attaching device gets hashed into a different address, and using port to it sounds like. So if random IP ports are assigned (DHCP) by router then MAC of the device may be getting "Translated" into a MAC which is Not in the Access Control List of NAT used by router to grant connection.
Message 16 of 16
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