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I've got a Nighthawk X6 router (NOT the X6S), a.k.a. R8000.
I have an AC1900 extender, a.k.a, EX7000-100NAS.
The router is in Access Point mode because Frontier FiOS insists on using their equipment as the main (I've turned off their wireless), and I've got CAT 6e+ Gigabit going to the router, so throughput is fine.
I've got Router-to-Extender in FastLane mode, with the 2.4GHz channel dedicated to that connection for range (I learned the nuances of perfecting this here in these forums).
The signal is still spotty with the extender due to physical limitations of my home, so I'm looking at the Nighthawk Mesh X4S wall plug-in extender, a.k.a. EX7500.
So, a few questions here:
1) Would it at all benefit me to do Router --> Mesh extender and then Mesh extender--> older extender? (Is that even possible?:)
2) Would I just stop using the extender altogether once the Mesh extender is installed?
3) Would I need to do the same kind of FastLane configuration for the EX7500 as I did before? This would be X6-->EX7500, uses 2.4GHz as dedicated FastLane channel.
I'm new to mesh, so any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated.
I've engaged Netgear support. They say I can use multiple EX7500s and that may solve the problem. Just one EX7500 meant that:
- if I put it at the edge of my house, the connection to the router was strong, but the signal was too weak on the other side of the patio where the home office is.
- if I put it at the edge of the home office, the connection to the router was weak, so a strong signal didn't matter because it was still horribly slow.
So EX7500 #1 goes at the edge of my house. EX7500 #2 goes at the edge of the home office. And the two help each other extend the network.
Stuff I've learned:
1) Netgear's documentation doesn't tell you how to do multiple extenders, but the truth is you do each extender the same: pair it with the router, then move the second (or third, or fourth) extender to the location you want it to sit. Even though EX7500 is (allegedly) not a "star" configuration, using one WiFi name probably means that the additional extenders just grab signal wherever they can find it.
2) If you have multiple extenders, logging into one to admin it probably means you'll need to type in the specific extender's IP to get the admin menu.
3) Smart Connect + One WiFi Name is better than FastLane 3. I suspect this is specific to mesh technology, and with just a standard "extender" your story would be different. It appears to dedicate all three lanes to pairing and then lets SmartConnect adjust bandwidth depending on the device.
If anyone's doing the Router and non-mesh Extender, like the EX7000, you *do* want to use FastLane. You can dedicate the 5GHz band to FastLane if signal quality isn't an issue, and you want to use the 2.4GHz band for FastLane if it is.
tl/dr: Concrete/steel frame home, small patio, detached garage with home office on the other side of the patio. ISP locked down my router location & I have to run my Netgear as an AP, so I can't use features like VPN or QoS.
Lately the extender network is less reliable, running slower and having some dropouts and I decided to give in and try mesh. So I've got an EX8000 wall outlet mesh extender. Turns out the signal isn't any better replacing the EX7500; all I get as a benefit is one network name instead of two.
But with mesh technology in general, it's looking like:
a) no, I can't do Router-->Mesh and also have an Extender in some way. Both the EX8000 and the EX7500 want to pair themselves with the R8000 uniquely (for instance, the EX7500 works best with FastLane, but FastLane doesn't appear to be a thing with the EX8000).
b) I may benefit from having a second Mesh adapter. One on either side of the patio, reaching across the concrete and steel to each other.
Mesh technology may be the final way to solve my WiFi problems...it's just an expensive solution.
If anyone thinks any of these is nuts or I could try other combinations, let me know. I'm certainly open to suggestions!
Model: EX8000|AC2200 Nighthawk X4 Wall-plug Range Extender
I've engaged Netgear support. They say I can use multiple EX7500s and that may solve the problem. Just one EX7500 meant that:
- if I put it at the edge of my house, the connection to the router was strong, but the signal was too weak on the other side of the patio where the home office is.
- if I put it at the edge of the home office, the connection to the router was weak, so a strong signal didn't matter because it was still horribly slow.
So EX7500 #1 goes at the edge of my house. EX7500 #2 goes at the edge of the home office. And the two help each other extend the network.
Stuff I've learned:
1) Netgear's documentation doesn't tell you how to do multiple extenders, but the truth is you do each extender the same: pair it with the router, then move the second (or third, or fourth) extender to the location you want it to sit. Even though EX7500 is (allegedly) not a "star" configuration, using one WiFi name probably means that the additional extenders just grab signal wherever they can find it.
2) If you have multiple extenders, logging into one to admin it probably means you'll need to type in the specific extender's IP to get the admin menu.
3) Smart Connect + One WiFi Name is better than FastLane 3. I suspect this is specific to mesh technology, and with just a standard "extender" your story would be different. It appears to dedicate all three lanes to pairing and then lets SmartConnect adjust bandwidth depending on the device.
If anyone's doing the Router and non-mesh Extender, like the EX7000, you *do* want to use FastLane. You can dedicate the 5GHz band to FastLane if signal quality isn't an issue, and you want to use the 2.4GHz band for FastLane if it is.
