getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
I have an EX7700 mesh extender on my system and am trying to add a EX7300v2 to it. One seems to interfere with the other one. I understand that I need to change the SSID on the second mesh extender to avoid conflicts. I can't figure out how to do that. I tried the mywifi ext approach and that seems to want to set up a new extender altogether. I have been through the KB articles and am now more confused. How do I go about setting up the second extender. Explain it to a simpleton. Thanks.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
When I enter a new SSID would each device connecting to that extender login to that extender rather than the router and other extender(EX7700). I.E., would two networks be running from the same router? Does the new extender with the new password still get internet from the router? Sorry for being so dense. Thanks.
When I enter a new SSID would each device connecting to that extender login to that extender rather than the router and other extender(EX7700). ---if you used a different ssid on the extender, you'd choose which to connect to.
I.E., would two networks be running from the same router? ---not sure what you mean by this. Both extenders would be connecting and functioning. Does the new extender with the new password still get internet from the router?---yes it would. Sorry for being so dense. Thanks.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
Well, I was able to change the SSID on the EX7300 and it shows up on my list of available networks. But when I connect to it, there is no internet and the EX7300 does not appear to be connected to the router. I wish Netgear would publish a detailed instruction sheet on how to do this. What should be a 15 minute project is a multihour, multiday operation. The top 2 lights on the EX7300 are unlit. The Ex7700 is functioning properly. Any further suggestions? Thanks.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
Additionally, After getting into the extender setup and changing the SSID, I am now able to pull up that new network on the dopdown menu and log into it. When I do that the client link light turns on, becomes green, and the connection is established with the extender. The router link light stays off. There is no internet and no connection with the router. How do I get the extender to connect with the router if they are on 2 different SSID's. There now is no apparent conflict with the other extender(EX7700) which continues to work just fine. I hate to be a dog with a bone but after having invested so much time in this, I don't to give up now and chalk it up to the school of hard knocks.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
My router is an AT&T U-verse Gateway Model 5268AC FXN manufactured by Pace. I think I did turn off the EX7700 when setting up the EX7300 but am not certain. Should I redo the setup on the EX7300 again making sure the EX7700 is off? Should I do a factory reset on the EX7300 before doing so? When setting up the SSID I added a number after the original SSID of the router, e.g., Smith and Smith2 but used the same password. Thanks for your help.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
I tried the factory reset and that didn't seem to reset anything. At this point I am going say "uncle" and quit beating a dead horse. I will just stick with the EX7700 and put the 7300 in a shoebox. Thanks for trying to help me.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
After 6 months, I am taking the ex7300v2 out of the show box and going to attempt to connect it again. The only difference now is my router is upgraded to the ATT fiber router. I plan to shut down everything else connected to the router including ex7700 and old wn2500rp before trying the setup. Any suggestions before proceeding? Thanks.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
Update: I was able to get the EX7300v2 set up and have a strong signal. I then restarted the EX7700 and after several reboots got it working again. The only difference now is that the EX7700 seems to have a weaker signal(amber) than it did before(despite not being moved). It seems as if the EX7300 is sucking some of the strength of the router signal. I then started the WN2500RP and that seems to be working okay.
When I ran Fing, it picked up the 7300 just fine but not the 7700(even though the 7700 was working). When I updated Fing, it picked both EX7300 and 7700 just fine.
In summary, the 2 mesh units and the non-mesh extender are playing together well(touch wood). I am not sure what I did wrong 6 months ago but am glad I decided to give it another go. Maybe the DCHP in the new router is better than the old one. Thanks for all your help.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
I have two questions:
1. As I stated earlier, the EX7700 is much closer to the gateway/router than the EX7300v2 and is unmoved from its previous location. When it was the sole mesh device the signal was white but now is amber with the more distant EX7300v2 up and running. The signal on the EX7300v2 is a strong green. Can you explain the physics behind the dropping off of the signal strength to the EX7700?
2. Additionally, the EX7700 seems to drop the connection to the DHCP on the router periodically. This necessitates rebooting the EX7700. The EX7700 has almost a direct light of sight to the router about 40-50 feet away. I have a switch with 8 ports connected to the EX7700. Once I reboot the EX7700, all the Ethernet-connected devices regain their IP addresses.
Of course, both the mesh devices are connected wirelessly.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
Ah, how would I diagnose mesh vs direct connection to the router? When I run Fing, they both have separate IP addresses. When I added the EX7300v2, all other extenders(EX7700 and WN2500RP) were turned off. Once 7300 was up and running, I switched the other two back on.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
Additional info:
When I run the android version of Fing on a tablet, it shows a wifi icon like you would see on a telephone beside the EX7300v2 and says that "this is the access point" (even though the switch on the EX7300v2 is set to extender mode and not access point). There is no similar message or icon beside the EX7700. I'm guessing you are correct in thinking the 7700 is connecting to the 7300 and not the router. How would I confirm this and change the setup so that there would be 2 access points not connected to each other? Thanks for your help.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
Disable mesh mode on one of the extenders and set it with its own unique ssid. Then the 2nd extender they're only be the routers ssid to connect to.
Just make sure the one with its own unique ssid is on the opposite side from the other extender so there's less of a risk of it still connecting to it.
Again, this is the reason we usually recommend moving to a full mesh system like orbi so there's a router controlling what the satellites are connected to.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
1. How does one disable mesh mode? I thought that was innate on both these devices. The 7300 has a swithch on the side for extender mode or access point. The 7700 does have such a switch,
2. Can you give me a step by step instructions on how to set the unique SSID and which one should I do that on? The EX's are not on opposite sides but in a sort of dog-leg configuration on different floors.
3. Thanks for your help and sorry for all the hand holding.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
I could not find a reference to disabling mesh mode in either user manual but I did find something called disable "One Wifi Name". Is that what you meant?
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
It seems as if disabling one mesh unit is only exchanging one problem for another. Would it not be better to stick with a wounded mesh system even though one mesh unit is connecting to the other mesh unit rather than the router? As currently configured, the system seems to be working fairly well. Is there a downside to continuing as is? Does this create any security risks? I guess these individual mesh units are not truly "mesh" and hence the push for the orbi system. A little upfront truthful advertising from Netgear would have avoided this situation.
Re: getting 2 nighthawk mesh extenders to work together
Update: I am still running my system as a "walking wounded" or demi-Mesh setup. Everything seems to be working well with good signal strength. The light on my EX7700 is still amber. I have no way of telling if this means the signal strength is not as strong as it should be or because it is connected to the EX7300v2. Is there a way to tell what device the EX7700 is connected to, i.e., the router or the EX7300? Fing shows a sole access point, the EX7300v2.
From a security point of view, are there any risks to continuing with my current setup?
