[SOLVED] DHCP issue with Netgear smart roaming mesh WiFi

[Slord]

Hi there! I'm hoping you folks can help me out with a connection issue I've been having since installing a new WiFi extender a couple of weeks ago.

I have a new Netgear extender (EX7700/AC2200 - this one) creating a meshed network with my existing Vodaphone router.

The new setup is causing sporadic disconnects, especially for the two android phones in the house. It seems like they lose connection whilst connected to or hopping over to the extender and then have trouble getting an IP address. I have my phone in developer mode so get a slightly more detailed error message specifying a DHCP error when trying to reconnect. Also, in trying to fix the connection I removed and re-added the network and the phone failed to connect because of a supposed password mismatch, which was 100% not the case. I've also had what seems to be the same problem with two separate Windows laptops.

So I imagine it's a DHCP/IP-assignment issue but I'm not sure what the actual issue is or the fix.

Thanks for any help

 

[bill001g]

It is not a actual DHCP issue I would not think. Only your main router is doing dhcp...at least I hope you have not done anything strange. A wifi repeater does not even change you mac address so the same ip/mac should always work. All that really is changing is the wifi encryption. It really isn't any different than if you plug your ethernet into the router and then move it to a switch that is plugged into the router.

It is much more likely that you have some strange wireless issue where it appears to be connected but really isn't.

I really hate extender/repeaters because of all the strange bugs.

Your best option to troubleshoot this is to use different SSID on the router and the extender. That way you know where your device is connected and it won't change unless you tell it to. You may have to disable some of the auto connect features on some devices so they don't look for another network when they lose the first.

Not sure. I would reset the extender and reset it up. Since you only have 1 extender it is not running any form of mesh it is running as a simple repeater using WDS off the main router.

 

[Slord]

Ok, thanks. If it is unlikely to be DHCP then based on what you've said it could be that the extender is too close to the edge of the router's sphere of influence and occasionally it's connection is too weak, causing the problems. So, I think I'll try moving it before doing a full reset, which is eventually going to require me to run ethernet under the carpet if that is the case which I was trying to avoid 😬

 

[Slord]

Sorry to necro an old thread but was troubleshooting another problem and figures I'd just post to say that it seems it was a wireless range issue and I ultimately hardwired the connection (and the rest of the house) which solved all the problems I'd had (until today when an ethernet cable died on me, so not bad)