PC will sometimes connect to Wifi extender and not primary WAP

[Stikkman]

My PC will often connect to my Wifi Extender even though my PC resides in the living room 10 ft from my primary Xfinity Arris Wifi router/modem I'm using per my Comcast service. Find I have to power off or reboot my Extender in order for my PC to connect to my proper (main) Xfinity WAP. How can I ensure my PC stays connected to my primary Xfinity WAP? Pretty sure is related to the DHCP addresses being issued by primary WAP vs Wifi Extender? A simple Windows-based ipconfig /release /renew does not seem to work as well as rebooting the Extender which takes the Extender offline long enough for primary WAP to issue a new DHCP address to my PC.

 

[JimF_35]

Is this PC a laptop that you move around and sometimes need to connect to the Extender?

If not I would just remove the Extender from your wireless devices. If this is Windows 7 go to the Control Panel -> select Network and Sharing Center -> select Manage wireless networks and remove the extender.

If you have to have this device then right-click on the Extender and choose "Move Down" which changes its priority to a lower level. This does not always work however because if you are getting interference with the main Wifi device it will automatically go to the next device in this list and try to connect.

 

[bill001g]

If by extender you mean wireless repeater then you are really stuck. If you are running the extender as a AP you can just use a different SSID and then it will connect only where you tell it.

When you have 2 devices sending the same SSID the PC will connect to what it thinks is the strongest and then never even attempt to connect to another until the signal totally drops or gets so bad it is unusable. You can change a setting in the nic on many wireless cards to change the point it drops and looks for another called roaming aggressiveness. The problem is if you set it too low it just constantly jumps back and forth.

With a wireless repeater there is no good way to fix this since you are required to use the same SSID on both devices.

 

[JimF_35]

If by extender you mean wireless repeater then you are really stuck. If you are running the extender as a AP you can just use a different SSID and then it will connect only where you tell it.

When you have 2 devices sending the same SSID the PC will connect to what it thinks is the strongest and then never even attempt to connect to another until the signal totally drops or gets so bad it is unusable. You can change a setting in the nic on many wireless cards to change the point it drops and looks for another called roaming aggressiveness. The problem is if you set it too low it just constantly jumps back and forth.

With a wireless repeater there is no good way to fix this since you are required to use the same SSID on both devices.

You could always use a Directional Antenna that is if you are not trying to connect to it from all sides.

A paper plate with Tin Foil on it put on one side of the antenna always works. 😛

 

[Pooneil]

For a first step, if possible, reposition the computer so the wifi antenna favors the router over of the repeater.

 

[g90814]

Changing the SSID of the extender/repeater vs the main router would solve the issue. Just connect to the one you want.

 

[Stikkman]

How tricky is it to configure a different SSID on the Wifi Extender - doesn't it still need to connect to my primary WAP SSID or do I configure the secondary SSID on my primary WAP (Comcast router).