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Phone won't automatically connect to WiFi extender

D

dov_elyada

Lurker
My phone is Nexus 6P operating under Android 8.1.0.

In my home I have two WiFi sources, a primary one and a range extender / repeater. Both have the same access password.

With a previous system I could select a WiFi setting so as to connect automatically to at least one of them. I see no such option in my current system. As a result, when moving around the home I often loose WiFi connection and have to manually connect to the better signal.

Is there a way to fix this?
 
Just speculating but it sounds like the extender has been set up as it's own access point as opposed to just a standard extender. You stated it's using the same password as your primary WiFi network but didn't mention if it's also using the same SSID. If it was a functioning as an extender it would be basically just be expanding the coverage of your existing WiFi, not supplanting it with a secondary one.
Not knowing the brand nor model of either your router or the extender it's difficult to make actual suggestions but try re-configuring your extender so it's a) using both the same SSID and password, and making sure your router is the sole gateway device in your home LAN (all routing functionality done by the router with the extender acting solely as a slave access point), and b) manually set your router and your extender to use different channels (same SSID/password different channels). If you're having to manually switch from one WiFi network to another depending on where you're located in your home, by having one SSID than it's just a matter of your phone having to be manually switched over from one network to another but it should just be a matter where it automatically switches back and forth, more or less seamlessly, depending on which signal from your router or your extender is strongest.
 
svim said:
Just speculating but it sounds like the extender has been set up as it's own access point as opposed to just a standard extender. You stated it's using the same password as your primary WiFi network but didn't mention if it's also using the same SSID. If it was a functioning as an extender it would be basically just be expanding the coverage of your existing WiFi, not supplanting it with a secondary one.
Not knowing the brand nor model of either your router or the extender it's difficult to make actual suggestions but try re-configuring your extender so it's a) using both the same SSID and password, and making sure your router is the sole gateway device in your home LAN (all routing functionality done by the router with the extender acting solely as a slave access point), and b) manually set your router and your extender to use different channels (same SSID/password different channels). If you're having to manually switch from one WiFi network to another depending on where you're located in your home, by having one SSID than it's just a matter of your phone having to be manually switched over from one network to another but it should just be a matter where it automatically switches back and forth, more or less seamlessly, depending on which signal from your router or your extender is strongest.
Click to expand...

And to top that off
other than the SSID
the router may need to be set to spoof the BSSID and MAC of the orig. access point your extending...
 
Thanks, guys, but you overwhelm me technically. All I know is how to use the setup manuals that came with the products.

The router is Vtech NB403 - VDSL2 Modem Router WiFi N, supplied and set up by my Internet service supplier.

The extender is NETGEAR N300 Model EX2700, which I bought and setup following the quick-start manual. Other that the automatic connection, it works fine.

The extender SSID is the default one, chosen by the product's Installation Assistant, and is RRRR-EXT, where RRRR is the router SSID.

If solving the issue requires much more than that, I'm gonna need a much more detailed instruction.

(In the meantime I've learned that the option 'Connect Automatically' in Nexus phones now exists in Pixel only; mine is Huawei.)
 
Just to lay out the problem, you have your Vtech modem/router (from your ISP) and a Netgear extender (from you). Your phone, when connected to your Vtech WiFi, will hang on to that SSID even when you've far enough outside its effective coverage and are within range of your Netgear's SSID (and presumably vice-versa). This sounds like a normal situation, as your phone is simply attempting to hold on to its working online connection until you manually switch it over to the other WiFi SSID.

Also, with both your modem/router and your extender having different SSIDs, that's what is creating the issue where you're not able to just walk around your home and stay connected without having to manually switch over the one with the strongest signal. Instead, you want your home network to have just one SSID for the WiFi. You mentioned using the same password for both SSID networks but that's not the issue. Your phone is detecting and connecting to the SSID, the network identifier, not the password, in this situation the password is just an incidental.

Leaving your modem/router settings as is, focus on re-configuring your Netgear extender so it's a) using the same SSID and same password as what your Vtech modem/router is using, and b) set your extender to be using a different channel than your modem/router. You referred to relying on a 'install assistant', generally those are focused on convenience and ease of use. You need to bypass those default settings and customize your WiFi to suit your particular situation. This leads into a particular caveat, WPS. Wireless manufacturers include this function because of its convenience factor, but they all disregard it has serious security problems. Consumers like it because it makes set up really simple, but at the same time it's compromising the security of a home network. Not a big issue if you live in a rural setting, where your closest neighbor might be down the road, but if you live in a more densely populated area, a condo in a big city for instance, than it's much easier for someone to exploit the WPS function of your WiFi devices. So if you see a WPS option in your modem/router or extender, only rely on it very judiciously.
https://www.howtogeek.com/176124/wi...-is-insecure-heres-why-you-should-disable-it/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Setup#Vulnerabilities
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/home-router-security,news-19245.html
But getting back to re-doing your Netgear extender, try going through the set up process again, from scratch, Do a Reset on your extender (see pg. 14 in the link below) and set it up again, this time using the same SSID and password as your Vtech modem/router:
https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/EX2700/EX2700_FullIG_12May14.pdf
Looking at the screen caps of that online PDF manual I can't tell if there's an 'advanced' tab in the setup page to set a specific channel but you should be able to in your Vtech's setup page:
http://099.net.il/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/VTECH-NB403.pdf

You might want to install this 'Wifi Analyzer' app on your phone. It's a really nice utility that will give you a graphical picture of what WiFi networks your phone is detecting, along with basic tools to measure aspects of your own WiFi network:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en
Also, you might find this 'RouterCheck' app to be useful and informative. It does some fundamental tests on your current home network as far as security issues, but I think its best feature is its integral documentation, very well written and explains basic terminology for those who require it (it's not the most obvious though, there's a tiny 'find out more' link at the bottom of each topic):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Sericon.RouterCheck.client.android
Finally, just so you get a better understanding of the channel issue, this link includes a nice, one-page explanation on WiFi basics (somewhat dated but still relevant).
https://www.geekzone.co.nz/sbiddle/8728
 
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