Netgear ex2700 range extender setup

Osem · 27-01-2015, 21:44

Just got one of these to help improve the Wi-Fi signal I'm getting in our lounge (at the back of our house) from the Superhub2 (upstairs towards the front). I haven't had time to try it yet so I thought I'd ask a couple of questions before I get at it tomorrow (hopefully).

I can't move the Superhub more than a couple of feet for various reasons but it does provide a good signal to the front downstairs part of the house so I'm wondering if the extender needs to be sited between the Superhub and the target area or whether anywhere downstairs would do?

Also I'm wondering about security and access to it. I believe it should appear as my network SSID with an .ext extension but will it need its own password or will the one I'm using for the superhub work automatically? There's something in the blurb about connecting easily with WPS without passwords but this not working with WEP security settings but it's double Dutch to me. Can anyone translate into layman's terms please?

TIA as always.

SnoopZ · 27-01-2015, 22:10

It will need its own password which can be the same as the SH if you wish, it won't work automatically you have to enter it when setting things up.

You shouldn't be using WEP security settings on your wireless it is very weak, use AES.

Osem · 28-01-2015, 08:21

Tks for the reply.

Never heard of WEP or AES to be honest - I just plugged in the superhub2 and pressed a button when setting it up a couple of weeks ago. Haven't fiddled with the settings at all. but my network indicator states WPA2-PSK if that helps.

Osem · 28-01-2015, 19:10

Well I've set it up and it works fine apart from one thing. After connecting the 'Windows Security' box shown below appeared, I typed 'admin' and 'password' as in the instructions and it directed to 'www.mywifiext.net' where I was told the installation was successful and I clicked the 'finish' button'. Now, however every time I click on the IE icon in my taskbar to access the internet, I'm directed to www.mywifiext.net instead of my normal homepage bbc.co.uk/news. I've checked internet options and it's still set as my home page but I can't seem to get rid of www.mywifiext.net. Any thoughts?

TIA as always.

SnoopZ · 28-01-2015, 19:16

I think you will need someone with more experience to answer that one if you can't change your homepage back to normal.

Osem · 28-01-2015, 19:35

OK I've had a fiddle around and it seems like for some reason in IE what was my home page (bbc.co.uk/news) has become linked to the Netgear website. If I open Google and type in bbc.co.uk/news it takes me to www.mywifiext.net... I have altered my homepage in IE to just bbc.co.uk and now clicking on the IE icon takes me there but I'm still confused about the rest. Any ideas?

SnoopZ · 28-01-2015, 19:42

All i can suggest is read the manual and see if anything explains it or probably easier, just google the question you want to ask.

Osem · 28-01-2015, 19:48

Other people had the same issue:

http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=94423

No answers there sadly...

Having just swapped between the two and done speedtests, the good news is that whereas I was got 4-6mb download speeds direct via the Superhub and 25-30mbs via the extender so it's done the job I wanted it for.

qasdfdsaq · 29-01-2015, 00:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osem

I can't move the Superhub more than a couple of feet for various reasons but it does provide a good signal to the front downstairs part of the house so I'm wondering if the extender needs to be sited between the Superhub and the target area or whether anywhere downstairs would do?

It needs to be put somewhere where it can maintain a good signal to/from the Superhub and the target area, so between the two would be the obvious choice. It doesn't have to be a straight line, just somewhere that gets decent signal to both places.

Osem · 29-01-2015, 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

It needs to be put somewhere where it can maintain a good signal to/from the Superhub and the target area, so between the two would be the obvious choice. It doesn't have to be a straight line, just somewhere that gets decent signal to both places.

Thanks. All I've had to do is put the extender in another room upstairs above the problem area and the issue seems to be solved. I didn't realise until late last night but, on start-up, my laptop automatically connects to the stronger signal of the two so moving it around the house/garden and seeing which it chooses in various locations will help me decide where the extender's final resting place will be.

I haven't fiddled with any settings (security or other) on either the Superhub2 or the extender yet so still using the 8 digit default password which came on the bottom of the hub. Is there any reason to bother changing this?

Thanks.

SnoopZ · 29-01-2015, 11:23

It does say 'changeme' as the password best to always do that.

Osem · 29-01-2015, 12:04

There are 2 passwords for the Superhub- the wifi password (random 8 letters) and the settings password (changeme). Do I need to change both?

Should I also change the Range Extender's user name and password (currently 'admin' and 'password')? Is the extender potentially vulnerable to unauthorised access in the same way as the Superhub?

If changing the passwords on both the hub and the extender is a good idea, does it matter which order I do it in?

Cheers as always.

heero_yuy · 29-01-2015, 13:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osem

There are 2 passwords for the Superhub- the wifi password (random 8 letters) and the settings password (changeme). Do I need to change both?

Should I also change the Range Extender's user name and password (currently 'admin' and 'password')? Is the extender potentially vulnerable to unauthorised access in the same way as the Superhub?

If changing the passwords on both the hub and the extender is a good idea, does it matter which order I do it in?

Cheers as always.

I think anything that can be accessed wirelessly or from WAN should be considered as vulnerable. Recommend you change all passwords from the deafults.

I also have my router set so that administration can ONLY be performed by a wired LAN side connection.

Hub and extender are separate so it shouldn't matter which order you do them in. They can always be reset (usually a pinhole that you poke something into) if something goes funny.

HTH.

Osem · 29-01-2015, 14:42

Yes that does help thanks mate.

Just need to get round to looking in the settings menus for these devices and trying to make sense of it all...

qasdfdsaq · 29-01-2015, 14:54

It's generally regarded good practice to change any default passwords you have. Many, in fact pretty much all widespread exploits of home routers around the globe have depended on the default password being unchanged.

There's no real reason to use a different wireless password on the repeater, but be aware there might be roaming issues if you use the same SSID on both.