Netgear extender is small but a booster to the internet and WiFi signal of your router. This device presents its own network name when its time to connect with the extended network.
But if you are struggling to find the extender and Netgear_ext not showing on iPhone’s WiFi settings, you can use this solution guide.
Reasons Why You Can’t Find Netgear_ext on iPhone
The Extender Isn’t Plugged in or Booted Up Yet
A lot of these extenders take like a full minute or two to fully power on and start broadcasting. If you plugged it in and immediately went hunting for the network on your phone – slow down.
You’re Too Far From the Extender
iPhones can be weird about picking up weak signals. If you’re across the house thinking you’ll magically see NETGEAR_EXT, that might not happen.
The Extender Is Already Set Up (And the SSID Changed)
If someone already set up the extender before – maybe you, maybe someone else – it might not be called NETGEAR_EXT anymore.
The Extender’s WiFi Radio is Off or Jammed
Some Netgear extenders have physical buttons for turning off the WiFi broadcast. Or maybe the thing glitched and the WiFi module isn’t working right.
Interference or Channel Issues
If you live in an apartment or have a million smart devices around, the 2.4GHz band might be full of noise. NETGEAR_EXT usually broadcasts on 2.4GHz during setup
It’s a Dual-Band Extender, But You’re Only Seeing 5GHz
Some extenders broadcast different SSIDs for 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Your iPhone might only be scanning for one band, depending on settings or just random iOS behavior.
Solutions to Fix Can’t Find Netgear_ext on iPhone
1. Make sure the extender’s actually on
Plug it in. Wait a full minute. You should see a power light. If it’s flashing orange or something weird, it’s probably not booted up right. Unplug. Re-plug. Wait again.
2. You’re too far away
Move closer. If your iPhone’s not within, like, 10-15 feet of the extender when it first powers on, it might not pick it up. Especially if it’s behind a wall or stuffed in an outlet near the floor. Bring your phone right next to it.
3. Forget your Wi-Fi
Go to: Settings > Wi-Fi > tap the (i) next to your current network > Forget This Network
Then turn Wi-Fi off and back on. Sometimes your iPhone gets too cozy with your home router and doesn’t bother checking for new networks. Forcing it to rescan usually helps.
4. Look for a different name
It’s supposed to broadcast as Netgear_ext, but sometimes — depending on the model — it’s something like:
- NETGEAR_EXT
- NetgearSetup
- NETGEAR-2G-EXT
- NETGEAR-5G-EXT
Just scroll through everything in your Wi-Fi list. Don’t assume it’ll be exactly what the manual says.
5. Extender not factory reset? Do it
Hold that tiny reset button with a paperclip for 10 seconds – or until the lights go wild. Give it 60-90 seconds to boot back up. Now try looking for the network again. It might resolve the issue quickly like this one or mywifiext.net setup not working problem.
6. iPhone is acting weird? Reboot it
Old trick. Still works. Just turn your iPhone off and back on. I’ve had times where nothing shows up until I rebooted.
7. Use another device just to check
If you’ve got an old laptop, iPad, whatever — see if Netgear_ext shows up there. If it does, then it’s just your iPhone being picky. If it doesn’t, then the extender’s probably the problem.
8. Corrupt Extender firmware
If you’ve had this thing sitting in a box for 2 years, its firmware might be crusty. You’ll need to hardwire it to a laptop and update it manually. Total pain, but it works. Go to mywifiext.net when plugged in via Ethernet and check for updates.
Reset Your Netgear Extender at Your Last Resort
- Stick your paperclip/pin in and press that reset button. Hold it for 10 seconds, Count it.
- You’ll see the power LED blink or go amber. That’s your sign.
- Take the pin out. Just wait now. Give it like a minute or two. Lights will blink, maybe turn off, then come back on.
- Once it’s back to default mode, the reset process is completed. Now it’s like it just came out of the box.
- Open a browser, go to www.mywifiext.net or 192.168.1.250 (if that doesn’t work, try connecting to the extender’s default WiFi.
- Go through the setup wizard and slap in your main router info again.
