Is your Netgear AX1800 WiFi 6 Extender refusing to connect to your device. One moment LEDs begin to blink and the next moment they freeze and stop working, leaving you frustrated over the cause. It’s a common issue where your extender is plugged in, router working perfectly, and still there is no connection between the two. Everything seems fine, but somehow, it just won’t link up. Here in this guide, we will walk you through with the solution that will finally get the Netgear extender to connect and stay connected.
Troubleshooting Tips to Connect Netgear AX1800 WiFi 6 Extender
1. Is Extender Plugged Properly?
Cause:
Sometimes it looks like the extender is plugged in, whereas it’s not. And it becomes confusing because of the blinking LED lights. It might be, because of the dead power socket.
Solution:
Make sure that power LED is steady and not flickering. Now, check WiFi list on your system. You’ll see SSID: “NETGEAR_EXT”. If not, the extender is still in the middle of reset. Wait for sometime before moving with further solution.
2. Not Able to Load Mywifiext Page
Cause:
Not able to reach mywifiext dashboard, even after multiple attempts.
Solution:
- Connect your phone or laptop directly to NETGEAR_EXT
- Then open Chrome and type 192.168.1.250
- If it still refuses, switch to incognito or use different browser
Once you get in, you’ll see mywifiext interface, asking you to connect to an existing WiFi.
3. The Router Won’t Pair?
Cause:
Majority of people complain that even after router is placed near the extender, it still fails to connect. It’ll either say failed to connect to existing network or just sit there spinning.
Solution:
Move the extender closer to your router. It is advised to place it in the same room as the router. Later, after the configuration, you can place the extender to the desired location.
Then double-check your WiFi password, as typing errors are common. Type slowly to avoid them.
If that still fails, go into your router settings and separate both the bands by giving them different names. Connect to the 2.4GHz first because it’s more stable during setup. After everything works, you can merge them back later if you want.
4. WPS Method
Cause:
If you don’t want to deal with typing password and complicated steps. In such case WPS method is the appropriate option for you. You can connect both router and extender using WPS method.
Solution:
Tap the WPS button on router and then tap it on extender within two minutes. If the light turns into solid white or green then it means router and extender is connected with each other.
If not then try again by moving the extender closer to the router. These things don’t work with distance during setup. After that, you can move the extender to the desired location.
5. Firmware Update
Cause:
Sometimes, your Netgear AX1800 WiFi 6 extender won’t connect with router because of old firmware.
Solution:
Go to the setup menu to update the firmware. Now, select settings then click on firmware update and then wait patiently till the installation completes.
Don’t turn off the device; otherwise your firmware might corrupt. After the installation is complete, the connection issue will disappear.
6. IP Conflict
Cause:
This one is not talked about much but happens more than you’d think. If your main router uses an IP range then the extender might not get its own spot, and the whole thing fails quietly.
Solution:
Login to router via 192.168.1.1 then go to LAN setup and expand the DHCP range to 192.168.1.200.
After expansion, reboot both the router and extender.
7. Don’t Name It the Same as Your Router
Cause:
During setup, it asks if you want to use the same SSID as your router? Avoid doing that!
Solution:
Name it something different. If you give it the same name as your main WiFi, your devices will keep hindering the connection and it’ll look like the extender isn’t working. Because, separate names allow easy testing.
8. If Nothing Works: Reset It
Cause:
If your device is refusing to cooperate then the only option you are left with is factory reset.
Solution:
Take a pin and insert it into the tiny hole on the back for 10 seconds until all lights blink once then let go.
Wait for few minutes for device to reboot. Afterwards, go to Wi-Fi list and there you can again see a NETGEAR_EXT. Start Netgear extender setup from the scratch with refreshed network.
This time, it will probably go smoother; it’s like give a second chance.
Conclusion
We hope, you were able to resolve the issue with your device. Once you finally resolve it, you’ll realise, the speed for streaming and gaming is seamless.
Everyone agrees that Netgear AX1800 WiFi 6 extender is a great hardware but setup could be stressful sometimes. If your connection keeps failing, it’s almost always one of these:
- Wrong WiFi password
- Too far from the router during setup
- Mixed SSIDs confusing the device
- Firmware out-dated
But you’ll have to recognise these issues one-by-one till you find the actual one. And even if you still fail to find the actual reason. The best option is to perform the complete setup via Ethernet cable. Set it up via wire and then switch it back to wireless.