Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • WiFi extender woes, help!
  • Kit
    Free Member

    My recently purchased (arrived in the post an hour ago) Belkin WiFi extender won’t connect to the router in our house (BT Business Hub, old thing). I’d previously bought a Netgear extender which wouldn’t connect either, so sent it back. The Belkin says something like “can’t obtain an IP address from your router”.

    Obviously the router is the problem, but any ideas where I start in getting it to give out an IP to the extender? The WPS button on it doesn’t seem to want to cooperate.

    Thanks!

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    #lumberjackproblems 😉

    somouk
    Free Member

    I would guess it is having an issue joining the network in some way. How have you joined the extender to the existing wifi network?

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    woody74
    Full Member

    Post back the recently purchased Belkin WiFi extender. Buy a set of BT Powerline Wifi extenders. They work straight away out the box. I have tried numerous cheap and expensive wifi extenders and have wasted countless hours and days trying to get them to work or trying to get them to work again after they just stop working.

    Had the BT ones about 6 months and up and running in seconds and no issues so far. Think of all those hours I could have been riding.

    ghostlymachine
    Free Member

    Stop using the WPS button.
    Log onto the routers homepage and do it from there.

    Maybe even log onto the extenders set up page as well.

    Alphabet
    Full Member

    Either do what ghostlymachine says or else what woody74 says. I’ve got a set of BT Powerline extenders and they worked straight out of the box with my BT hub and also with my Vodafone hub when I switched ISP.

    reformedfatty
    Free Member

    Have you tried it setting it up via the belkin.setup / belkin.range options rather than the WPS button?

    Kit
    Free Member

    #lumberjackproblems 😉

    😀

    Have you tried it setting it up via the belkin.setup / belkin.range options rather than the WPS button?

    Yes. That’s where I got the message from.

    Those BT extenders are fine for devices with an ethernet port, but not for phones (which is what I need it for), as far as I can tell.

    bails
    Full Member

    Those BT extenders are fine for devices with an ethernet port, but not for phones (which is what I need it for), as far as I can tell.

    You can get Powerline plugs that have wifi built in, so they take the signal coming through the wiring and beam it out like any other wifi access point/router.

    Although I’ve got a Belkin wifi extender which is working really well, as well as a couple of Devolo powerline things that also work well. The wifi powerline combo things are quite a bit more expensive than the wifi extenders though.

    Try using the proper setup/config pages on the router and extender, rather than WPS.

    woody74
    Full Member

    The BT extenders I have are the wifi models, triple pack for £50 ish off Amazon. Work a treat. Sometimes my phone doesn’t pick up the nearest signal, but you just flick the phones wifi on and off and it is fine and dandy. So easy I haven’t bothered yet trying to work out if there is a setting that needs changing.

    IHN
    Full Member

    The plug in extender jobs, do they all have to be on the same ring/circuit or whatever?

    v8ninety
    Full Member

    Also, do the powerline plugs work as a pair,ie if I want to have a printer at the end of one, and a TV at the end of the other I’ll need two plugs at the router end, using two ethernet ports, or can I creat a network of them and have multiple powerline plug communicating with the master plugged into the router? (Sorry for slight hijack)

    Kit
    Free Member

    Try using the proper setup/config pages on the router and extender, rather than WPS.

    I shouldn’t have mentioned the WPS button… Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do, but didn’t know if there was something specific to be looking for to set up.

    I’m unemployed so £50 for some extra convenience (like having internet in the upstairs bathroom) can probably wait :/

    bails
    Full Member

    Also, do the powerline plugs work as a pair,ie if I want to have a printer at the end of one, and a TV at the end of the other I’ll need two plugs at the router end, using two ethernet ports, or can I creat a network of them and have multiple powerline plug communicating with the master plugged into the router? (Sorry for slight hijack)

    The second one. You have your router plugged in to an adapter in a socket (e.g. in the hall), then you can have a printer in the spare bedroom, console in the kids room and TV in the lounge all connected to their own powerline plugs.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Is it an extender or a repeater? Does it require a wired connection somewhere?

    Can you post a link to what you actually bought?

    v8ninety
    Full Member

    Ace, thanks bails!

    sobriety
    Free Member

    Kit, I have one of those.

    It works brilliantly, either you’ve got a duff one or there’re some router settings preventing it from linking (which is most likely) or the router is gubbed.

    twisty
    Full Member

    Just thought it might be worth pointing out that it is a good idea to try setting up the extender next to the router first, rather than going straight into trying to set it up on the other side of the house where the signal from the router may not be reaching it at all.

    It is really worth delving into the settings of the router, turn off WPS and manually set up a secure WPA/WPA2 network and then manually configure devices including extenders to connect to that network. While doing this you can do stuff like survey what ‘noise’ you are getting from your neighbours and put your network on a channel that is relatively quiet etc.

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    Extender/Repeaters like these often halve the speed, create a lot more noise, and may be knocked off the network or knock other things off the network due to the bazillion other 2.4Ghz signals around your house or from your neighbours.

    Powerline type extenders seem more reliable and faster, and you can still have the other end pop out a wifi signal. One end wired version that just plugs into the router so no WPS etc faffing. They are effectively wireless access points, just that the connection between AP and router is through the mains instead of CAT5 (that’s another option though. Buy a WAP and a length of CAT5).

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Another person here who uses the “wired to wifi” solution, so a powerline connected to router via ethernet cable then a “wifi out” unit elsewhere in the house (due to having older kit I have tp link power line with an old Apple Airport Express as the wifi out, I also use ethernet out to connect to my Apple TV as imo a wire is always better)

    Idea above of setting it all up in same room is a good one

    Have you tried switching channels on the BT router (lots of other networks visible) ?

    twisty
    Full Member

    That’s another option though. Buy a WAP and a length of CAT5e cable and two RJ45 end crimps, and a crimping tool, and something to drill through the walls of the house, and something to attach the cable to the outside of the house, and a ladder to access the upper floor, and a can of polyeurethane foam to fill the holes back in, and stuff to redecorate the internal walls

    FIFY 😛

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)

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