How To Set Up Any Netgear WiFi Extender

WiFi networks are wonderfully convenient, allowing you to connect to the internet without ugly wires and the constraints that come with them. However, WiFi networks are also influenced by many different factors, and their coverage isn’t always as great as we would like it to be. To extend your WiFi coverage, you could, of course, purchase a new router with the latest WiFi 6 technology, but that could be very expensive and doesn’t always deliver the desired results. In many situations, it’s much better to set up a WiFi extender, and Netgear WiFi extenders are known for their excellent performance and ease of use.

In this article, we explain how WiFi extenders work and provide detailed step-by-step instructions on how to set up your Netgear WiFi extender to achieve the best coverage possible.

What Is A WiFi Extender?

A WiFi extender is a handy device whose purpose is to extend the coverage of an existing WiFi network. It does this by receiving the existing signal broadcasted by your WiFi router, amplifying it, and then transmitting the implied signal as a separate WiFi network.

Indeed, most WiFi extenders create their own WiFi network, which is often considered to be their biggest downside. The only exception to this are mesh WiFi extenders, which simply extend the range of your existing network without broadcasting a separate SSID (Service Set Identifier).

Another downside of WiFi extenders is the fact that they reduce the total amount of available bandwidth in half, leading to slower connection speeds. This downside is offset by the performance boost associated with great signal strength, so a well-placed and properly configured WiFi extender can greatly improve your online experience.

How To Set Up Netgear WiFi Extender?

Setting up a Netgear WiFi extender is easy, and you don’t need any specialized equipment or skills. All you need to do is follow our step-by-step instructions:

1. Connect your Netgear WiFi extender to a suitable wall outlet. The outlet should be located halfway between your WiFi router and the area where you want to extend the router’s signal.
2. Grab a laptop or smartphone and connect to the extender’s WiFi network. It should have “NETGEAR” in its name. If you’re asked to enter a password, try “password” or “admin.”
3. Go to mywifiext.net and click or tap the NEW EXTENDER SETUP button.
4. Select your extender’s admin credentials. Make sure to remember them or save them someplace safe because you’ll need them to access the router’s admin interface in the future.
5. Connect the extender to your existing WiFi network. Keep in mind that if you ever change the password or name of your main WiFi network, you will have to reconnect your WiFi extender.
6. Name the WiFi network broadcasted by the Netgear WiFi extender and secure it with a strong password or passphrase. If you own a mesh WiFi extender, you should be able to use the same WiFi name and password as your existing network.
7. Complete the setup process and connect your WiFi-enabled devices to the new network.

As you can see, it can take just a few minutes to set up a Netgear WiFi extender from scratch. If you would like to go a step further and ensure that you’re getting the best coverage possible, you can download a WiFi Heatmapper to your laptop and use it to discover areas of signal weakness. Simply moving either your router or extender to a different place could be enough to achieve even coverage.