Be careful with this. Even though the software says you can change it, you CANNOT change the SSID of this range extender. Thus, most devices will not disconnect from the main routers SSID until way out of range, thus rendering it fairly pointless. I only found this out when the manufacturers responded to a query posted on a web forum.....
Keith9534 to poolman
27 Aug 17#2
Does that mean that the devices this is supposed to help in weak wifi spots, will still try to connect to the weak main router rather than this?
poolman to Keith9534
27 Aug 17#3
Exactly! Although it has a diff mac address, most wifi devices can only differentiate by SSID and it duplicates the main routers one. Most laughable thing was that the manufacturer argued that this was correct , because it was a repeater!! Yes it is....but if you can't change the SSID it's a fairly useless one!!
poolman
27 Aug 17#4
Here's trendnets response to not being able to change the SSID.....
Manufacturer Response:Hello,
The unit is a repeater. The SSID will be the same as the unit it is repeating off of. A wireless client should connect to the unit with the best signal. If you are closer to an access point with the same SSID it should connect to that unit. If you move away from it, your wireless client will attempt to hold onto that connection as long as it can and will not connect to another access point until the connection is lost. Even if you move closer to another access point.
Keith9534
27 Aug 17#5
Thats terrible....if it connects to the one with the best signal but then holds onto it until the connection is lost, you could be right next to a better connection and it will just ignore it!
mike557
27 Aug 17#6
If this is a repeater - they 'normally' have the same SSID. How do you think roaming works in offices / big buildings? The mobile device monitors the SSID that it is registered to and if it finds a stronger channel (with the same SSID) it switches to the stronger channel (access point / repeater). If you used different SSID's in repeater mode a device will remain locked to a weak ssid rather than switching to a stronger different ssid. I hope that makes sense.
poolman to mike557
27 Aug 17#7
Incorrect, they don't switch automatically to the stronger signal. Try it...
Aiadi to poolman
27 Aug 17#11
You are absolutely right. The client will always try and keep hooked onto your main router unless you are completely out of its range. This is useless as the signal tends to get so weak rendering the client unusable while it still insists on connecting to the original router's wifi. Also if you locate these far enough from main router to make them more usable then the signal that they relay weakens so much that they again become less useful.
poolman to Aiadi
27 Aug 17#14
Thank you. I'm just trying to help people who may get misled (like I did!) into buying something that is almost useless. I even got a copy of the manual to read, to check that you could change the SSID and theres a whole section on it, telling you how to do something that simply does not work! You change it...then it just defaults back! Crazy....
mike557 to poolman
27 Aug 17#16
Hand over to another access point (or repeater) is controlled by the client. The wifi spec does not detail how or when the handover should occur. While I totally accept what you are saying (to be true), you are incorrect. Having multiple devices with the SAME ssid is how roaming works. If a signal becomes too weak (based on clients decision) it WILL automatically scan for another SSID - first matching the original SSID then others in its access list. The two of you can back each other up as much as you wish and I believe you could prove this however if a handover is not occurring it is actually a fault with the client device and not a fault with a repeater using the same SSID. Hope that helps :-)
Dissatisfied_dad
27 Aug 17#8
If there's a different ssid with a stronger signal, then your device is going to go for the strongest signal, so if this is going to lock on to the booster, this is absolutely useless unless youre using to in a garage, outdoors, etc.
Does anyone actually know of any that can have their ssid changed, without having to mess around networking the whole bleeding house?
kkthomask
27 Aug 17#9
Page not found..is it OOS/link not working?
pasheast to kkthomask
27 Aug 17#10
Cut the "?source=Webgains from the end of the weblink, then refresh.
mikeypr
27 Aug 17#12
Could you not hide the main units ssid once you have connected it? Then you could connect to the visible one.
stockdam to mikeypr
27 Aug 17#13
How would you do this? The repeater needs to connect to the main router and so it must broadcast it's SSID.
A repeater is most useful if you cannot "see" the main router and so you connect to the repeater.
mickael28
27 Aug 17#15
Hi guys, I see the device has a network connection. Do you know if I could use something like this for this setup?
I've got a gaming PC, a steam link box and a standard sky broadband connection. The thing is that even though I'm streaming from my PC to the steam box in the same room, the game is quite unplayable, I thought that the computer should be connecting directly to the steam box (but I guess the streaming might go from the PC to the routher (which caps the quality/speed as it's not a good one) and then to the steam box, so that the speed at the end is really bad).
As this device has network port, could I plug it somewhere in the setup above to improve things? If you know, where? and how many devices would I need?
Thank you
gtd65 to mickael28
29 Aug 17#20
I've bought this to provide me with an ethernet point connection for my desktop pc - hopefully it works, as per the product details.
mickael28 to gtd65
29 Aug 17#21
That's basically what I want, but I'm fed up of buying so many different products which at the end don't do want I thought they were supposed to do and I have to either return it (with the hassle of going and postage costs) or they just end up in a drawer...
Could you pls let me know if it works like that when you get it?
But do you need that the connection is really fast? or that's not a problem for you, ie, being enough if this device connects via wifi to the routher (which might be slow) and then you connect the desktop pc to the ethernet here?
mike557
27 Aug 17#17
While I know you can find any article on the internet to contradict another - you may like to read this and it does appear number 1 in google when entering "wifi roaming".
NotoriousC
28 Aug 17#18
anyone recommed a good cheaper wifi extender?, want to put it in the sitting room (2 rooms away) as the signal isnt strong enough to reach the far corner with the tv
Gers1969
28 Aug 17#19
Surely the switch from router to extender only matters if you are moving around? This product would be ideal for a device (e.g. Playstation) which is situated in a place with a weak Wi-Fi signal and which is not going to go closer to the router? I appreciate the concerns about switching but this probably only applies to mobile phones and tablets ( and possibly laptops). Even then, could a 'reconnect to network' not force the device to pick up the stronger signal?
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Opening post
21 comments
I only found this out when the manufacturers responded to a query posted on a web forum.....
Most laughable thing was that the manufacturer argued that this was correct , because it was a repeater!! Yes it is....but if you can't change the SSID it's a fairly useless one!!
Manufacturer Response:Hello,
The unit is a repeater. The SSID will be the same as the unit it is repeating off of. A wireless client should connect to the unit with the best signal. If you are closer to an access point with the same SSID it should connect to that unit. If you move away from it, your wireless client will attempt to hold onto that connection as long as it can and will not connect to another access point until the connection is lost. Even if you move closer to another access point.
How do you think roaming works in offices / big buildings?
The mobile device monitors the SSID that it is registered to and if it finds a stronger channel (with the same SSID) it switches to the stronger channel (access point / repeater).
If you used different SSID's in repeater mode a device will remain locked to a weak ssid rather than switching to a stronger different ssid.
I hope that makes sense.
While I totally accept what you are saying (to be true), you are incorrect.
Having multiple devices with the SAME ssid is how roaming works. If a signal becomes too weak (based on clients decision) it WILL automatically scan for another SSID - first matching the original SSID then others in its access list.
The two of you can back each other up as much as you wish and I believe you could prove this however if a handover is not occurring it is actually a fault with the client device and not a fault with a repeater using the same SSID.
Hope that helps :-)
Does anyone actually know of any that can have their ssid changed, without having to mess around networking the whole bleeding house?
A repeater is most useful if you cannot "see" the main router and so you connect to the repeater.
I've got a gaming PC, a steam link box and a standard sky broadband connection. The thing is that even though I'm streaming from my PC to the steam box in the same room, the game is quite unplayable, I thought that the computer should be connecting directly to the steam box (but I guess the streaming might go from the PC to the routher (which caps the quality/speed as it's not a good one) and then to the steam box, so that the speed at the end is really bad).
As this device has network port, could I plug it somewhere in the setup above to improve things? If you know, where? and how many devices would I need?
Thank you
Could you pls let me know if it works like that when you get it?
But do you need that the connection is really fast? or that's not a problem for you, ie, being enough if this device connects via wifi to the routher (which might be slow) and then you connect the desktop pc to the ethernet here?
I appreciate the concerns about switching but this probably only applies to mobile phones and tablets ( and possibly laptops). Even then, could a 'reconnect to network' not force the device to pick up the stronger signal?