Fix Netgear Extender Won’t Connect To Router Issue Easily

If your Netgear extender won’t connect to router, you came across the best post to fix the issue easily!

We will include everything there is to know regarding the issue and grant you the best fixes out there to troubleshoot your extender and router.

To fix your extender you can start with power cycling your router and extender and then ensure that your network is up and is scannable. Next, you can try reconnecting your Netgear to the default WiFi network, re-run the Netgear extender setup wizard, and lastly reset your device to factory settings.

But before we get familiar with the fixes for this issue, let’s first review the possible causes for this issue to occur in the first place.

Why Netgear Extender Will Not Connect to Router After Installing?

If you have just finished establishing your Extender and it isn’t connecting with your router, there are a few variations of the issue. Let’s take a look at the 4 possible outcomes after your extender is established:

Extender Not Connecting at All

In case your Netgear extender is unable to connect with your network the possible causes are insufficient range between the devices and outdated firmware.

Extender Connects but No Internet

If the extender is connected but there is no internet it could be a power malfunction with your router, a loose cable connection, or temporary issues with your ISP.

Extender Can’t Scan for Wireless Network

In case your Netgear extender is unable to scan for wireless networks at all, then there is probably something faulty with the product.

Get in touch with your manufacturers or deliver your device for a repair.

Extender Keeps Dropping WiFi

If you’re already connected with your network, but your extender is often thrown out, there might be a problem with your cable connection.

If you have connected your extender to your router using an Ethernet cable in case, ensure the cable is functional.

Now that you know all of the possible causes, let’s now check what are the best fixes against these malfunctions and hopefully fix your Netgear extender.

How To Fix When Netgear WiFi Range Extender Won’t Connect To Router?

Make sure to perform a firm reboot on your router before proceeding with the causes.

This might manage to fix the issue and save you some time for troubleshooting. If restarting does not work, let’s start applying our troubleshooting methods one by one.

Method #1 Ensure There Is a Connection

The first thing you can do is ensure you have a reliable connection. Without a network, you cannot expect your extender to connect with the router, unless you have an Ethernet cable (wired connection).

To ensure that there is an internet connection, simply check your WiFi status from some of your other devices to see if the connection is available.

If your router fails to broadcast the network to your extender, then you can try the following approaches:

• Power cycle your router.
• Disconnect and reconnect ALL cables.
• Let your devices cool down.

If nothing works and the extender is still not connecting, let’s move to our next method.

Method #2 Rerun Netgear Extender Setup

Perhaps, by re-establishing your extender you’ll be able to see if that will make any change.

To run the setup, you just have to plug your Netgear extender into the power source and wait for the LEDs to stabilize.

Once running smoothly, locate the extender’s factory reset button, and with the assistance of a paperclip or thin needle, press and hold the button until all LEDs on your extender start to blink.

Note: After a factory reset, you will have to re-establish any configurations you’ve made with your extender since everything will be wiped clean once your extender reboots after the operation.

Method #3 Update Router And Extender

If your Netgear extender can’t connect to router the reason might be in the firmware versions on one of the participant devices.

In case your router and extender are not updated to the latest version, you may often have WiFi outages or be unable to pair at all.

We’ve prepared separate guides to update your Netgear router and extender so let’s take a look.

How To Update Netgear Router?

To update your router, go to Netgear’s control panel. Here is a step-by-step guide:

1. Go to the command prompt by typing “CMD” in the Windows start menu.
2. Once the Window has opened, type “/ipconfig” and press Enter.
3. Copy the Default Gateway.
4. Paste it into your browser’s search field.
5. Log in to your Netgear account.
6. Locate the Update Firmware tab.
7. Click on Scan for New Firmware.
8. Wait for the scan to complete.
9. Download & Install any software version found.

How To Update Netgear Extender?

To update your Netgear extender follow the steps below:

1. Head to the official Netgear website.
2. Locate the Netgear update page.
3. Provide your extender model number to evaluate its hardware.
4. Go to Downloads and choose New Firmware Update.
5. Lastly, click on the Upload button.
6. Wait.

This will initiate the update and you should not turn off your router, PC, or extender during the process.

Method #4 Reset Router To Factory Defaults

In case your Netgear extender won’t connect to router, even after updating the firmware, perhaps restarting your router to factory defaults will help.

This is done in the same options page you accessed in the last method, so you must access your router’s control panel in order to perform a factory reset.

Once in the options, go to the Reset & Backup tab and select the factory defaults reset button. Once you have pressed it, your router will automatically turn off and go into a factory reset mode.

Note: All configurations and network settings will be reset after the factory reset so you will have to re-establish your network once again after your router boots.

Method #5 Use Wired Connection

If nothing has worked for you so far, you can try connecting your extender to the router via Ethernet cable.

This will save you the WiFi part and still connect your extender to a reliable internet connection.

In order to do it, you must get yourself an Ethernet cable, plug one end to the extender, and the other into your router.

Your extender should start blinking rapidly until the connection is secured and both devices are connected.

To fix a Netgear extender that is unable to connect with WiFi, you can power cycle both devices and update their firmware. Then, ensure all the cable connections on your router are reliable, re-run the setup for your extender and factory restore if necessary.

Read Next: Why Netgear Router Keeps Dropping WiFi?

Conclusion:

Now that you know why Netgear extender won’t connect to router and all possible causes, with the assistance of our easy fixes you should have no worries troubleshooting the issue easily!

Finally, you can always reach out for customer support from Netgear and hopefully, they will be able to help.

If you’re looking for more posts related to Netgear router punctuality issues, make sure to check our blog to discover solutions to all your Netgear issues.