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NETGEAR Wifi Range Extender EX3700 - Coverage Up to 1000 Sq.ft. and 15...
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Customer reviews
- NETGEAR Wifi Range Extender EX3700 - Coverage Up to 1000 Sq.ft. and 15...
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- Customer reviews
Top positive review
Works Great and with Easy Set-Up.
February 8, 2017
Great extension of my wireless. I have a" man cave/office" in my unattached garage about 100 feet away from my cable company supplied Wi-Fi modem. It actually was able to reach this but the signal without the extender but it was weak and often dropped the connection or slow speed. I installed this NETGEAR N300 about 50 feet away. I now get great connectivity for my laptop.
The initial setup is to:
- Plug the Range Extender into an outlet (I put them side-by-side) very close to the modem. You DO NOT use an Ethernet cord to set this extender up.
- Wait for the solid green LED power light of the extender.
- Push the WPS button on the extender and another LED light will blink.
- Push the WPS button on you old Modem and watch them connect. I had to look for the WPS button on the old modem because it not obvious but it does exist.
- Once the Router LED light on the Extender is solid green, unplug the extender and move it into an area that already can receive some signal, (I placed the Extender 1/2 way between my office and the old modem) as it cannot "extend" what it cannot detect!
- Select the new Network name it has created (it will be your old network name with an -EXT at the end)
- Use the password you use on your existing Wi-Fi system and you are done!
The initial setup is to:
- Plug the Range Extender into an outlet (I put them side-by-side) very close to the modem. You DO NOT use an Ethernet cord to set this extender up.
- Wait for the solid green LED power light of the extender.
- Push the WPS button on the extender and another LED light will blink.
- Push the WPS button on you old Modem and watch them connect. I had to look for the WPS button on the old modem because it not obvious but it does exist.
- Once the Router LED light on the Extender is solid green, unplug the extender and move it into an area that already can receive some signal, (I placed the Extender 1/2 way between my office and the old modem) as it cannot "extend" what it cannot detect!
- Select the new Network name it has created (it will be your old network name with an -EXT at the end)
- Use the password you use on your existing Wi-Fi system and you are done!
2,824 people found this helpful
Top critical review
Started great, ended as fire hazard
July 25, 2018
Received this in December 2017. Was an easy install for anyone who has had any experience setting up a router. And it worked great as advertised. I did not have drops like a lot of people reported. Unfortunately what I did have in July 2018 after 7ish months of use was a burning smell coming from it. As you can see from the picture, the unit was starting to burn up and melt down. I have used the wall outlet it was on for various things, and have never had an issue. The item was plugged in appropriately and never removed or messed with. This could have burnt my house down.
1,924 people found this helpful
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July 25, 2018
Received this in December 2017. Was an easy install for anyone who has had any experience setting up a router. And it worked great as advertised. I did not have drops like a lot of people reported. Unfortunately what I did have in July 2018 after 7ish months of use was a burning smell coming from it. As you can see from the picture, the unit was starting to burn up and melt down. I have used the wall outlet it was on for various things, and have never had an issue. The item was plugged in appropriately and never removed or messed with. This could have burnt my house down.
September 23, 2018
Okay everyone, be very careful with this one. When we went through the installation instructions everything seemed to be going well up to a point where a sign in screen appears with your log in name and password (you created in an earlier step). The problem starts here...after trying to log in the process becomes circular and won't connect, even after several attempts. This is where it gets dicey. We contacted their on-line chat service, explained the problem and a service tech called to "help". The gist: after going through a few different windows on my computer and installing software to remote into my computer the tech announces you have a trojan virus and to remove it the cost will be $89.00 an hour or up to $600.00 and of course I can't use my computer for the next two hours because my financial information is at risk and other people now have control of my home network. Well...we have BitDefender installed so I had to question this, after talking with the folks at BitDefender with their tech investigating my system, they told me they have received similar calls with unscrupulous "tech's" trying to sell you a service you really don't need. Btw: we never got the extender to work and it will be going back to Amazon as soon as my hot little hands can box it up...sometimes if the deal looks too good, you really need to question why.
June 15, 2017
After about 9 months of light use, the 2.4g channel has stopped working on all devices (5g works fine). I called Netgear technical support and they only offer complimentary support on this product for 90 days, after which they want you to pay for support. I researched this issue online and found several posts with the same problem. I have done a factory reset, firmware update and confirmed the settings are correct. Netgear does offer a 1-year warranty but they require a return authorization number, which can only be obtained through technical support, which requires a paid subscription. This doesn't seem ethical. I would avoid this product and given the warranty/technical support catch 22, I will certainly be considering other manufacturers for future purchases.
July 13, 2018
This Wifi Range extender works, I think it's fine if this is your only option.
However, I will write about my experience. Installation and setup wasn't that hard; I was able to install it with both methods out of the 3 options known in the comments section( I didn't need to use the secret unadvertised one). What really sucked for me was the performance reduction in terms of internet speed. I have decently fast internet coming from ethernet hard line from my modem. Even if this range extender was 5 feet away from my modem with no obstructions it reduced the internet speed from 150MB/s down to 10MB/s. If you have a big house, I would just recommend just getting another router or a more powerful router and connect the router to the first router. It's a simple plug and go. Don't waste your time trying to get a range extender to work.
This isn't aimed at this product in particular, but that was just my experience. I have a big old house. 2600Sqft with 2 floors. In old houses, sometimes they use chicken wire in the walls so it interferes with WIFI. Maybe that was the problem. I am happy with 2 powerful routers providing WIFI to the whole house with limited speed loss
However, I will write about my experience. Installation and setup wasn't that hard; I was able to install it with both methods out of the 3 options known in the comments section( I didn't need to use the secret unadvertised one). What really sucked for me was the performance reduction in terms of internet speed. I have decently fast internet coming from ethernet hard line from my modem. Even if this range extender was 5 feet away from my modem with no obstructions it reduced the internet speed from 150MB/s down to 10MB/s. If you have a big house, I would just recommend just getting another router or a more powerful router and connect the router to the first router. It's a simple plug and go. Don't waste your time trying to get a range extender to work.
This isn't aimed at this product in particular, but that was just my experience. I have a big old house. 2600Sqft with 2 floors. In old houses, sometimes they use chicken wire in the walls so it interferes with WIFI. Maybe that was the problem. I am happy with 2 powerful routers providing WIFI to the whole house with limited speed loss
August 4, 2018
I bought this to increase the wifi signal (which is very weak, resulting in relatively slower DL's) for the second story of my home, because I read things like, "FASTER WIFI SPEEDS - Combined speeds up to 750 Mbps", and, "Mobile Up to 100% Faster Improve your mobile WiFi speeds by up to 100% with AC750 WiFi Range Extender!", - both are direct copy pastes from the Amazon sales page..... Unfortunately, on page 7 of the user manual, you find this gem: "Data traffic routed through the extender is inherently slower than traffic routed directly from the network."
Speed test results (with Gigabit internet service):
Regular WiFi: 279M down; 41M up.
2G extender: 156M down; 42M up.
5G extender: 122M down, 41M up.
The range extender has a much stronger signal, but is close to half the speed!
Total waste of money.
Speed test results (with Gigabit internet service):
Regular WiFi: 279M down; 41M up.
2G extender: 156M down; 42M up.
5G extender: 122M down, 41M up.
The range extender has a much stronger signal, but is close to half the speed!
Total waste of money.
June 24, 2018
UPDATE:
It only works if you turn access control off in your router. Then it is fine.
UPDATE:
I got it to work, but nothing in the instructions helped me. If you can get your extender to be seen by your router, then log into the extender using a browser and the extenders IP address as shown in your router. You need to create an account, and then follow the instructions with smart setup or some such. I have a router for my LAN and a Moden for Comcast. My failure described below was with the comcast modem, which is WPS enabled. I succeeded with my old router, which is not WPS enabled. Go figure. I did not try the smart setup stuff in the extender with the comcast modem. Good luck. Watch out for MAC filtering and other stuff.
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Just got it, EX2700. I have an xfinity modem. No WEP security. Went the WPS method. Everything hooked up just like the manual said. I can see my extender when I log onto to xfinity modem as an attached device from my desktop. I can browse the internet with my laptop using the wireless connection to the extender. I CANNOT connect to the internet with my android phone or IPAD with the extender, even though I can log onto the extender with both devices.
I went through the hassle of registering my device on the netgear web site. THERE IS NO SUPPORT AVAILABLE. Just generic advice. Big waste of time.
This is a common problem. Most solutions I have seen published online by unhappy users don't make sense to me.
Awful experience. Last time I buy a netgear product.
It only works if you turn access control off in your router. Then it is fine.
UPDATE:
I got it to work, but nothing in the instructions helped me. If you can get your extender to be seen by your router, then log into the extender using a browser and the extenders IP address as shown in your router. You need to create an account, and then follow the instructions with smart setup or some such. I have a router for my LAN and a Moden for Comcast. My failure described below was with the comcast modem, which is WPS enabled. I succeeded with my old router, which is not WPS enabled. Go figure. I did not try the smart setup stuff in the extender with the comcast modem. Good luck. Watch out for MAC filtering and other stuff.
=================================
Just got it, EX2700. I have an xfinity modem. No WEP security. Went the WPS method. Everything hooked up just like the manual said. I can see my extender when I log onto to xfinity modem as an attached device from my desktop. I can browse the internet with my laptop using the wireless connection to the extender. I CANNOT connect to the internet with my android phone or IPAD with the extender, even though I can log onto the extender with both devices.
I went through the hassle of registering my device on the netgear web site. THERE IS NO SUPPORT AVAILABLE. Just generic advice. Big waste of time.
This is a common problem. Most solutions I have seen published online by unhappy users don't make sense to me.
Awful experience. Last time I buy a netgear product.
March 28, 2018
No stars. Returned it. Massive PIA to try to decipher the tech argot of the directions and it didn't work anyway. I bought it to extend the range of my router's wifi signal for an outdoor camera. Even after all the irritation involved with getting it paired to the house wifi and then plugging the extender into an outlet closer to the camera, it had zero impact on the camera's signal. The location receives a strong 4-bar signal from the router, too. There's no phone number to call for help with the setup unless you register the product first. The website you have to go to for the setup process doesn't even bother to tell you up front, where it might be helpful, that you won't ever see the setup assistant until you access Netgear's web pages through the extender's wifi, not your home router's wifi. The website has links for setting up with a PC or Mac, but the one for Macs doesn't work--the page never loads. Well, not until you've accidentally come across that information, on a completely different page that you found while looking for set-up help, that you have to access NetGear's pages through the extender's wifi signal, not the wifi from your own router.
If you finally get to the setup assistant you will be asked questions you have no clue how to answer because they're all in tech-speak. Why is it necessary to call a password a "network key"? Why don't you just say "password"? "Make sure your computer is set up to use DHCP". Really. I'll get right on that. I've been using personal computers for 30 years and have never seen the term "DHCP" and have no idea how to check that my computer is set up to use it, but since you bring it up, why don't you tell me how to "make sure" of that? Worthless. The whole instruction guide is like that and the setup assistant is worse by far. And hey, did you know that "WPS does not support WEP network security"? Who cares, if you don't know what either of those things are and if they don't tell you how to determine which your wifi has? The manual will tell you things like, "Click the Next button and the status screen displays". Wrong. Like a lot of the other steps. You know what happens when you click Next? The setup assistant completely vanishes and you end up back on NetGear's main web page. You are not offered something logical for the next step in the process, like a log-in setup option, or a flashing neon sign that says "setup complete" or any information on the status of the device you think you maybe might have possibly just set up. Nothing. Here's our web page. Enjoy this total lack of feedback about what you were just trying to accomplish and whether it worked or not.
No idea whether their phone tech support is any good or not because I put the device back in the box and printed a return label, but phone support is good for only 90 days anyway. Besides, you have to register the product first--so they can have your personal information and probably put you on 20,000 mailing lists for spam--before they'll give you access to the super-duper-secret-classified help line number. Never trust a company that won't give you free phone setup help in its instruction manual.
If you finally get to the setup assistant you will be asked questions you have no clue how to answer because they're all in tech-speak. Why is it necessary to call a password a "network key"? Why don't you just say "password"? "Make sure your computer is set up to use DHCP". Really. I'll get right on that. I've been using personal computers for 30 years and have never seen the term "DHCP" and have no idea how to check that my computer is set up to use it, but since you bring it up, why don't you tell me how to "make sure" of that? Worthless. The whole instruction guide is like that and the setup assistant is worse by far. And hey, did you know that "WPS does not support WEP network security"? Who cares, if you don't know what either of those things are and if they don't tell you how to determine which your wifi has? The manual will tell you things like, "Click the Next button and the status screen displays". Wrong. Like a lot of the other steps. You know what happens when you click Next? The setup assistant completely vanishes and you end up back on NetGear's main web page. You are not offered something logical for the next step in the process, like a log-in setup option, or a flashing neon sign that says "setup complete" or any information on the status of the device you think you maybe might have possibly just set up. Nothing. Here's our web page. Enjoy this total lack of feedback about what you were just trying to accomplish and whether it worked or not.
No idea whether their phone tech support is any good or not because I put the device back in the box and printed a return label, but phone support is good for only 90 days anyway. Besides, you have to register the product first--so they can have your personal information and probably put you on 20,000 mailing lists for spam--before they'll give you access to the super-duper-secret-classified help line number. Never trust a company that won't give you free phone setup help in its instruction manual.
September 30, 2017
Bought after seeing the thousands of good reviews. I get 100Mbps download/5Mbps upload from my internet provider, as proven using speed tests right next to the modem/router. I wanted an extender that I could conveniently place to catch the signal about 30ft from the modem/router and extend it 30-40 ft to the rooms upstairs. I verified that I was getting an 80-90Mbps signal from the modem/router right next to where I placed the extender. However, I found that upstairs, even after using the extender, I could never get a signal more than 15-20Mbps, with or without the extender. Eventually, I simply put the extender right next to the router, and finally found that even then(!!) I couldnt get more than 15-20Mbps, but without the extender I was getting an easy 80-90Mbps. This thing is just not built for high bandwidth, IMHO. If your requirement is similar, hopefully this review is useful to you. I'm probably going to end up with mesh wifi even though its more expensive.
October 25, 2017
Horrible wifi extender. I am a systems administrator by trade, and either the one I received was defective, or this product simply doesn't work. The primary thing to keep in mind is this is not a MESH network. (Meaning one SSID and seamless connectivity) You have to set up a second SSID for it to even slightly work. Even then it's hit or miss with its coverage and constantly drops off. I would not recommend this product, instead, I would go with the Mesh X6S.
Also to add, I attempted to set up as a single SSID with my existing wifi, and could not get it to route to the internet. (Its supposed to support this configuration)
Also to add, I attempted to set up as a single SSID with my existing wifi, and could not get it to route to the internet. (Its supposed to support this configuration)
September 28, 2018
This product does basically nothing...correction! This makes your WiFi even worse! It's not that hard to get it hooked up but they say it can have a 300mb/s connection but there is no way it does. As you can see from my photos 30 is the best it can do. I had it connected close to the main router and it got ONLY 10% of the speed! 30 vs. 300. I moved it to another part of the house and it stayed around 25-30 while the main router still got 80! This device is completely useless. I am sending this back immediately. Do not waste your time with this.
