Wifi Extender Disables Internet

[Daniel_C]

Hi,

I recently bought a Wifi Extender (TP-Link - TL-WA850RE) and 5 Port Desktop Switch (TP-Link TL-SF1005D) to get coverage in my granny flat, next to my folk's place. They have the modem in their house, and the WiFi doesn't reach my flat so I figured I'd use the desktop switch to get a wired connection into my room, and then also plug the Wifi Extender into that with a LAN cable to have WiFi access throughout the flat (plugging it mid-way between my parents place and mine doesn't give adequate coverage at all). Everything seemed to be working fine until I plugged in the WiFi booster which suddenly crippled the internet almost entirely. I pinged google.com with it plugged in, and I get about 75% packet loss and almost no browser pages open. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong - the guy at the store said something about settings but I didn't take notes

I tried to find a solution, and looked at http://192.168.1.1/, but am not sure what to look for. With the extender plugged in, the internet is so non-functional that that page won't even load. Unplugging the extender allows the wired connection to work again perfectly. I hope I explained that well enough! Thanks in advance for any ideas or solutions

Not sure what other info to provide but hopefully this is relevant:
Modem: MWEB TG589vn v3 (technicolor?)
Extender: TP-Link - TL WA850RE
LAN Port: TP-Link TL-SF1005D

 

[mitchmagi]

The Wifi Extender is intended to extend the coverage of an *existing* wireless network which is not what you are wanting seeing that the existing signal is too weak.

You want a Wireless Access Point in the granny flat.

Setup as below:

Modem in Folks Place ---> Cable ---> Switch in Granny Flat ---> Cable ---> Wireless Access Point ---> Wifi

You may be able to "turn" the Wifi Extender into an Access Point by following the below ...

Depending on the size of coverage needed - you may be better off purchasing a dedicated Wireless Access Point for better coverage / stability ...

 

[Whright]

I think if you use a wired connection (Ethernet cable) to you wifi extender, you have to set it up as Access point and not a repeater.

 

[daneza]

Unfortunately the TL-WA850RE is designed to extend an existing WiFi network, and only works in reverse with a LAN cable to how you want to use it.

I found this in the manual:
---
Will the Range Extender work if I connect the ETHERNET port of it to the router via
Ethernet cable?
Sorry, it won’t work. The Range Extender is designed to connect wirelessly to the router, while
the ETHERNET port is designed to connect with a wired device, like Internet TV, Gaming
console, DVR and so on.
---

So you would still need another WiFi access point in the flat, plugged into the TPLink, to give out signal that the TPLink is receiving.

Ideal is to buy an actual access point and plug it into the LAN cable. That will create a new WiFi network for your flat.

I've never had a good experience with those WiFi extenders. Best case scenario they're already cutting your maximum WiFi throughput in half by having to listen and then repeat. Never mind if the signal they're trying to repeat is already bad.

Edit:
Ah ok, follow the video guide posted above.

 

[Daniel_C]

Thank you for all the speedy answers, guys! Seems I misunderstood the use of the extender. Fortunately I didn't actually buy that - my folks bought it to extend the signal outside onto the porch area, and I thought I could repurpose it since they barely use it. I really appreciate it. I'll try some of the solutions and if those don't work, I'll investigate the access point! Can I just ask about getting one of those at the computer shop?

 

[SauRoNZA]

Sounds like you may have the DHCP server enabled which is publishing another gateway in the same IP range as the Mweb Router which is 192.168.1.254

You want to be sure DHCP Server is disabled and if there is an option like DHCP relay to use that instead and point it to 192.168.1.254 (but not necessary, it will work otherwise too).

Best give it a static IP and make sure the Gateway is set to 192.168.1.254 as well.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I'll try some of the solutions and if those don't work, I'll investigate the access point! Can I just ask about getting one of those at the computer shop?

A wireless extender IS an access point but it has the extra function of being able to create a wireless bridge instead of a physical cabled one.

This is a generally bad idea as you lose a lot of wireless bandwidth.

If you run a cable between the router and Extender it literally becomes an Access Point but there may be an option in the menus to define it specifically as that as it changes some automatic wizard options.

Having said this appears to be one of those tiny fit on a plug type units which is generally a bit useless and you could do much better with a full blown larger AP with external antennas.

 

[r00igev@@r]

The Wifi Extender is intended to extend the coverage of an *existing* wireless network which is not what you are wanting seeing that the existing signal is too weak.

You want a Wireless Access Point in the granny flat.

Setup as below:

Modem in Folks Place ---> Cable ---> Switch in Granny Flat ---> Cable ---> Wireless Access Point ---> Wifi

You may be able to "turn" the Wifi Extender into an Access Point by following the below ...

Depending on the size of coverage needed - you may be better off purchasing a dedicated Wireless Access Point for better coverage / stability ...

Snap
PS: Just saw someone do the same today!

 

[Daniel_C]

Sounds like you may have the DHCP server enabled which is publishing another gateway in the same IP range as the Mweb Router which is 192.168.1.254

You want to be sure DHCP Server is disabled and if there is an option like DHCP relay to use that instead and point it to 192.168.1.254 (but not necessary, it will work otherwise too).

Best give it a static IP and make sure the Gateway is set to 192.168.1.254 as well.

Sorry for the super slow response (been super busy), and thank you for your answer! How do I go about doing this? I haven't had to configure network type stuff for years and don't know where to look

Also: is a wireless access point something I can buy at a computer shop? re: Mitchmagi's comment "Modem in Folks Place ---> Cable ---> Switch in Granny Flat ---> Cable ---> Wireless Access Point ---> Wifi "

 

[SauRoNZA]

You'll need to log into the web interface of the device.

 

[Daniel_C]

Solution (yay):
Went to the PC store and explained my situation and asked for a wireless access point (D-Link Wireless Extender/Access Point) which looks more like a modem than the little range extender. Everything is up and running perfectly now. It cost 700 bucks, but my boyfriend uses about that much, if not more, on mobile data every month, so we'll save a lot of cash in the long term

Thanks again to everyone for your help.