How to set Netgear N600 WNDR3400 as a wireless repeater with an Xfinity Router?

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ketsueki_raven

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Dec 13, 2013
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I have the Xfinity's latest router/modem duo, but it is located in the office room which is in the basement. It does not have good signal for the upstairs, except in the room directly above the router.

I have a Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Router (WNDR3400) that I want to use as a wireless "hotspot" (or I believe Netgear calls it a repeater). Unfortunately, my knowledge with this goes as far as using one router. So I need help figuring out how to get my Netgear Router to be in listening mode to bounce the signal from the Xfinity router to the upstairs. Please help!
 
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RealBeast

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You will get far better results if you can run a cable up to the N600 and run it in AP mode. If that is impossible, you can use a pair of powerline adapters to get the signal to the N600 and still run in AP mode.

To set the N600 to AP mode, just turn off DHCP, give the N600 a static address that is in the network range but outside the Xfinity DHCP range, give the N600 a different non-overlapping radio channel (selecting from 1, 6, and 11), use the same SSID, same wireless security type and same passkey. Attach the N600 to the XFinity LAN port to LAN port with the Ethernet cable (or powerline adapters, and get a good set of adapters).

Recall that you will also have to set the N600 static address in the Xfinity static table, which will require the MAC address of the N600 (it is on a sticker on the back or bottom).
 
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MKJ1000

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Not sure about all the technical lingo here but my solution was simple.

Rest the N600 by pressing the small button in the back. Once reset, connect to your Xfinity router using Ethernet cables. You should have another network called 'Netgear' showing up in your available set of Wifi networks.

It is going to be an unprotected network but easily usable if you are not worried about someone hacking your network. My original network router is a Verizon and somehow I am getting a much better reception on my original network as well.

I have used this second network for devices that I donot really care like internet streaming etc.
 
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RealBeast

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You can set it up as a second network, but just because you don't want to spend the time to learn how to make it part of a single network does not make it a good solution. For most users a single network is a better answer.

I would still recommend a unified network with multiple wireless radios. If is not difficult and you actually learn how your network functions.

And most people actually want to be able to share all devices on one network (printers) and exchange data between all computers; two benefits of a single network.

 
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BDalms

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Jun 10, 2014
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How do we add the static address to the table and how do we give it an acceptable static address?
Sorry Im not bright with this. Please give it to me in detail.
 
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RealBeast

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You need to enter the configuration pages for the main (Xfinity) router and should probably look over the manual to find exactly where the setting is located (I don't use that modem/router and you didn't mention the model), but what you need to do is set up a static address in the static table of the Xfinity for the N600 (and will need the N600 MAC address to do so -- usually on the label).

That address should have the format of a.b.c.d where a through c are the same as your Xfinity local gateway address (such as 192.168.0.1) and the last number (d) should be a value between 2 and 254 that is not identical to the gateway address and is also outside the DHCP range that is assigned in the Xfinity configuration page.
 
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BDalms

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I tried that but got an error about how i cannot have the same subnet in wan or something like that. I just plugged an ethernet from the xfinity gateway into one of the router's lan ports and it works great. I'm able to use wifi in the back corner of my house now. It is the same SSID and passphrase. Thanks for the help!
 
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razor512

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If you are using the latest firmware (should be using the netgear genie UI), Click on Advanced, then go to Advanced Setup, then go to Wireless AP

You will then see a page that looks like this
3lfO7BD.jpg


Once enabled, it will use the WAN port as a LAN port and set everything up for you. To configure the router further (in case you want to change any settings in the future, you will have to head to your main router and look for whatever IP address it assigned the netgear router, then head to that address to get back to the netgear config page.

If you do not have the option for wireless AP, then you will have to do it manually.

First step will be to disconnect the any cable leading to the WAN port (so the genie firmware stuff will allow you to change the local IP of the router to an address in the same IP range as the main router, as by default, it will automatically change its IP to a different range if behind another router, e.g., if the main router is 192.168.1.1, then the netgear will automatically switch to 10.0.0.1). Once that cable is disconnected, you can then head to the Advanced tab, and then Setup, then go to LAN Setup, and then change the local IP of the router to an address in the same range as your main router, e.g., if the main router is 192.168.1.1, then change the netgear router to something like 192.168.1.64 or any other IP in the range after that, also uncheck Use Router as DHCP Server. Once applied, you should be able to just connect the router in a LAN to LAN fashion, and still retain full access to the netgear router settings as well as its features additional features.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=

I am not sure if the 3400 has a repeater mode, but I advise against it, often it will not support WPA2, and at best you end up with half of your wifi throughput when going through a repeater.
 
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BDalms

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I am using the netgear smart wizard. Not sure if the genie would work with the wndr 3400. Anywho i got it working and i love it. Although sometimes the connection can be a bit slow. I appreciate you going into much greater detail with your post razor. It helped me grasp the concept soooo much more. :)
 
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