Easy Ways to Fix Nighthawk Extender Not Found Issue

Installing Nighthawk WiFi range extenders to fulfill internet requirements has become one of the most common practices these days. After users setup Netgear Nighthawk extender, they need to connect to the WiFi network to enjoy the internet. FYI, Netgear_ext is the network name of the WiFi extender. But, what if this WiFi name does not show up on the WiFi list? Yes, we are talking about the Nighthawk extender not found issue. In this case, accessing the internet on wireless client devices seems impossible sometimes. But, every problem has a solution. With that said, let’s start our post focused on troubleshooting the issue when a WiFi extender is not found on network lists of client devices (mobile phones, tablets, laptops) present in its range. You can take the help of the information provided here if you are struggling with the same problem.

Overview: Nighthawk Extender Not Found

You might have got complete idea about the issue we’re going to tackle here. But, don’t you think that the picture will become clearer if you are familiar with the reasons behind the issue? Right from an outdated firmware of the extender to WiFi interference present in the path of communication of your devices, many reasons work together to create this annoying issue. But, the most common one is a disturbance by a network glitch. To do away with that you are supposed to power cycle the entire home network. For this, first of all, power down the modem, then your router, and lastly the extender. You can also unplug these devices from the power socket. After that, consider waiting for 10-30 minutes. Once done, power up all your devices in the same sequence as you powered them off. In case the Nighthawk extender not found issue is still adamant about leaving you, then it is recommended that you take the assistance of the tips highlighted in the next section.

Solutions: Netgear WiFi Extender Not Found

So, these were the easy solutions corresponding to the reason causing the issue. It is expected that you will now be able to resolve the problem using these solutions. But, if you are still unable to see the WiFi extender network name on the list, then there is a possibility that you disabled the SSID broadcast during the setup process. Therefore, consider checking if what we’ve just stated is true or not. You can do so by following the instructions highlighted in the next section.

How to Check If Extender is Broadcasting SSID?

We are assuming that your WiFi range extender is powered up and you’ve successfully connected it to the main router through a LAN cable. Know that you’ll need an additional cable to connect your computer to the extender since you won’t be able to see the extender’s SSID on the network list. After that, follow the steps given below:

• Switch on your computer and launch an internet browser.
• You must visit mywifiext.net now.
• When prompted to log in, use the valid extender credentials.
• On the Netgear Genie dashboard, go to WiFi Settings.
• Now, see if Enable 2.4GHZ WiFi or Enable 5GHz WiFi and Broadcast this Network Name (SSID) boxes are checked.
• If not, then check them and save the settings.

In older extender models, you need to follow the path: Advance > WiFi Settings > Check Wireless Access Point and Enable SSID Broadcast to fix the problem.

The Concluding Thought

With that, we are now wrapping up the post that aimed to fix the Nighthawk extender not found issue. We are hoping that you will be able to see the extender’s network name after enabling the SSID broadcast. However, if you do not want to enable the SSID broadcast, then you are supposed to manually enter the SSID of your extender in the network list of your client device to use the internet.