#1 ·
Hey everyone. I’m dealing with a really weird Wi-Fi issue, and it’s happening exclusively on my main laptop—the one I actually need to get work done on. 👎
So, here’s the setup. I have an Xfinity modem with built-in Wi-Fi, but the range is pretty pathetic, so I originally hooked up a TP-Link router to extend the signal into my room. That worked fine. Then that router died, and someone gave me a Netgear router to use instead. I plugged the Netgear into the Xfinity modem, and everything seems fine for everyone else. My two other laptops in the house connect just fine, the tablet works, all the phones are good—except for my laptop (of course). It’s a very specific headache.
Basically, when I connect to the Netgear, the laptop establishes the connection but there's zero internet access:
But about once every five tries, I’ll actually get internet access, though it feels like playing the lottery:
I’ve highlighted both scenarios in red, but the most important part is what I marked in blue at the top. When that "2" isn't there, there's no internet. But when the "2" shows up, everything works. Most of the time, it connects without the "2," and then I'm stuck with no connection. It’s almost like the computer remembers two different networks with the same name—one with a "2" at the end and one without—and they're clashing. If it hits the one with the "2," I'm golden. Without it, nothing. And it's always the same device I'm trying to use.
I even tried removing the network profile entirely:
...but the same thing happens. The Netgear name pops up again, sometimes with the "2" and sometimes without. It’s back to the same cycle where either I have no internet, or I have to be incredibly lucky to catch the one with the "2." How do I fix this mess? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
So, here’s the setup. I have an Xfinity modem with built-in Wi-Fi, but the range is pretty pathetic, so I originally hooked up a TP-Link router to extend the signal into my room. That worked fine. Then that router died, and someone gave me a Netgear router to use instead. I plugged the Netgear into the Xfinity modem, and everything seems fine for everyone else. My two other laptops in the house connect just fine, the tablet works, all the phones are good—except for my laptop (of course). It’s a very specific headache.
Basically, when I connect to the Netgear, the laptop establishes the connection but there's zero internet access:
But about once every five tries, I’ll actually get internet access, though it feels like playing the lottery:
I’ve highlighted both scenarios in red, but the most important part is what I marked in blue at the top. When that "2" isn't there, there's no internet. But when the "2" shows up, everything works. Most of the time, it connects without the "2," and then I'm stuck with no connection. It’s almost like the computer remembers two different networks with the same name—one with a "2" at the end and one without—and they're clashing. If it hits the one with the "2," I'm golden. Without it, nothing. And it's always the same device I'm trying to use.
I even tried removing the network profile entirely:
...but the same thing happens. The Netgear name pops up again, sometimes with the "2" and sometimes without. It’s back to the same cycle where either I have no internet, or I have to be incredibly lucky to catch the one with the "2." How do I fix this mess? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.