Troubleshooting Unable to Connect to WiFi Extender or Saying Incorrect Password
This Article Applies to:
all TP-Link range extenders
Issue Description/Phenomenon:
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Wireless devices (phones, laptops, etc.) are unable to connect Wi-Fi of the extender after setup;
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Extender won’t accept router Wi-Fi password after setup, saying ‘incorrect password’;
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Very long random password on RE after WPS;
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Certain devices are unable to connect to Wi-Fi extender.
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PS4 / IOS devices fail to connect to RE's Wi-Fi network or failed to get an IP address
Troubleshooting Tips
Note: TP-Link range extender will use the same Wi-Fi password as the router after being configured successfully. When connecting to the Wi-Fi of extender, you should put in the router’s Wi-Fi password.
Case 1: RE Signal Led/ 2.4G or 5G Wi-Fi Led are OFF, and wireless clients won’t accept the router password.
RE LED OFF indicates that the extender has not connected to the router yet. If the Wi-Fi extender says incorrect password, then the password given to the extender may be incorrect.
1. Factory reset RE and install it from the beginning, put in the correct Wi-Fi password during setup.
2. If Signal LED/Wi-Fi LED is still off, refer to What should I do if I fail to configure TP-Link Range Extender?
Case 2: RE Signal Led/ Wi-Fi Led is ON, and wireless clients won’t accept the router password
RE LED ON indicates that the extender has connected to the router successfully. RE will get an IP address from the router and in the router’s local network.
1. Factory reset extender and set it up through Web page or Tether APP:
RESET: With the extender powered on, use a pin to press the RESET button until all the LED flash once.
How to configure Range Extender via Tether APP
How to configure my range extender via web GUI
2. Install the latest firmware update for range extender: How to upgrade the firmware of my range extender (new logo)?
3. Double check RE password on Tether APP or Web UI: (for RE Signal Led/ Wi-Fi Led ON scenario)
a) Check RE password on TP-Link Tether APP as follows:
Download the TP-Link Tether app, connect your mobile device to the home Wi-Fi network. Open Tether APP and login extender in Tether. Tap ‘Extended Network’ to check the extender's password and use that password to connect the Wi-Fi of the extender.
b) Check RE password on its Web page:
Login to the router and check what is the IP address of the extender on the router’s client list (you may need help from router support if you do not how to login to the router). Then launch a web browser and type in the IP of the extender to log in to the extender's web page. Go to Wireless Settings to locate the Wi-Fi password of the extender.
Check out FAQ Method 2 for details: How to use my Range Extender properly if your range extender is configured correctly?
Case 3: Very long random Wi-Fi password on extender after WPS process
In a few instances, you may find a very long random Wi-Fi password (64 bits) on the extender if you use WPS to pair router and extender. This is caused by ‘Wi-Fi protected setup state’ wireless frame in WPS protocol, check out the FAQ here for details:
Why is my main router’s wireless password changed after using WPS to setup the Range Extender?
1. Try to Factory reset RE and install it from Tether APP or Web UI, put in the correct Wi-Fi password during setup.
2. Use Tether App or Web UI to check the RE password as Case2. And change the password from random password to the same as router's password. (thanks to @Taff64 shared in this thread )
Case 4: Certain Device Unable to Connect Wi-Fi extender
1. Install the latest firmware update for range extender: How to upgrade the firmware of my range extender (new logo)?
2. Ensure that the device could connect to Router’s Wi-Fi. Remove Wi-Fi profile or forget extender Wi-Fi on that certain device and reconnect to Wi-Fi of extender (FAQ: Remove Wi-Fi profile on Windows) FAQ: How to remove existing wireless network profile on Android&iPhone
3. Contact device support to get more professional help.
Case 5 : PS4 / IOS devices fail to connect to RE's Wi-Fi network or failed to get an IP address
Refer to FAQ below to manually configure RE DHCP settings:
What's the solution if my TP-Link range extender can't connect to my router properly?
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