Devices never connect to TP-Link RE305 repeater – always stay connected to main router
I have a TP-Link Archer AXE75 installed in my home, and it works great indoors. However, on our outdoor patios, the Wi-Fi signal doesn’t quite reach — I usually get only 1–2 bars, and sometimes the connection drops entirely.
To fix this, I bought a TP-Link RE305 Wi-Fi repeater and placed it at a suitable distance between the router and the area with poor coverage. The problem is that my devices (both phones and laptops) never actually connect to the RE305. They always stay connected to the AXE75, even if the connection is weak.
It seems like as long as they have even a minimal link to the main router, they won’t switch to the repeater. I’ve tried toggling Wi-Fi off and on again on my devices, but they still reconnect only to the AXE75.
To rule out a faulty unit, I even exchanged the RE305 for a new one — same result.
What could be causing this, and is there a solution?
When a device will re-connect to another wireless SSID depends on the device itself.
For this reason most probably your devices prefer to connect to AXE75 SSIDs nstead of your RE305 SSID.
You can probably mitigate this by changing Advanced=>Wireless Settings=>Transmit Power setting to Middle and check if that works for you:
