Hi everyone,

I recently replaced my old dual-band router (with separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs) with a new router that uses a single combined SSID. With the old setup, my TP-Link extender worked perfectly — it would connect and create a network like WIFI_5GEXT.

However, now that I’m using a router with a single-band SSID, the extender seems to only recognize the 2.4GHz band. When I try to configure it, it doesn’t create a network with the _EXT suffix anymore. It creates a network named just WIFI, which is the same as the main router.

Also, when I try to rename the extender network, it keeps reverting back to the original name (WIFI), and I’m not sure whether the extender is working or not.

Example:

Main router SSID: WIFI

Extender used to create: WIFI_EXT

Now it creates: WIFI (same as the main router)

Has anyone experienced this? Is there a way to:

Force the extender to create a distinct _EXT network?

Confirm whether it is actually working or just cloning the name?

Thanks in advance for any help!