Member Avatar for Cardlinc

Two wireless routers were purchased at the same time. The SSID is the same for both: NETGEAR49. The passwords are different. One router was installed in location A. The other router was installed in location B, 65 miles away. Set up went swimmingly. Problem: I cannot access the Internet at location B with the devices that use the location A router. How to I get around the SSIDs being the same on each router so I can use the wifi at both locations?

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For 's setup the quickest diagnostic is the one suggested: forget the saved NETGEAR49 profile and reconnect. Devices identify networks by SSID and keep the saved authentication; if two physically separate routers use the same SSID but different passphrases, a client carrying the saved password from location A will try that password at location B and simply fail to authenticate. That is the most common cause of "I see the Wi‑Fi but no Internet."

Quick, practical steps:

  • Forget the NETGEAR49 profile on the client device, then join the NETGEAR49 at location B and enter the correct passphrase.

    • Windows 10/11: Settings > Network & Internet > Wi‑Fi > Manage known networks > select NETGEAR49 > Forget. Or run:
    netsh wlan delete profile name="NETGEAR49"
    • macOS: System Preferences > Network > Wi‑Fi > Advanced… remove NETGEAR49.
    • iOS: Settings > Wi‑Fi > tap the info icon > Forget This Network.
    • Android: Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi > Saved networks > Forget NETGEAR49.

  • If clients use static IPs or custom DNS/gateway for location A, switch them to DHCP before testing — static settings will prevent Internet at a different site.

Longer‑term choices (pros/cons):

  • Give each router a unique SSID (as recommended). This avoids all confusion and is the simplest, safest fix.
  • Alternatively, deliberately configure both routers with the exact same SSID, identical encryption type and identical passphrase; clients will then authenticate to either AP without reconfiguration, but this is only a convenience (not true centralized roaming) and can increase the chance of accidental connections to similarly named networks elsewhere.

Checklist if problems continue: confirm router B has active WAN/Internet, DHCP enabled, no MAC filter or client isolation, and that clients have had their saved NETGEAR49 profile removed before reconnecting.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

The simplest solution is to change your network's ssid to some unique name that will not likely be replicated somewhere else. You can keep your password.

Member Avatar for Cardlinc

Thanks rubberman, I'll give that a try.

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