Netgear EX3700 Review

Sometimes your wifi network may need a bit of a push when it comes to dealing with poor connectivity in your home. A wireless extender like the Netgear EX3700 can be the perfect solution that will ensure you receive a wifi signal in every corner of your home.

Wifi extenders come in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges, and you can opt to go for the desktop or plugin extender depending on your preference. The desktop extender gives you more flexibility during installation and you can position it away from obstacles and walls to achieve better coverage than the plug-in extenders that are affected by their closeness to the wall and electric wires. With the addition of a bedroom at the far end of the house, the wifi signal has been spotty so I thought I should get a wifi extender to improve the wifi coverage to reach every room. With a wifi extender, it can help to boost my router’s wifi signal enough to reach the far end of the house.

Netgear EX3700 review and breakdown

NETGEAR Wi-Fi Range Extender EX3700 - Coverage Up to 1000 Sq Ft and 15 Devices with AC750 Dual Band Wireless Signal Booster & Repeater (Up to 750Mbps Speed), and Compact Wall Plug Design

• EXTENDED WIRELESS COVERAGE: Adds Wi-Fi range coverage up to 1000 sq ft, and connects up to 15 devices...
• AC750 WI-FI SPEED: Provides up to 750Mbps performance using dual-band and patented FastLane(TM)...

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The Netgear EX3700 is a wifi range extender that is affordable and can provide a decent range boost but cuts a few corners in its design and sturdiness. It’s a small plug-in wifi extender that will come in handy if you’re looking to save on cash and still ensure every room in your home received stable internet. Unlike other wifi extenders, the Netgear EX3700 looks like an AC power adapter with one antenna on each side. The Ethernet port on the right side of the extender can be completely covered if you flip the antenna downwards.

The Netgear EX3700 can handle throughput speeds of up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 4330 Mbps on the 5 GHz band with total theoretical speeds of up to 750 Mbps. However, in the real world, the extender might not reach these speeds, but this will depend on your internet provider plan. It has quite an impressive performance as it can give you a stable signal from 10-80 feet which is great for small homes with just a few drops here and there, especially when you’re transferring large amounts of data.

What we liked

• It’s smaller so it doesn’t take up much space
• Decent connectivity
• Very reasonable price
• Can work with any router
• Very simple to install and configure

What we didn’t like

• Connectivity drops at long distances
• Not the best-looking design

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Netgear EX3700 specs

Netgear EX3700 features

Design

The Netgear EX3700 has a casing and body that is a bit bulky. It has a cube design that looks like an AC adapter with 2 antennas on either side. At the front are indicator lights for WPS, power, router, and device. On the left side are buttons for reset, on/off, WPS, and triangular air vents all-round the sides. On the right is an Ethernet port that can be hidden by one of the antennas if it’s facing down. It may not have the best-looking design, but at least you don’t have to place it on your desk for everyone to see it. It’s a plug-in extender so it will be hidden away from sight and it doesn’t block other outlets on your wall socket. It’s small and discreet and it can easily blend in with your home décor.

Setup process

There are two different ways you can connect your extender to your router. You can either the WPS buttons on both your router and extender which is the easiest and fastest way to set up your extender or you can opt to use the web browser setup which is also simple and efficient. You don’t need to install any software and you can use the web-centric device management if you want to keep things easy. After the initial setup, you can customize the settings and make the necessary change you want.

Using the WPS buttons, you just plug in the extender to a power socket near your main router and turn it on. Press the WPS button on your extender then the WPS button on your router after 2 minutes. The LED WPS button on your extender will light up and the router button will turn green. With the Netgear Genie setup, you just type www.mywifiext.net on your browser and the setup wizard will guide you through the process. You can choose to rename your extended networks for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

Performance

The Netgear EX3700 can help to improve your wifi signal range by up to 750 Mbps throughout your home and with the external antennas, it can strengthen the signal. Using FastLane technology and the dual-bands will allow you to use both wifi band frequencies to create a higher speed connection and also help to reduce interference. This also means you can easily stream HD videos and play online games using both wifi bands. The Netgear EX3700 extender supports the latest wifi standards, the 802.11ac/b/g/n/ so it can be compatible with most of the devices in your home for faster wifi connectivity. This extender can work with any standard wifi router so you don’t have to worry about buying a new router.

Who is it best suited for?

The Netgear EX3700 range extender is the perfect device if you’re working on a budget and you need an extender that will provide enough wifi coverage to eliminate the dead spots in your home. It’s a great extender for small homes and rooms and will boost your wifi signal with a steady wifi signal in your apartment or small room.

Are there any alternatives to the Netgear EX3700?

Yes, there are range extenders that can cover a large space and also small spaces, deal with slow internet connections, and eliminate interruptions in your network depending on the level of coverage you need. These include the Tp-link AC1200, Netgear EX2800, and Tp-link AC750.

Features of the alternative affordable wifi extenders

Final verdict. Should you get the Netgear EX3700 wifi extender?

Yes, you should get the Netgear EX3700 because it’s’ an affordable wifi extender that will do a great job of ensuring you have a more stable connection in areas where your standard wifi router signal can’t reach. It’s also a compact and easy to use an extender that will extend wifi access to the dead zones in your home and you don’t have to break the bank.

FAQ

How many Netgear wifi extenders can I use?

You can use 2 extenders with a few cautions. Ensure that you don’t wirelessly connect one extender to another because this will cause the second extender not to perform well. So you should connect each extender to your router.

Do you need access to your router for a wifi extender?

Yes, you can do it wirelessly, but you’ll need your router’s login details to connect as a wifi client. The extender will then connect as a standard wifi client and pass the network traffic to your computer over Ethernet, wifi, etc.