How To Setup a Belkin Range Extender

Jamie Read more June 13, 2018

Need help getting a wireless signal into hard to reach places? Need a signal boost in a bedroom or basement? You could use a range extender. It is cheaper than a router and can boost WiFi signals across a property. One of the most popular WiFi extenders at the moment is the N300 made by Belkin. I own one of these and have found it helps spread the signal further in my home.

If you need help setting up a Belkin range extender, this is the tutorial for you. It isn’t sponsored by Belkin and we don’t receive any money for this post. I own one and it is a best-seller so is ripe for a tutorial on how to use it.

If you live in a large house or one with thick walls you may find getting a good WiFi signal a problem. My house was built in 1913 and has thick stone walls, so I feel your pain. One way around it is to use a wireless extender to boost the signal into those hard to reach places.

The Belkin N300 is cheap, easy to use and just sits there doing nothing but boosting your wireless signal.

Setting up a Belkin range extender

The setup process for a Belkin range extender is actually very straightforward. Once unboxed, plug it into an outlet close to your wireless router and we go from there. You will need a phone or tablet to complete setup but you can use a computer if it has WiFi.

You can use WPS if you like but I have never had success with it. I much prefer this method.

Use your device to access a wireless network called Belkin.setup.
Open a browser on the device and navigate to http://belkin.range. If that doesn’t work, try http://192.168.206.1 You should see a Belkin setup page appear.
Select the blue Get Started button on the page. The web service will search for available wireless networks and list them.
Select the network you want to extend and select Next.
The range extender should connect to the network and require the password to join it. Type in the password and select Next.
Check the details of the network in the summary page and select Create Extended Network if correct. Select Edit if anything is wrong.

If you have a dual-band wireless network and want to extend both bands, repeat Step 4 and 5 for both the 2.5GHz and 5GHz bands. Then select Next once both bands have been added and complete the process.

If you prefer to use WPS, you can.

Plug the Belkin range extender into an outlet and wait for it to power on.
Press the WPS button on the top until the small light next to it flashes.
Press the WPS button on your wireless router to initiate the handshake.
Once complete, you can complete setup using the same steps above.

Position the Belkin range extender

The configuration you just completed has now been written to the extender’s firmware. You now need to position the extender properly to get the best out of it. Exactly where you place it depends on where you need to boost the signal. For me, the first floor of my home has a weak signal so I want to boost the entire floor. I place my extender on the first floor underneath my wireless router.

The idea is to place the extender at least half way between your wireless router and where the signal fades. The extender needs a strong signal to be able to boost it but you also want to boost that signal as far as you need. It may take a little experimentation to get it in the exact position.

Once you know where to put it, unplug it from the outlet close to your router and plug it into the outlet you have selected. Once powered on, you should see a yellow and then a blue light. The blue light signifies a good lock on the network and that the signal is being boosted. Take your mobile device to the low signal area and test it to make sure.

Using the Belkin range extender

Once configured and that light is blue, the Belkin range extender should be invisible. You should be able to access WiFi from across your home without any problems. If the light goes from blue to yellow, it means the extender has lost the signal. Just turn it off for a few seconds and back on again to reset. The light should go back to blue.

The Belkin range extender is pretty good at what it does and I have been using mine for a couple of years now without a problem. Hopefully this tutorial will help if you want to use one too.