I actually got this error when setting up my first range extender. It can happen when trying to log back in to the extender’s settings panel, you punch in what you think is the correct password, and you just keep getting this “connection refused” error on your browser, and you can’t get back into the settings panel to complete the setup or tweak some settings.

There are some obvious double-checks you can do, like making sure the username/password you are entering are 100% correct, including case sensitive. Also make sure duplicate passwords are identical – some repeaters request the password twice to make sure it’s correct. Also give it a few minutes before making another password attempt if you’re tried quite a few in quick succession.

You can also try changing the connection from https to http (some extender logins only work on http and refuse https connections). In other words, if the address bar currently has https://extenderlogin.net, try removing the s and changing it to http://extenderlogin.net.

But even doing this, sometimes you keep getting this error. It’s often to do with being stuck half way through the initial setup of connecting it to a router, and you’ve configured new passwords which don’t work, but neither do the old default ones on the label.

We’ll cover how to fix this problem in the second main solution, but let’s look at how to deal with this problem more quickly if possible.

Solution #1 – Clear All Browser Cookies and Reopen

Sometimes this problem can start appearing when you’ve typed in too many “incorrect” passwords (sometimes they’re not really incorrect, but the device is just stuck and needs resetting (see below).

You just keep getting login error messages, and cannot access the extender’s interface.

The first thing to do is clear your browser’s cache, and then close and reopen it, and try the login process again.

Here’s a quick guide for major browsers on viewing and clearing history:

• Firefox – Click the 3 lines burger icon on the far top right of the screen, then click Options…..Privacy & Security and move down to Cookies & Site Data. Click Clear Data, check the Cached Web Content box and click Clear. Then refresh page and see if video loads.
• Chrome – Click the 3 dots More icon at the top right, then click More Tools…..Clear Browsing Data. Choose a time range. Make sure the “cached images and files” box is checked and click Clear data. 
• Edge – Click on the 3 dots “settings and more” burger icon in the corner, then go to Settings….Privacy, search and services. Go to Clear Browsing Data Now, then choose what to clear. Select the time range and check all boxes you want, then click Clear now. If you want to clear history off all synced devices, make sure sync is turned on and you are logged in.
• Brave Browser – Click Ctrl + H, or click on the 3 dots burger icon in the top right corner, and then click History. Click Clear Browsing data, and then select all types of data plus time frames you want to delete. It works much the same as Chrome, and there’s also an “On Exit” tab to select what type of data you want deleted automatically every time you close the browser.
• Opera – Click Ctrl + H to bring up history, then click on Clear browsing data in the top right corner. Select the time frame and flick between Basic/Advanced and select what you want deleting, then click Clear Data.
  
• Safari – Click the Safari button from the Settings or the top menu bar, go to History….Clear History, then select how far you want to go back, and click Clear.

The main thing to clear is the Cache/Cache Content with this problem, but it’s recommended to just clear everything to be sure.

Then close and reopen your browser, and try the login process for your repeater again.

Solution #2 – Factory Reset The Repeater/Extender

Sometimes, even clearing your browser cache doesn’t work when you’re setting it up for the first time. It’s like the setup is “stuck”, and you can’t get back into the repeater to finish or restart it.

In this case, it’s best just to factory reset the repeater and start the setup process all over again.

Just insert a sharp object like a pin into the reset hole of the repeater when it’s plugged in, and wait a few seconds until the light flashes or blinks:

 

This wipes all custom settings, including custom network names/usernames/passwords, and reverts them back to the defaults listed on the sticker on the extender.

Then wait a few minutes for it to initialize, and plug it back in where you want to put it, connect to it again, and run through the setup/configuration/login steps again from the start, using the default credentials to log back into the extender.

Some common default access URL for popular extender brands are:

• TP Link – http://tplinkrepeater.net
• Netgear – http://mywifiext.net
• Linksys – http://extender.linksys.com
• Wavlink – http://wifi.wavlink.com

The username/password are often both “admin” for a lot of repeaters, but check on the label. Connect to the extender’s default open network, punch these in and start the setup process again.

This might mean you have to re-create custom SSIDs, usernames, passwords etc again from scratch, and pair it back up to your router, but it’s the best way to get around this “connection refused” error if clearing your cache doesn’t work.  Just hard reset the repeater and start again.