Reset Router - Old SSID Still Showing Up Even After Forgetting the Network

Question

I was experiencing very slow WiFi speeds for a couple of days, so I reset my router to its factory settings via the router's settings in my browser.

I noticed that after I did this, my network was showing up twice (I use a unique name which would be very unlikely for a neighbor to duplicate) in all of my devices (laptop/Galaxy S3/iPhone 6). One instance of the network seemed normal; I could connect to it and the security setup matched what I had specified after setting my router up again after the reset. The other instance had the same name but had no security (I never set it up that way, even before the reset). I could connect to it, but it had no internet access.

I reset the router again and named it something different this time, but the old SSID still shows up in the same way as I described above. I unplugged my router and then forgot all known networks on my devices and re-scanned, and it's still showing up. I even tried booting up an old laptop that had never been turned on in this house, and it picked up the old SSID as well.

Since I can unplug my modem/router and still see and connect to the old network, it has to be physically impossible that I'm broadcasting it. I have no other routers plugged in anywhere. I suppose there is a very small chance a neighbor suddenly started using the same SSID when I started all of this, but it seems very unlikely.

My biggest concern with this is that my WiFi speeds seem to be suffering. Streaming services now buffer constantly (was perfect before) and speeds overall are fairly inconsistent. Using the WiFi Analyzer app, I see the old SSID using the same channels as my new SSID, and it has very high signal strength. I'm obviously not a networking expert, but I'm guessing that is the reason my WiFi is suffering now.

Does anyone have any ideas on what's causing this or how I can further diagnose the issue?

Answer 1

After pointing my Chromecast to the new WiFi network name, the old one disappeared.

Answer 2

I had the same problem, but found it was the Link extender I had that had cached the old network name and causing my issue. If you have one, try unplugging it and see if the old names go away.

Answer 3

A link extender or range extender is a device that is used to extend the coverage area of your router. Sometimes they plug into your router, but they can also be standalone devices that only plug into the wall for power. I had this exact problem. I renamed my network but kept seeing the old name. I completely forgot about a TP-Link range extender I had on an upper level. I unplugged it to confirm that it was the source of the issue, then plugged it back in and did a hard reset. Problem solved.