Important: I am not affiliated with any of the manufacturers, brands, services, or websites listed on this page and this is my personal experience. If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!
I am not affiliated with Verizon and this is my personal experience. I am not paid by Verizon and bought the E3200 outright myself. If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!
This review was last updated: July 2022
Verizon E3200 Review
This is a mini-review of the Verizon E3200 Mesh WiFi Extender, the companion product to the Verizon G3100 Router. Form factor-wise, it looks almost identical to the G3100. I call it a mini-review because there’s a lot less to really write about. If you want to buy it outright as I did, you can get the E3200 on Amazon.
This review has the following sections:
- Unboxing
- Hardware Overview
- Coax and Ethernet Ports
- E3200 WiFi Speedtest
- Self Install Instructions
- Verizon E3200 Troubleshooting
- Front Indicator Lights
Verizon E3200 Unboxing
There’s not much to say about unboxing the Verizon E3200 and it would make a boring unboxing video, you get:
- the Verizon E3200 Mesh WiFi Extender
- Power Cable (Wall Wart Style)
- Some disclaimer paperwork.
If you want the Verizon E3200 manual, you can currently find it here.
It’s important to note that the Verizon E3200 is only compatible with G3100 and operates its own mesh standard, so you can’t mix and match it with other mesh equipment. If you want to get a discount on the Verizon E3200 it’s often much cheaper to buy the Verizon E3200 on Amazon (although it does sell out).
Verizon E3200 Network Ports / E3200 Hardware Overview
The Verizon E3200 differs from the G3100 mostly on the back, it has:
- 2 x LAN Ports
- 1 x Coax
- 1 x DC Input
There are no USB ports. Like other Verizon products, there is no on/off switch. The LAN ports are rated up to 1000Mb/s.
I’ve blacked out the serial number and related details on the back of the E3200. There’s also a pinhole reset button (the red dot in the photo). As you can see, it’s very basic.
A quick note though on the WiFi SSID and WiFi Password on the back of the Verizon E3200. This will not work once your E3200 is paired to the G3100. The E3200 will use the same SSID and WiFi password because as your core network.
Verizon E3200 Coax
Personally, I was a bit thrown by the Coax port on the back of the E3200. In case you are wondering, you do not have to do Coax directly into the E3200. The E3200 can work as a true WiFi extender and doesn’t require a hardwired port but you can use one if you want.
I’m guessing Verizon has a coax on the back of the E3200 in case you are using it with another set-top box somewhere in your home. I don’t have another coax access point in my home, so my experiences only relate to using this in pure WiFi mode.
Verizon E3200 Ethernet Ports
Worth repeating, that the original 2020 Verizon E3200 does have 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports. According to the manual, you can do Gigabit ethernet backhaul on the E3200. If you do this and it’s successful, let me know and I will update this with the details. There is a software bug that means the ethernet port activity lights do not always flash. This is a software bug.
Yes, You can run a network switch off the back of the Verizon E3200 Extender.
Verizon E3200 Extender Speedtest
The G3100 and the E3200 operate as a single Self Organizing Network (SON) and with a common Access Point name. You can log in to the web UI to see which device (G3100 vs E3200) you’re connected to, but policing that that’s what is happening during a speed test is hard.
I did a test with ethernet from my laptop directly plugged into the E3200 and using the E3200 for wireless backhaul and I was getting an average 300Mb download speed (~900Mb to the LAN port). That makes the E3200 WiFi a little slower than a WiFi connection to the G3100, but not bad all things considered.
FYI I set up the E3200 without having a genuine dead zone to benchmark against. I think the E3200 is best suited to a multistory home where you need to get signals across floors. The G3100 really is overkill for me.
Verizon E3200 Setup / E3200 Self Install Instructions
I want to stress (again) that the Verizon E3200 is only compatible with the Verizon G3100. You will not be able to set it up with any other Verizon or otherwise router. To be 100% clear the E3200 is not backward compatible with older Verizon WiFi equipment. If you want to buy the E3200 outright you can get it on Amazon for a few bucks less than Verizon but it sells out a lot.
Important: You must have the Verizon E3200 and Verizon G3100 next to each other to do the setup. This is absolutely something you must do because setup involves simultaneously pressing buttons on the Verizon G3100 and the E3200. So make sure you have them positioned in a way that you can easily press both of the front buttons. Once you are all set up you can move the E3200 to another point in your home. Don’t worry, it will remember all the settings.
There are also Verizon E3200 Troubleshooting tips at the end of the setup instructions based on feedback from other users who have contacted me.
- Plugin and turn on your Verizon E3200.
- The front light will blink White (booting) then turn a solid Yellow (no connection). Please be patient, it takes 10-15 seconds the first time you power up.
- Press and hold at the same time the front buttons on both your Verizon G3100 and your E3200 for about 5-6 seconds.
- If you did this correctly, once you release the button, the front lights on both the Verizon G3100 and E3200 will start blinking and then turn a solid blue (paired). This means you now have a mesh connection.
- Once this occurs, the E3200 will start updating the firmware. The front light on the E3200 will start blinking white. Do not unplug the E3200 or you may brick it. It took ~10minutes for my E3200 to upgrade the firmware but it could take longer.
- Once the update is complete, the Verizon E3200 light will start blinking yellow very fast. This means the E3200 Mesh WiFi extender is too close to your G3100 and can now be unplugged and moved to its new permanent home.
- Unplug the E3200, move it to its new home, turn it on, the white light should blink (5-10 seconds) then turn solid once it has reconnected to your G3100.
- You’re done!
Note: It is possible to pair the E3200 via Ethernet, but in my experience, this causes more headaches.
Verizon E3200 Extender Troubleshooting
- Verizon devices don’t like it if you changed the default SSID or password. If you have customized your G3100, you might have a lot more luck during setup resetting it to defaults. I know that this may be frustrating, but it’s the way Verizon works.
- The blue pairing light is only used during the initial setup. It is not a permanent blue light once paired, once you are successfully using the Verizon E3200 as a mesh extender it will be a white light, not a blue light.
- The Verizon E3200 Ethernet ports may not flash when there is network activity. This is a software bug.
- For Step #5, on some FIOS connections, the update can take a long time, read hours, and seem like it doesn’t work. One person I know left the Verizon E3200 updating overnight to give everything time to download, install, restart, and re-connect to the Verizon G3100.
Verizon E3200 Yellow Light
The Verizon E3200 lights don’t always seem to operate the same way for all people.
If you have a solid yellow light on your E3200 after the pairing and updates (which should mean no internet) during setup you may need to wait it out before it connects to your Verizon G3100, establishes an internet connection, and correctly flashes yellow meaning it’s too close to the Verizon G3100.
Another bit of advice on the Verizon E3200 Yellow Light is that when you move the E3200 to the new point in your home (unplug and move) the light will be yellow until the Verizon E3200 re-connects. Again, give it a few minutes to reconnect to your Verizon G3100.
Verizon E3200 Default Password
The factory default password is printed on the label stuck to the back of the E3200 but, once your E3200 is paired, the default password will change to that of your G3100.
To be able to log in to the E3200, find the IP address of your E3200 in the web UI of the G3100. This will be located in the WiFi settings, find the IP, then connect to it. I’m not 100% sure if it’s unique to me or the way the E3200 defaults, but for me it’s 192.168.1.101 (might be worth a try).
I can’t stress enough, the default password of the Verizon E3200 will change to that of your G3100 once the mesh network is fully connected.
Verizon E3200 Factory Reset
If you get stuck, confused, did it wrong, etc. then you can reset the Verizon E3200 by pressing and holding the red reset button on the back for about 15 seconds. This is a full system reset and is better than a soft reset.
Using the E3200 as an Extender with other Equipment
While the E3200 only “meshes” and auto configs itself with Verizon’s G3100 router, a reader reports it will work as an extender with other routers from other ISP’s. Once connected via ethernet, access the web UI by locating the IP address assigned to the E3200 by the host router. Manually change the SSID and password on the E3200 to mimic the host router. The coax port is only useful if your data signal is MoCA like Verizon uses with FIOS. I am not sure why you would want to use the E3200 as an extender on non-Verizon setups given there are cheaper alternatives as an extender if you’re not on FIOS, but there go.
Understanding the Verizon E3200 LED Light / Front Button
Verizon (or the manufacturer) really went for something super non-intuitive about the front LED light. Here’s what you need to know about the Verizon E3200 front light colors.
- White = Normal
- White Blinking = Booting
- Blue Blinking = Pairing Mode (during the setup process)
- Blue Solid = Paired (note, it doesn’t stay blue permanently, just during the initial setup)
- Green = WiFi Turned Off (this makes no sense, why would Green mean bad, I mean c’mon)
- Yellow = Solid No Internet (it will be yellow until it connects to your G3100)
- Yellow Blinking = Fast and you’re too close to your G3100, Slow and you’re too far away.
- Red = System Failure
Seriously Verizon, why did you make Green = WiFi off, that makes no sense. Grrr… fix this in the next firmware update. Don’t use Green for bad.
Important: I am not affiliated with any of the manufacturers, brands, services, or websites listed on this page and this is my personal experience. If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!