Tough placement: Most Wi-Fi extenders are designed to plug immediately into an outlet, however this severely limits the place you may place them, making it robust to get one of the best efficiency. They’re additionally usually cumbersome sufficient to dam adjoining shops.
Value issues: Low-cost Wi-Fi extenders carry out very poorly and are unattainable to suggest, however good Wi-Fi extenders are too costly in comparison with more and more reasonably priced routers and mesh programs.
Wi-Fi Extender Alternate options
There are various alternate options to a Wi-Fi extender, however protecting it temporary, these are my prime suggestions:
Transfer your router: Severely, do this before you purchase something. Routers pump out Wi-Fi in a tough circle, so the perfect place in your router is in the midst of your property, and better up is healthier. When you can run a cable and transfer your router from the sting of your property into the center, you may anticipate a giant enchancment. Even in case you can’t transfer your router far, contemplate elevating it, altering its place, and twiddling with the antennas (if it has any). Don’t shut your router away in a closet or drawer. A fast strategy to check the distinction is to kind “pace check” into the browser in your telephone and run it earlier than and after any adjustments within the location you might be having points with.
Use Ethernet cables: The easiest way to get quick web all over the place is to run Ethernet cables round your property, however this may be invasive and sure will not work as an answer for renters. Ethernet cables plugged into your primary router will get you as shut as potential to your quickest web pace (the pace your ISP delivers). You may reconfigure outdated routers and Wi-Fi extenders as further entry factors in different components of your property in case you can run Ethernet cables to them. Mesh programs additionally work finest with a wired backhaul.
Purchase a brand new router: In case you are utilizing the router that your ISP equipped or an outdated router (Wi-Fi 5 or older), it may be time to think about an improve. Our router shopping for information may help you resolve what’s going to work finest for you, and there are a number of stable choices for various budgets in our Greatest Wi-Fi Routers information. It is higher to spend $100 on a brand new router than on a Wi-Fi extender for an outdated or poor-quality router.
Purchase a mesh: You’ll probably have to spend a bit extra, however mesh programs have gotten extra reasonably priced. They provide a primary router and a number of nodes or satellites to position round your property. They’re very straightforward to arrange and you may all the time add extra nodes later. Mesh programs are smarter than extenders, making a single optimized community all through your property that passes off connections effectively as you progress round. Whereas there’s a pace drop between the primary router and nodes (except you join them through Ethernet cable), it’s far smaller than with extenders. There are a number of choices in our Greatest Mesh Wi-Fi Routers information.
When to Use a Wi-Fi Extender
The one state of affairs the place you may be finest shopping for a Wi-Fi extender is when you’ve got a selected lifeless spot in your house the place you need to enhance obtain speeds. For instance, the TV within the again room retains buffering when you’re attempting to look at Netflix. I don’t suggest utilizing Wi-Fi extenders the place add speeds and latency are vital, similar to for on-line gaming or video calls.
The right way to Select a Wi-Fi Extender
It’s vital to match the options of your router along with your Wi-Fi extender to get probably the most from it. In case you have a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router, for instance, get a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 extender. For straightforward setup and configuration, wherever potential, go for an extender that’s the identical model as your router. Some extenders supply mesh-like capabilities when paired with the fitting routers (although correct mesh programs all the time carry out higher).