The Best Wi-Fi extenders can help eliminate wireless holes in your home by extending your Wi-Fi coverage to a wider area. By sending a signal farther than your current Wi-Fi router can, you can improve your home network coverage without having to upgrade. These small and affordable devices, also called Wi-Fi boosters, Wi-Fi repeaters or signal boosters, can extend your Wi-Fi signal to where you need it. The best part is that they usually cost much less than upgrading a mesh router.
If parts of your house or apartment aren’t getting a good WLAN signal, a wireless extender connects to your existing WLAN in a place with a strong connection and then retransmits its own signals to improve the quality of WLAN connections within its range. If you already have a good router and simply want to improve your WLAN and boost the signal in an extra room or two, an extender could be just the solution you’re looking for.
What Kind of Router Do You Need?
There are several ways to make your WLAN faster, and buying a new router is one of the most obvious. To help you decide on a router, you should first calculate the approximate square footage of your home before you begin.
Single Router
The simplest solution for most people is a single router or a combination of router and modem. Keep in mind that this device must be connected to your existing wall outlet or modem via an Ethernet cable, which limits the placement of the device. The Wi-Fi signal is strongest near the router and gets weaker and slower as the distance increases.
Routers should always specify a square footage for coverage, but certain types of construction – thick walls, insulation, and other devices can interfere with Wi-Fi signals, so you can’t expect full-speed Wi-Fi at longer distances. High-performance, long-range routers are often large devices with multiple external antennas, but they are usually very expensive.
Mesh Systems
If you have a large home and want solid coverage in your backyard, or if you have thick walls and certain dead spots with your current setup, then mesh Wi-Fi could be the answer. Mesh systems consist of a central hub that connects like a single router, and additional satellites or nodes that you can place around the house.
The devices connect to the Internet through the nearest node. So, by adding a node, you can achieve greater Wi-Fi coverage and a more reliable connection in different areas. Just remember that each node requires a power outlet.
Mesh systems are usually more expensive than single-router systems (but not always), but they improve coverage and reliability and often offer additional features and control options. They also tend to be smaller than traditional routers and blend in well with your setup.
Benefits of a Wi-Fi Extender
The Advantages of a Wi-Fi Extender are easy to understand. These devices allow you to:
Improve Network Speed
Even if the connection is not completely broken, you may experience slower speeds in areas on the edge of your current system’s range. If you experience slower speeds in certain areas of your home, an extender can help.
Eliminate Dead Spots
By extending the range, an extender can eliminate those pesky wireless holes in your home.
Enjoy Wi-Fi Outdoors
Walls can block or slow down Wi-Fi. If your router is indoors, its signal may not be strong enough to provide a reliable connection for users outside the property. An extender can help extend the signal’s reach to your outdoor areas.
Cost-Efficient
Instead of buying multiple routers and setting them up in your home or office, you can simply extend the range of your existing router with an extender.
Types of Wi-Fi Extenders
While Wi-Fi booster, repeater and network extender are almost interchangeable terms for the same device, there are different types of network extenders that work in slightly different ways:
External Antennas
Some extenders have external antennas that connect to wireless devices to send and receive Wi-Fi signals. They are usually plug-and-play devices that require little to no technical knowledge to install.
Powerline Adapters
Another standard design for a Wi-Fi range extender is a powerline adapter. With this kit, the circuit in your home or office can send the Internet signal. The package usually contains two plugs. One plug plugs into the router, and the other plug is installed on the device you want to connect to the Internet.
This type of setup is most commonly used with game consoles and smart TVs. This type of extender usually does not experience network delays that sometimes occur with other types of extenders.
Weather-Proof Extenders
There are weatherproof designs that can boost the Wi-Fi signal. These are great for increasing coverage in areas like a backyard, multiple floors of a building, a basement area, or anywhere that receiving Wi-Fi signals has been a challenge for devices.
Router/Extender Combos
Another design that is becoming more popular with users is the combination router and range extender. This combo device connects to your modem and uses a satellite to receive, repeat and amplify the original Wi-Fi signal.
These devices use a single name for the network (SSID), so the connection is simple and seamless. This type of Wi-Fi extender can also be equipped with Gigabit Ethernet ports to allow wired devices and a faster Wi-Fi standard.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Wi-Fi Booster
Router’s Location
Before you buy a Wi-Fi booster, you should first think about the location of your router. For example, let’s say you have placed your router in the basement corner of your house. In this location, you probably have a poor connection to the main and second floors, especially in the opposite corner.
And you may be looking for a booster to fix the poor Wi-Fi signal. If your router is already in a central location and you still have dead spots in your home, you may want to consider a Wi-Fi booster.
Dual-Band vs Tri-Band
Wi-Fi boosters are available with either dual-band or tri-band configurations. Dual-bands offer both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz connections. Tri-band extenders, on the other hand, also have a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz band. However, they have an additional (third) 5-GHz band.
The advantage of a tri-band extender is that you can connect more devices. It is also usually more expensive than a dual-band device. But if you don’t have many wireless devices, a dual-band extender is a good choice. Besides, it will save you a few euros.
Range
The range of the Wi-Fi Booster is mainly influenced by the band (2.4 vs. 5 GHz). 2.4 GHz has a larger coverage area and 5 GHz is faster. Nevertheless, boosters have a wide range of coverage. For example, some brands have better antennas and signal amplification.
To simplify things, most brands specify a coverage area. For example, the description says “coverage area up to 1200 square feet.” You should buy a booster that covers the area you need for your home. A larger area than you need is better than a smaller one.
Quality
The quality of the product is one of the most important things to consider when buying wifi booster for TV. The quality of the product will determine if it will last a long time. In most cases, it is important for people to make sure that they get quality products because they will be able to use them for a long time without having any problems with them.
Some people even buy products because they know that they have high quality standards, which means that they are durable and will last longer than other products on the market.
Wi-Fi 5 Vs. Wi-Fi 6
When choosing a Wi-Fi booster, look for Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6 is faster and can manage more devices, while Wi-Fi 5 is cheaper. When buying a Wi-Fi booster, make sure it matches your router. If you have a Wi-Fi 5 router, buy a Wi-Fi 5 booster.
The same goes for Wi-Fi 6. Also, pay attention to your ISP’s network speed. If your ISP only provides 10 Mbps, you don’t need a Wi-Fi 6 router or booster. This is because you will not reach the speed of Wi-Fi 6 anyway.
Ethernet Ports
It should be clear that Wi-Fi boosters are wireless. In other words, they are usually not connected to your router via an Ethernet cable. However, most boosters have an extender mode (or access point). This allows you to connect it to your router via Ethernet. In extender mode, the Wi-Fi booster is faster and has better coverage.
However, you will have to run an Ethernet cable across your house to reach it. You can also use the Ethernet port to connect to a device. Let’s say you care about a wired connection to a computer, printer, or other device. In this case, an Ethernet connection from your extender might be a good option.
Number of Devices
Sufficient support to connect all wireless devices is critical. For example, if a repeater can only connect up to 10 devices, that may not be enough for a smart home. In this case, you should opt for more devices. Some Wi-Fi repeaters can connect up to 35 devices.
Setup
Most Wi-Fi boosters are easy to set up. However, there are a few bad apples where connecting to a router is a challenge. Repeaters with a WPS button offer the easiest setup with your router. You only need to press a single button to expand your Wi-Fi coverage area. Wi-Fi boosters with dedicated mobile apps are usually faster to set up as well.
Price
The important thing you need to look for when buying a Home Wi-Fi Booster is the price. If you want to buy something that is affordable and doesn’t cost too much, then it’s best to take a look at our website where we have many products on sale at discounted prices. You can also choose from many different brands and models of products depending on what you want and how much money you have.
Brand
Another thing to consider when buying home wifi boosters is the brand name. Some brands have been around for many years because they are known for making quality products, while others are just starting out but also offer great deals.
Make sure that the brand name of the product matches the reputation of the company so that customers will trust them when they use their products, so that they can provide excellent customer service if there are problems with their products later on.
Conclusion
If there are areas in your home that your current wireless Internet network cannot reach, Wi-Fi extenders are the perfect device to boost your existing signal. After reading this Buyer’s Guide, you can easily make the purchase decision. Wi-Fi extenders are best suited for situations where you only have a single room or perhaps two where you want slightly faster speeds. They will not work miracles, but they will get the job done in a situation like this.
