No, Even the Greatest Wi-Fi Extender Isn’t Value Your Time

Tough placement: Most Wi-Fi extenders are designed to plug straight into an outlet, however this severely limits the place you possibly can place them, making it robust to get one of the best efficiency. They’re additionally usually cumbersome sufficient to dam adjoining retailers.

Worth issues: Low cost Wi-Fi extenders carry out very poorly and are unimaginable to advocate, however good Wi-Fi extenders are too costly in comparison with more and more inexpensive routers and mesh methods.

Wi-Fi Extender Options

There are a lot of options to a Wi-Fi extender, however conserving it temporary, these are my prime suggestions:

Transfer your router: Significantly, do this before you purchase something. Routers pump out Wi-Fi in a tough circle, so the best place on your router is in the course of your own home, and better up is best. Should you can run a cable and transfer your router from the sting of your own home into the center, you possibly can anticipate an enormous enchancment. Even in the event you can’t transfer your router far, think about elevating it, altering its place, and fidgeting with the antennas (if it has any). Don’t shut your router away in a closet or drawer. A fast option to check the distinction is to sort “speed test” into the browser in your cellphone and run it earlier than and after any adjustments within the location you’re having points with.

Use Ethernet cables: One of the best ways to get quick web in all places is to run Ethernet cables round your own home, however this may be invasive and sure will not work as an answer for renters. Ethernet cables plugged into your predominant router will get you as shut as attainable to your quickest web pace (the pace your ISP delivers). You may reconfigure previous routers and Wi-Fi extenders as extra entry factors in different components of your own home in the event you can run Ethernet cables to them. Mesh methods additionally work finest with a wired backhaul.

Purchase a brand new router: If you’re utilizing the router that your ISP provided or an previous router (Wi-Fi 5 or older), it may be time to think about an improve. Our router shopping for information will help you determine what is 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 previous or poor-quality router.

Purchase a mesh: You’ll possible have to spend a bit extra, however mesh methods have gotten extra inexpensive. They provide a predominant router and a number of nodes or satellites to position round your own home. They’re very simple to arrange and you’ll all the time add extra nodes later. Mesh methods are smarter than extenders, making a single optimized community all through your own home that passes off connections effectively as you progress round. Whereas there’s a pace drop between the principle router and nodes (except you join them by way of 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 situation the place you may be finest shopping for a Wi-Fi extender is when you’ve gotten a particular useless spot in your house the place you need to enhance obtain speeds. For instance, the TV within the again room retains buffering if you find yourself attempting to observe Netflix. I don’t advocate utilizing Wi-Fi extenders the place add speeds and latency are necessary, equivalent to for on-line gaming or video calls.

How one can Select a Wi-Fi Extender

It’s necessary to match the options of your router along with your Wi-Fi extender to get essentially the most from it. You probably have a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router, for instance, get a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 extender. For straightforward setup and configuration, wherever attainable, go for an extender that’s the identical model as your router. Some extenders provide mesh-like capabilities when paired with the suitable routers (although correct mesh methods all the time carry out higher).