It’s pointless to pay for a high-speed internet service that doesn’t reach the rooms where you spend the most time. A WiFi extender can help in this situation. You can use a wireless extender to extend the coverage of your WiFi signal to any portion of your house. The actual question is, how are wifi extenders able to extend wifi range in your house or office. You’ll find out soon enough.
When your primary router can’t cover the entire house, a WiFi extender can help you expand your existing WiFi network. It can be an excellent option to boost your WiFi speeds without upgrading your internet subscription. It isn’t necessarily the most efficient option, though. Here’s an overview of how do WiFi extenders work to increase the range of your WiFi signal in your home and office.
Once connected to the router, the WiFi extender will broadcast its wireless signal through its external antennas, operating as a wireless access point (WAP) for laptops, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and game consoles. It’s almost like having another wireless router in your house because the extender broadcasts its signal. As a result, the WiFi extender will have its network name (SSID). Are you interested in learning more about these gadgets? Let’s get going!
Do I require a WiFi extender?
It’s safe to assume that you’re having WiFi connectivity issues at home if you’re reading this. Most likely, you see dead zones in locations far distant from the router or areas in your home where your devices won’t connect to the network reliably.
However, it’s possible that the range of your network signal isn’t the issue. There are numerous reasons why your WiFi signal may be erratic. Many people, for example, keep the same router for years without updating it, which is not the proper procedure. If your internet is acting up and your router is more than three or four years old, you should probably replace it before doing anything else.
Even if your router is excellent, it will be useless if installed incorrectly. The physical distance between a router and a device isn’t the only factor influencing signal strength. Routers should be installed in a central, preferably high, area. Please keep it away from metals and rigid walls as well. It’s also good to get a wireless extender to increase your WiFi range, just like you’d get a cell phone booster for rural areas to boost your cell signals.
How are wifi extenders able to extend wifi range in your home or office?
A WiFi extender is a gadget that duplicates your router’s wireless signal to extend its range. It works as a bridge, taking WiFi from your router and rebroadcasting it to locations where WiFi is poor or nonexistent, allowing your home WiFi to perform better. Consider your router as an outfielder whose job is to get the ball to the catcher in baseball. A WiFi extender serves as the shortstop who stands between the two, ready to receive the ball and deliver it home.
A range extender may enhance your WiFi signal to locations you wouldn’t expect it to be, such as your backyard, garage, or basement, and cover dead spots in your house or workplace. Why not use your tablet to watch the big game from the pool? Alternatively, watch a YouTube video on replacing laminate flooring in a finished basement. Do you have a garage automation system?
An extender can send the signal to the garage receiver, allowing you to control the door with your phone. Place the range extender halfway between your router and the region you wish to cover. Place two range extenders on either side of your router for optimal coverage. This will treble the range of your home WiFi network, enhancing performance and network coverage. Apart from extending the range of your WiFi network, you need also to boost cell signals at home for free or at a cost.
However, when using a range extender, pay attention to your device’s settings. Even if your range extender is closer to your device than your router, your home WiFi device will remain connected to your router until you actively switch over to your range extender network. Range extender technological advancements are underway to automate this process so that switching occurs “under the scenes” without the user needing to do anything.
Which WiFi extender should I get to extend my WiFi range?
If you’ve done your homework and determined that you require a WiFi extender, there are far too many options to consider. They come in various styles and costs, so finding the right one might be difficult.
Most WiFi extenders connect directly to wall outlets, which is arguably the most practical option for most people. There are also desktop extenders that lay flat, which have their advantages, but flat surface space is limited in many apartments.
The Netgear WiFi extender is our pick for the best overall extender. However, how does a Netgear WiFi extender work to extend your WiFi range? The device works the same way as any other extender to ensure that WiFi connections are reliable throughout your home. With the Netgear new extender configuration, you can effectively double your wireless network range. The Netgear WiFi extender stands out from other extenders because of its global compatibility.
Where should I put my extender to extend my WiFi range?
You must arrange your extender in the best possible location to accomplish its function, just as you must place your router for optimal signal strength. It’s not difficult to figure out, just like installing a WiFi booster at home to improve your WiFi connections. How does a WiFi booster work to extend the range of your WiFi signal? The device works by reducing dead zones in your home, ensuring that you have WiFi coverage throughout.
Both Linksys and Netgear produce WiFi extenders, and both vendors recommend the exact placement: Meet in the center. Said, you must determine the location of your WiFi dead zone and position the extender halfway between the router and the dead zone. The wireless extender must be close enough to both the router and the dead zone to make a difference.
How do you set up a WiFi extender to extend your WiFi range?
Because setup differs from device to device, read the instruction manual for the extender you choose carefully. In general, the essential step is to hit the WPS buttons on both the extender and the router at the same time to establish a connection between them.
If your extender has an Ethernet connector, investigate if you can use that to connect it to your router. After all, wired is consistently faster and more secure than WiFi.
Last but not least, the network strength coming from the extender will very certainly not match the signal coming from the router. It’s an unintended consequence of the extension process, but it’s better than having no WiFi in your living room.
What is the difference between a WiFi extender and an internet booster?
While both WiFi range extenders and WiFi boosters extend your network coverage and improve your WiFi signal, there is a difference between the two.
Without changing the modem or router, a WiFi extender may extend an existing wireless network to cover a broad area surrounding your home. However, how does an internet booster work? Internet boosters are great for use in large establishments or individual houses when the wireless signal is weak in certain areas. It improves network signal by removing dead spots throughout the premises or residence.
What is the best WiFi extender to extend my WiFi range?
You must first understand the many types of WiFi extenders available before deciding. WiFi extenders come in three varieties:
1) Single-Band WiFi Extenders
Single-band extenders can only transmit in the 2.4GHz frequency range. Because of the frequency, the signal can better pass through obstacles such as walls, furniture, and flooring. The 2.4GHz frequency is used by various devices, including outdated cordless phones, baby monitors, and microwaves.
You may encounter reduced speeds due to multiple devices utilizing the same frequency. Signal-band extenders also lose 50% of their bandwidth because they receive and transmit signals on the same frequency.
2) Dual-Band WiFi Extenders
The most common extenders are dual-band extenders, which can broadcast at 2.4GHz and 5GHz. They can communicate between devices using both frequencies; one will communicate with the WiFi network, while the other will be used to broadcast its signal. As a result, fewer gadgets interfere with the signal, and you can experience quicker WiFi rates due to the increased bandwidth.
3) Tri-Band WiFi Extenders
Tri-band extenders use two 5GHz channels and one 2.4GHz band to provide the most acceptable WiFi coverage. The least amount of interference, quicker WiFi speeds, and long-range coverage will be experienced by your devices. Mesh networks are made up of multiple devices that act as a single WiFi system and are the most popular use for tri-band extenders (also known as mesh extenders).
Bottom line
A WiFi extender is a device that receives a wireless signal from the primary router and then extends it out to cover additional locations. It acts as a wireless network bridge, connecting a router to devices out of WiFi range or having a weak signal. The rest is straightforward; it’s just a simple repeater. It picks up the WiFi signal and enhances it, operating across your home once configured.
