Home network wifi repeater

All in all, I tested six new plug-in range extenders over the past month. TP-Link is the most notable brand of the bunch, as it makes and sells a wide variety of range extenders. In , the company had three new models up for sale, including two that support Wi-Fi 6 -- I made sure to test them all, along with range extenders from Asus, D-Link and Netgear.

Speeds from each were more or less identical whether I was using my Wi-Fi 5 laptop or my Wi-Fi 6 iPhone, which makes sense given that the extenders were connecting to each of them using the same set of Wi-Fi 5 protocols. Speaking of which, the other four extenders each include support for Wi-Fi 6 and each of them provided performance that was superior to the RP-AC51 and the RE That's why Netgear's average speeds look so good in the living room the orange columns in the graphs above -- I was connecting directly through the router in the same room.

These graphs show the latency results for all six range extenders across all of my tests -- Wi-Fi 5 on the left, Wi-Fi 6 on the right. A steady ring that's close to the center is ideal here and most of the extenders nailed it, holding tight at 20ms or so. But the Asus RP-AC51 red saw lots of spikes in both rounds of tests, with the average latency landing closer to 30ms. Just be sure that you also note that those speeds weren't as good as what I would normally expect from that router in the living room gray.

In fact, the D-Link model essentially cut those normal living room speeds in half. EasyMesh is a useful feature, but you shouldn't expect perfect performance when two competing brands are forced to play nice. It's not a disqualifier, but it pushes TP-Link towards the top spot since both of its Wi-Fi 6 extenders had no such trouble boosting speeds for Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 devices.

That said, D-Link redeemed itself with superb upload speeds -- the best among all six extenders in my back bathroom for both Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 devices, the best throughout my entire house for Wi-Fi 6 devices and the second best throughout my house for Wi-Fi 5 devices. I think it's more than enough oomph for most people, but if you make a lot of video calls or engage in other internet activity that leans heavily on uploads, consider spending up for the REX -- the moderate bump in upload speeds is probably the biggest difference between that one and the REX.

None of the plug-in range extenders I tested in were able to hit blazing fast speeds -- but the TP-Link and D-Link models were able to sustain speeds in the back of my house that are easily fast enough for streaming HD video or making FaceTime and Zoom calls.

In , I tested four bargain-priced range extenders to see which one offered the most bang for the buck. It was the start of the pandemic and people were scrambling to bolster their home networks -- I wanted to be sure we could point them to a good, budget-friendly pick that would do the best job as a signal booster offering an extra room's worth of coverage in a pinch.

I've separated these four models from the other six because the test setup was different in and it wouldn't be fair to make direct comparisons to those results. The big difference is the router I used. Last year, in , I used the combination modem and router that came with my ISP plan and that one doesn't support Wi-Fi 6 at all. Here are my takeaways from the other three I tested:. With two adjustable external antennas, the D-Link DAP is pretty powerful for a budget-priced range extender, but it wasn't as consistent as our top pick.

D-Link DAP : This was the only range extender that ever managed to hit triple digits during my tests, with an average speed of Mbps in my bedroom during evening hours. Setup was just as simple as what I experienced with TP-Link, too. I was able to stream HD video, browse the web and make video calls on the extender's network without any issue.

Network speeds were inconsistent though -- and much slower in daytime hours, with a bigger dropoff than I saw with TP-Link. The device also dropped my connection at one point during my speed tests. On top of that, the app was too finicky for my tastes, refusing to let me log in and tweak settings with the supplied device password.

It ultimately forced me to reset the device. Software woes aside, the hardware seems good with this range extender and it has a dual external antenna setup. Since it's not quite the newest model from D-Link, there's a good chance you can find it on sale somewhere. Netgear EX : It's a dated-looking device and it wasn't a strong performer in my tests.

The 2. But the 5GHz band was surprisingly weak, often dropping into single digits with only a single wall separating my PC or connected device from the range extender. I wasn't a fan of the web interface, either -- it seemed more interested in getting me to register for the warranty and opt into marketing emails than in actually offering me any sort of control over the connection. There's an app you can use instead, but it's only available on Android devices.

By default, the device automatically steers you between the 2. The device supports automatic firmware upgrades, which is great, but you can't use the Linksys Wi-Fi app to tweak settings -- instead, you'll have to log in via the web portal. On top of all that, the RE seemed to be the least stable of all the extenders I tested, with more than one dropped connection during my tests.

Most plug-in range extenders only offer basic features at best, but the TP-Link RE also includes a signal strength tester and a High-Speed Mode in the app. Aside from my speed tests, I made sure to stream video in my bedroom on each extender's network and I made several video calls on each network, too.

I also spent time playing with each extender's settings. You shouldn't expect much, but most will at least make it easy to change the extension network's name or password. Some include app controls with extra features, too. Again, the features make for slim pickings, but you can check signal strength or turn on High-Speed Mode, which dedicates the 2.

That mode actually wasn't as fast as sharing the 5GHz band like normal when I tested it out, because those incoming 2. Setting a range extender up is about as painless as it gets. Most, including all ten that I've tested here at home, support Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or WPS, which is a universal protocol that wireless networking devices can use to connect with each other.

Just plug the range extender in and wait a minute for it to boot up, press the WPS button and then press the WPS button on your router within two minutes. With that, you are done. You can then print the results to a PDF file or analyze other locations around your office. In the end, you will have both the repeater power, location, and signal strength requirements you need. These five devices provide enough power and range to handle most networking jobs. They all offer This lets then handle both small and large rooms with ease.

You just place them in the position NetSpot gave you from your earlier Wi-Fi survey. A Wi-Fi signal repeater is added to a network to receive and pass on the data wirelessly. It receives the original signal sent by your router and passes the amplified signal on. WiFi signal repeaters can even relay the signals from other WiFi repeaters, extending your network signal to the farthest corners of your home or office.

WiFi signal repeaters can be placed anywhere at your convenience, provided they can be connected to an available electrical outlet.

The difference between WiFi repeaters, boosters and extenders is not a clear one. The aforementioned devices basically serve the same purpose. Wireless boosters and amplifiers boost and amplify your signal. They are usually installed near a modem or router or are even attached to one.

A WiFi extender is a device installed farther away from a router that receives and retransmits the amplified signal from it. A WiFi extender renames the network as the signal travels from it.

On the other hand, while essentially doing the same, WiFi repeaters do not rename the network, they rather act like remote booster antennas for your router or modem. Buyer beware though — most non-commercial repeaters are just extenders in disguise. The real repeaters are expensive devices, but totally worth it. NetSpot will reveal where you have signal interference, dead zones, and the prime locations for all your wireless networking devices.

Here are the five powerful devices offering If you want to get more information about Wi-Fi, check out the following articles about Wi-Fi Extenders, Boosters etc. Menu NetSpot Hardware. Extend your WiFi Signal With a WiFi Repeater and NetSpot With a large room or building, a single router might not give you the wireless coverage you need to connect all your devices to your network.

David Morelo. November 22, Measure and visualize the strength of your wireless router at ease. Get NetSpot. Jump to What does a Wireless Repeater Do? Wireless Network Repeater, Booster, or Extender? WiFi Repeater takes your original wireless signal and amplifies it. All you have to do is place the repeater in a location that can receive your existing WiFi network, and then attach the power supply. You can then log into the WiFi repeater via your computer, and input the login details and password of your existing WiFi network, to allow the WiFi repeater to connect and extend.

Got a tricky situation like a pool house in your garden? No problem! There are weatherproof WiFi repeaters like the Hawking Outdoor Smart WiFi Repeater that can be placed outside, boosting signal throughout your property. This kit is very flexible and can be moved easily. For example, if you are RVing and the campsite has weak WiFi signal, this repeater can be fixed to the roof of your RV to boost the signal inside.

Only if you go entirely out of range of the first network. A WiFi repeater creates a second network. If your first network is not available, your device will connect to the second. But in some parts of your house, your device will be able to detect both networks at the same time. This means that if you wish to change from the original network to the boosted network you will have to disconnect and then reconnect.

All WiFi repeaters have some speed loss, but some are much worse than others. WiFi repeaters work by receiving wireless signal and rebroadcasting it, but single band repeaters have to receive, then retransmit each packet of data using the same radio on the same channel.

Dual band repeaters get around this by connecting to the router on one band and outputting a WiFi signal on the other. One final feature that helps reduce speed loss is dual radios. If the device has dual radios, it can speak to the main router on lower channels, and then rebroadcast on higher channels. One Wi-Fi radio receives the signal and the other radio rebroadcasts the boosted signal.

This clever design allows the boosted signal to utilize a different WiFi channel, which greatly increases performance compared to single radio repeaters. The Smart Repeater Pro also has a very powerful high gain antenna that can pick up even very weak WiFi signals, and it rebroadcasts that signal on two powerful 3dBi omni-directional antennas.

At Waveform, we pride ourselves on writing the most detailed, technical guides on everything related to improving cell signal. Here are just a few of our most popular articles:. Box and set it up in the Mesh?