No, Even the Best Wi-Fi Extender Isn’t Worth Your Time (2025) Leave a comment

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

Worth issues: Low-cost Wi-Fi extenders carry out very poorly and are not possible to suggest, however good Wi-Fi extenders are too costly in comparison with more and more inexpensive routers and mesh methods.

Wi-Fi Extender Alternate options

There are numerous options to a Wi-Fi extender, however retaining it temporary, these are my high 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 midst of your own home, and better up is healthier. In case you can run a cable and transfer your router from the sting of your own home into the center, you may count on an enormous enchancment. Even for those who 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 method to take a look at the distinction is to kind “pace take a look at” into the browser in your telephone and run it earlier than and after any modifications within the location you might be having points with.

Use Ethernet cables: The easiest way 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 essential router will get you as shut as attainable to your quickest web pace (the pace your ISP delivers). You’ll be able to reconfigure previous routers and Wi-Fi extenders as further entry factors in different elements of your own home for those who 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 is perhaps time to think about an improve. Our router shopping for information may also help you resolve what’s going to work finest for you, and there are a number of stable choices for various budgets in our Finest 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 doubtless have to spend a bit extra, however mesh methods have gotten extra inexpensive. They provide a essential router and a number of nodes or satellites to put round your own home. They’re very straightforward to arrange and you may at all times 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 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 Finest Mesh Wi-Fi Routers information.

When to Use a Wi-Fi Extender

The one state of affairs the place you is perhaps finest shopping for a Wi-Fi extender is when you’ve got a particular lifeless 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 making an attempt to look at Netflix. I don’t suggest utilizing Wi-Fi extenders the place add speeds and latency are vital, equivalent to for on-line gaming or video calls.

Select a Wi-Fi Extender

It’s vital to match the options of your router together with your Wi-Fi extender to get essentially the most from it. When you’ve got a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router, for instance, get a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 extender. For simple setup and configuration, wherever attainable, go for an extender that’s the similar model as your router. Some extenders provide mesh-like capabilities when paired with the proper routers (although correct mesh methods at all times carry out higher).