Wi-Fi mesh systems are ideal for users with little or no technical knowledge. They can be installed in minutes and typically come with a user-friendly mobile app that walks you through the installation process with easy-to-follow illustrated instructions. And their prices are coming down, too. There are two types of Wi-Fi range extenders: desktop and plug-in. Most desktop extenders look just like a wireless router and are typically equipped with external adjustable antennas, multiple LAN ports for connecting to devices like TVs and gaming consoles, and USB ports for attaching to peripherals such as storage drivesand printers. Our normal router is called 0606 Hyperoptic, and you can see that it transmits Wi-Fi on both the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands. You can also see that the range extender is transmitting its own wi-fi signals - again on the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands - called TP-Link_Extender_2.4GHz and TP-Link_Extender_5GHz.

When you have an existing wifi but the wifi range is not long enough, please select Repeater Mode to cover longer range and eliminate wifi dead zones. (Repeater mode doesn’t need to connect Ethernet cable) You’ll also need to repeat the process for the 5GHz band as well. Once this is done, the range extender is linked to the router on both Wi-Fi bands, and this allows the range extender to act as a kind of relay so that your computers and mobile devices in rooms that normally have poor Wi-Fi can now link to your router via the range extender. 6. Network names Now take a look at the range extender’s app. At the moment, we’ve got the range extender positioned about halfway between our main router and our home office where the Wi-Fi signal tends to be a bit weak.

When shopping for a range extender, it's important to find one that matches your router's specs. For example, if you have a dual-band AC1900 router, get a dual-band AC1900 extender (or better). If your router supports Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, which provides enhanced performance by sending data to compatible clients simultaneously rather than sequentially, look for an extender that supports this technology if you want to extend your MU-MIMO network. However, the app is telling us that there’s a very good connection between the router and the range extender, so we can still move the range extender further away from the router without losing the connection. The TP-Link app also includes a ‘location assistant’ feature that can help you to find the best location for the range extender. 9. Moving out of range What makes range extenders so attractive compared with a bespoke mesh system is that they are easy to install and inexpensive. When paired with a budget-priced router, you can build a tandem system with coverage that rivals what you'd get from a single high-priced router or mesh network. Range extenders come in various shapes, sizes, and speeds, but they do have their limitations; they are typically half as fast as your primary router, and they create a separate extended network that makes seamless roaming difficult. If you used WPS to get started, you may already be connected to the range extender. Alternatively, you can just tap on TP-Link_Extender_2.4GHz to connect your smartphone to the range extender. 4. Dual-band Wi-Fi Long press the reset button for about 20 seconds till the Wireless-N-c signal becomes open and unsecured.

The wifi extender will scan available wifi signals automatically. Please select the wifi signal that you want to extend. All electronic devices will have different degrees of normal heating during use. The temperature of this device during operation is within a reasonable range, please rest assured to use.When you have an existing wifi router/mo dem and your router/modem has been dialed, you can select AP mode to create a wireless access point. (AP Mode needs to connect to an Ethernet cable to your home modem.) Most plug-in range extenders only offer basic features at best, but the TP-Link Tether app includes a signal strength tester and a High-Speed Mode in the app. Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET Other elements to consider This is the control graph, showing you the average speeds in each room I tested with no range extenders in play at all. On its own, a single, entry-level Wi-Fi 6 router in the laundry room was able to deliver decent speeds on the main floor of the home (the first four rooms in this chart), but speeds plummeted in the basement (the last four rooms), especially the upload speeds. Ry Crist/CNET Testing Wi-Fi extenders in the CNET Smart Home It can be a button that can be pressed by using a needle, or it could be a normal switch-type button, like in the above picture. While fairly easy to configure, range extenders have their limitations. They often use a separate network SSID that you have to log into as you move through the house, and Wi-Fi speeds are typically half of what you get from your main router. Most dual-band extenders use both radio bands to transmit data to and from the router, which means devices connecting to the extender are competing for bandwidth with the router. To help alleviate network congestion, some manufacturers let you dedicate a band for router-to-extender communications. Netgear's Fastlane technology and Amped Wireless' BoostBand technology are good examples.

With so many of us working from home these days, we now have more apps than ever careening across our household Wi-Fi networks. And some of these require not only a good amount of bandwidth, but steady bandwidth. When they don't have it, that chat you're having with your boss on your company's voice over IP (VoIP) phone system suddenly sounds like you're underwater. The same goes for many consumer-grade apps, especially video streaming services like Netflix, and certainly the latest games. If your router is having trouble delivering a strong Wi-Fi signal to certain areas of your home but you loathe the thought of switching between differently named networks for different parts of your house, the Netgear EAX15 can help. It’s easy to install, and you can use it to create a mesh-like network without buying a whole new mesh system, since it supports single-SSID naming for seamless roaming. It also supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, and it delivered solid performance on the 5GHz band in our testing. Who It's ForBut now that the range extender is linked to our router, the app changes the name of the range extender Wi-Fi to use the same name - 0606 Hyperoptic - as our router’s Wi-Fi network. It's also worth noting that setting a range extender up is about as painless as it gets. Most 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, wait for it to boot up, press the extender's WPS button and then press the WPS button on your router within 2 minutes. Voila, connected.

So what jumps out? First, all five of these extenders did a decent job of boosting speeds in those last four rooms, down in the basement. With all of them, I had a faster connection throughout the house than I had when I connected through the router alone. The D-Link EaglePro AI struggled a bit with upload speeds in the basement, but still kept things above a minimum of 20Mbps or so. Moreover, nearly all manufacturers offer web-based setup wizards and illustrated instructions that will help you configure basic wireless settings. Some (but not all) extenders are equipped with LED status indicators that tell you if the extender is too far from the router. Extenders can also offer advanced router-like features such as guest networking, access scheduling, and media server capabilities.Before you launch the extender’s app, just go into the Wi-Fi Settings panel on your smartphone or tablet. The same goes for the latest Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E technologies, the current fastest flavors of Wi-Fi. If you recently bought a new router that supports these standards, you'll certainly want to make sure any range extenders support them as well. Also called a Wi-Fi signal booster, a range or Wi-Fi extender is a compact, plug-in device that is simple and hassle-free to implement. Wi-Fi extenders use built-in Wi-Fi radios and antennas to pair wirelessly with your router. No Ethernet cable is required. Plug in one near the edge of your router's wireless range and pair it with the network, and it'll start rebroadcasting the signal farther out for significantly faster internet speedsthroughout your home.