What Is a WiFi Range Extender?
A WiFi range extender is a relatively simple device
A WiFi range extender, also known as WiFi booster or WiFi repeater, is a relatively simple device that connects to your existing network and features two WiFi radios. One of the two radios listens to your router, and the other one rebroadcasts what the first one hears.
WiFi range extenders in practice:
- Installation: For a WiFi extender to do its job, it needs to be installed in the right place. Ideally, you want a WiFi extender to sit near the edge of the imaginary sphere of coverage provided by your WiFi router. This way, the extender won’t have any issues communicating with the router, and you’ll be able to extend your network as far as possible. To find out where the ideal place for a WiFi range extender is, use a WiFi tool like NetSpot to perform a site survey.
- Use: Once installed and activated, most extenders copy the SSID (name) of the original network and append “EXT” or the number 2 behind it to distinguish the new network from the original one. The new network may or may not have the same password as the original one, but it doesn’t really matter because WiFi devices still need to reconnect every time they move from the sphere of coverage of one network to the other one.
- Performance: Because WiFi range extenders can’t send and receive information at the same time, don’t expend to max out your internet speed when connected to one. Signal latency will increase as well, potentially making online gaming and real-time voice or video conversations problematic.
- Configuration: In most cases, you can leave your WiFi range extender on the default settings unless there’s a specific setting you want to change. If there is, most WiFi range extenders give you a handy smartphone app that you can use to access and modify all available settings with a few simple taps.
- Price: One undisputable advantage of WiFi range extenders is their price. You can buy a capable extender for less than $50 and use it to cover a remote part of your house with a strong signal.
