WiFi, WiFi, why hast thou forsaken me? We’ve all been there. Perhaps it’s a little less biblical, but whether at a packed venue, on a shoddy work connection, or in the suddenly-not-so-comfort of home, the WiFi connection starts playing up.
You can’t really control out-of-the-house WiFi woes. But you can handle the ones at home. WiFi Extenders are one of the solutions to out-of-whack wireless but, before we delve into that solution, it’s important to understand what’s going wrong first.
- Why does my WiFi suck?
- What is a WiFi Extender (and How Do They Work)?
- What are some of the Best WiFi Extenders?
- How to Setup a WiFi Extender
- Where to place a WiFi Extender
- What’s a Mesh Network?
- What’s a Mesh Network?
Why does my WiFi suck?
As with most tech issues, there are many reasons why your WiFi signal might not be working properly. For starters, your ISP might be the culprit. This might mean your external internet connection isn’t reaching advertised speeds, your technology type can't achieve the speeds that you want, or your plan isn’t fast enough for your home needs.
It is entirely possible that you're simply on a plan that is too slow for you. Before you go racing off to buy some new tech it may be worth taking a look at a more suitable plan. Read our guide here about what NBN speed you need, and check out the typical evening speeds advertised on NBN 50 plans below.
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#1
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Kogan Internet
Silver Unlimited
$59.90/mth
Min. cost $59.90
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#2
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Tangerine Telecom
Value Plus NBN
$59.90/mth
Min. cost $59.90
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#3
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MATE
Ripper nbn 50/20
$60/mth
Min. cost $60
Link not supplied
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#4
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Exetel
Extra-value nbn50
$60.99/mth
Min. cost $60.99
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#5
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Buddy Telco
Editor's Pick
Value nbn - Unlimited
$63/mth
Min. cost $63
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#6
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Moose NBN
nbn 50/20 Premium
$63.80/mth
Min. cost $63.80
Link not supplied
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#7
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Superloop
Extra-value nbn50/20
$67/mth
Min. cost $67
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#8
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Dodo
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$68.90/mth
Min. cost $68.90
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#9
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Swoop
nbn® Home Everyday
$69/mth
Min. cost $69
Link not supplied
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#10
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iiNet
nbn50 Liimitless
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
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Additionally, it might be the wireless router that your ISP bundled with your internet plans. Older or generic ISP-provided WiFi routers are okay for getting you online, but they’re often not great for handling homes with (many) multiple devices or for future-proofing. That’s also assuming you’re working with a modem and a wireless router: modem/router devices cut down on the clutter, but the dual networking roles of the single device means it’s working harder to keep you online. You can read more about whether you need a new modem or router in our guide here.
The same is true of outdated wireless routers. Older WiFi router firmware might easily equate to slower speeds. Similarly, the type of devices that are connecting to your router can impact overall network speeds. In simple terms, the more devices that connect to your wireless router, the greater the demand. Too many connected devices can equate to suckier speeds.
If those wireless devices are old, or a mix of old and new, this can lead to slower speeds on a per-device basis (older ones) or for some or even all connected devices if your WiFi router doesn’t handle shifting between older and newer wireless (802.11) standards particularly well.
The absolute best place to position a wireless router is central and high in the home. This isn’t always practical, though, which may explain why faraway devices aren’t getting the WiFi speeds you’d expect. Then there’s in-home interference to consider.
Microwaves between WiFi router and devices are a big cause of this, but so too is anything that uses wireless technology, particularly those that default to the extremely common 2.4GHz wireless frequency. This list of interfering gadgets includes cordless phones, smart home gizmos and Bluetooth devices. Thick walls, particularly those made of harder materials, and even mirrors (which tend to have quite a bit of metal in the frames) can also create potential signal interference between wireless device and WiFi router.
If you’re in a smaller home or an apartment, there’s a good chance you’re also battling interference from your neighbours’ WiFi connections, particularly those that might be transmitting on the same channel as your WiFi router.
There are specific ways to address each of these problems. Maybe you’ve tried to fix your slow WiFi. Perhaps you’ve attempted to boost your internet speed. Moving the wireless router hasn’t helped. Switching channels or updating firmware has done little. Whatever you’ve tried, it’s not working.
Thankfully, a WiFi Extender solution might help alleviate the pain.
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What is a WiFi Extender (and how do they work)?
WiFi Extenders are one of those tech items that go by many names. WiFi Extender. WiFi Booster. Range Extender. Whichever of those you encounter, you’re dealing with a peripheral networking device that’s designed to work with an existing WiFi router.
The job of the WiFi Extender is to repeat and extend the WiFi signal from your wireless router. The WiFi Extender ultimately acts as a networking bridge, capturing the WiFi signal from your wireless router, then rebroadcasting it to, ideally, improve the WiFi coverage area and, ultimately, in-home speeds.
There’s a catch, though. WiFi Extenders will boost the WiFi signal based on the strength of the original WiFi network at the point at which they’re placed. This means the WiFi Extender that’s positioned at the very edge of a WiFi network will only boost at that available signal strength. If that is, say, one bar of WiFi coverage, it’s only extending the wireless network at those one-bar speeds.
This is potentially confusing because if you were to connect to the WiFi Extender from close by, its signal strength would likely have full bars, but this would not be reflective of the repeated one-bar speeds from your wireless router. It’s worth noting that WiFi routers offer a 360-degree coverage area, but the limiting factors in the previous section might impact the signal strength for comparable distances around the wireless router.
WiFi Extenders tend to come in two core offerings, both with pros and cons. There’s a ‘desktop’ form that looks a lot like a WiFi router, although it may be smaller. It has a dedicated power cable and, like a wireless router, takes up a bit of space. This kind of WiFi Extender boosts the signal of the existing WiFi one from your router. The larger device has space to include extra features, like multiple Ethernet ports, and can boast higher potential speeds.
The other option is the smaller, less obtrusive ‘powerline’ WiFi Extender that connects directly to a power outlet. This type of WiFi Extender is designed to use your home’s existing electrical wiring to extend your wireless signal.
That said, the smaller the powerline WiFi Extender, the greater the chance it might not be fully featured, potentially lacking in either the option of Ethernet connectivity or newer (read: faster) 802.11 standards.
If you splurge on an extender that has better tech specs – most notably more recent letters from the alphabet soup of WiFi standards (ac and ax) – it won’t upscale the performance of your wireless router. Effectively, WiFi Extenders are limited by the performance of your WiFi router, and the opposite can prove true, too, if you’re looking to save bucks on a cheaper WiFi Extender.
Alternatively, if you've just got one main device sucking your WiFi juice you may consider an Ethernet Adapter. This device connects from your powerpoint, directly to a singular device with an ethernet cord, ultimatley removing the data sucker from your internal network. Read our review here and learn more about Ethernet Adapters in this guide.
What are some of the Best WiFi Extenders?
Choosing the right WiFi Extender for your home is a mix of cost, configuration, coverage and, breaking that convenient rule of Cs, form factor.
Netgear, TP-Link, D-Link, and Linksys, are the big four of the WiFi Extender space. If a few of those names sound familiar, it’s likely because you’ve heard their names in conjunction with wireless routers.
Each of these manufacturers has multiple range extender options, across a number of price points. More basic options plug directly into a power point, but you can also get more powerful models that look like a modem.
How to Setup a WiFi Extender
Generally speaking, there are a couple of different setup approaches for WiFi Extenders. One lets you press a WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) button on your wireless router and on the WiFi Extender, and they connect to each other automatically.
This simplified setup relies on you having a WPS-compatible wireless router and WiFi Extender, which may not be the case if you have an older or lower-end router (or WiFi Extender, for that matter).
The more complicated approach involves connecting to the WiFi Extender and manually connecting it to your home network, much the same as you would with a new wireless device you want to get online. Certain models (particularly older devices) may create a duplicate WiFi access point, which means you have to connect relevant wireless devices to that network to benefit from the boosted coverage.
Better WiFi Extenders keep the WiFi access point uniform throughout the home, meaning wireless devices configured to connect to your wireless router will automatically connect to the WiFi router when you start moving out of its optimal range.
Where to place a WiFi extender
Prime placement during setup is key, whether you’re using a desktop or powerline WiFi Extender. As mentioned earlier, placing a WiFi Extender at the extreme, one-bar range of your current wireless network will only boost the signal at that strength. In the same breath, you don’t want to place it so close to the wireless router that you might as well have not bought it.
You’re better off placing the WiFi Extender at a point where it receives full signal (or as many bars as possible) for the best results. The basic rule is to place the WiFi Extender approximately halfway between your WiFi router and the multiple devices that aren’t getting the signal or speeds you’d expect.
Certain model WiFi Extenders make this easier via signal-strength indicators or companion apps that connect to your home network and recommend the ideal placement spots as you move around with your smartphone. To maximise coverage, it’s recommended to buy two WiFi extenders and place them roughly equidistant from your wireless router.
This scenario makes the most sense when a WiFi router already has a central location in a larger home that’s struggling for wireless speeds on the peripheries. That said, if you’re looking down the path of buying multiple WiFi Extenders, it’s worth considering an investment in a Mesh Network solution.
What’s a Mesh Network?
Think of the Mesh Network as WiFi Extender 2.0. It’s the next logical iteration of the boosted WiFi theme with one big awesome exception. Instead of a single WiFi router signal being boosted on one or more WiFi Extenders, it’s like having a network of interconnected wireless routers, with all the perks that implies.
A Mesh Network is designed to work with this satellite system of mini-routers throughout the home. This means you don’t have to worry about multiple potential home networks – wireless routers and WiFi Extenders sometimes have separate networks – and can, instead, enjoy the perks of a single network whose signal can be kept strong around the entire home. The only catch is you need enough satellites to cover the necessary space and have to place them appropriately to eliminate WiFi black spots.
Each of these satellite nodes in a Mesh Network acts as a link in the home connectivity chain, working together to boost the entire reach of your home network. Whether you only have a couple of satellite devices or a string of them, the compatible pods of a Mesh Network are designed to intuitively play nice together.
The primary node is connected to your modem, then others are placed throughout the home to keep the signal strong throughout. Consumer-grade Mesh Networks are generally more expensive than WiFi Extenders, but they’re also designed to be modular, meaning you can (and should) add more as needed.
Though WiFi Extenders have come a long way since their first hit shelves, Mesh Networks are also more user-friendly in that they’re designed to be easy to install. They also tend to be linked to a manufacturer-specific mobile app, as is the case with Google WiFi, which gives you more convenient control over features that are typically hidden behind a WiFi router portal, including troubleshooting, establishment of a guest network, or even pausing WiFi time for young ones at particular times. Netgear Orbi is another popular choice of mesh network hardware.
A Mesh Network is really designed for larger spaces, but it’s also meant to be user-friendly and offers simplified central management. The fact that each satellite pod is effectively its own hub equates to stronger connections throughout the home.
The catch is the comparatively higher cost, particularly as you add more satellite pods, and the reality they’re closer to wireless routers also means they tend to take up more space than, say, the powerline WiFi Extenders.
FAQ
What's the difference between a WiFi booster and a WiFi extender?
There's no difference between a WiFi booster and a WiFi extender - they're different names for the same thing.
Should I buy a WiFi extender or get mesh WiFi?
Buying a WiFi extender is an easier and more affordable option if you have a modem or router you already like. On the other hand, Mesh WiFi typically means replacing all of your hardware, making it a more expensive upfront investment. Mesh WiFi can be more reliable than an extender, however, and you should see less of a performance hit.
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