Facing poor connectivity issues is among the most common problem faced by Wi-Fi users. This issue mainly occurs if your Wi-Fi range is short. One can get rid of this issue using a Wi-Fi extender, which will extend the range of the Wi-Fi. If you are looking to learn more about Wi-Fi extender, what are its uses, and does it actually make any difference to the normal signal, or speed of the Wi-Fi, then is the post where you need to be.
In this post, we are going to talk about Wi-Fi extenders, and cover all the topics related to it. Moreover, you can use the tips mentioned in this post to increase your Wi-Fi range.
What Is A WiFi Extender?
Wi-Fi extender or repeater is a tool designed especially to increase the range of your Wi-Fi network. For example, if you are facing difficulty catching the Wi-Fi signal on every floor of your house, then you should try out the Wi-Fi extender. In layman’s terms, a Wi-Fi extender does the job of boosting up your signal and getting rid of all the dead zones.
A Wi-Fi extender is a one-way solution to get a flawless wireless connection. With the help of a Wi-Fi extender, you can set up your gaming house in your basement, and still receive the best connection.
Advantage And Disadvantage Of Wi-Fi Extender
Like with everything in this world, Wi-Fi extenders also have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s first look at all the advantages of a Wi-Fi extender.
- Wi-Fi extenders work as a companion of your existing router, i.e. you don’t need to buy a new router for a Wi-Fi extender.
- If placed at the right place, a Wi-Fi extender can increase the range of your Wi-Fi up to a great extent.
- Wi-Fi extenders are very small in size, and they can easily be plugged into any socket.
Now, let’s look at all the disadvantages of installing a Wi-Fi extender in your house.
- Wi-Fi network mainly duplicates your Wi-Fi network, with its own name. Yes, it might sound like a very small issue, but you will have to connect to one Wi-Fi network at one part of your room, and another Wi-Fi network on the other part. So, look for a Wi-Fi extender that doesn’t rebroadcast the same network name. If possible, go for a new router instead of buying a WiFi extender.
- Undoubtedly, the Wi-Fi extender increases the Wi-Fi range to a longer distance, but at the same time, it also decreases the bandwidth. It means that because of the Wi-Fi extender you are going to get comparatively less speed than what you were getting earlier. So, if speed is one factor that is mainly important for you, then we won’t recommend you to go for a Wi-Fi extender.
How WiFi Extender Works?
Wi-Fi extender or popularly known as Wi-Fi repeater is a simple tool that gets connected to your Wi-Fi network to duplicate and rebroadcast it. In layman’s terms, Wi-Fi extenders do all this thing in order to increase the signal range of your Wi-Fi to cover more ground.
One can set up a Wi-Fi extender in their house, using their smartphone or computer by going through the app or website of the Wi-Fi extender provider. It’s recommended to install Wi-Fi extended between your Wi-Fi router and your dead zone.
Does WiFi Extender Increase WiFi Signal Or Speed?
As mentioned above, a Wi-Fi extender mainly boosts or amplify your existing Wi-Fi signals. First off, it pulls the weak Wi-Fi connection from the transmitter. After that, it amplifies the connection before broadcasting the amplified connections to the places where it is needed. Undoubtedly, a Wi-Fi extender helps to efficiently extend your Wi-Fi network, to reach the places where your WiFi was struggling to provide its connection. We’re pretty sure, that if you are in this article then you must have noticed of weak Wi-Fi connection at a certain part of your business area or home. A WiFi extender mainly boosts the wireless coverage to transfer the Wi-Fi connection in a larger radius. And as a result, you will be able to receive your Wi-Fi connections, even at the far most positions.
So, now the next question, does installing a Wi-Fi extender reduces the Wi-Fi speed? Yes, it’s going to reduce the speed, but it totally depends on what type of extender you are using.
If you are using single-band extenders then they are going to provide 50% less bandwidth. This is because single band repeaters first receive, and then transfer each packet of data on the same radio channel.
Whereas, if you are using dual-band repeaters, then you are barely going to face any issue related to bandwidth. They are mainly designed to fix the low bandwidth issue by simply connecting the router on one band, and giving away a Wi-Fi signal on the other. They use Fastlane technology to increase productivity using both Wi-Fi bands
However, this type of extender cost more as they need a second Wi-Fi radio. Mainly they cost around, $20 and using them you can easily receive 100mbps downloading speed.
Final Words
So, this was all about Wi-Fi extenders, how does it work, what are its pros and cons, and does installing it affect connectivity and speed. We hope all your doubts regarding Wi-Fi extenders would have been clear by now. But in case if you’re left with any doubt or want to give any suggestion regarding the post. You are free to use the comment section down below.
