You can use them in tandem with your current router, but there's usually little reason to (unless your ISP requires it). Unlike an extender, which you can add to an existing Wi-Fi network, mesh systems are typically complete replacements for your home Wi-Fi.
Our Top-Rated Wireless Range Extenders Mesh Network Systems Are More Seamless, Efficient, and Quick to Update Amazon Eero Pro 6 But there's no guarantee you'll be able to do it with your existing router, and at that point, the line between extender and mesh system gets a bit blurry.
Some range extenders have more modern software and can overcome some of the bandwidth issues when paired with routers from the same manufacturers that are designed to be used together. There are exceptions to all of these points, of course. In many cases, that software can feel complex and archaic.
Many routers require you to go to a web page to alter settings or download updates, and if your extender is from a different brand, you'll be dealing with two sets of software. Range extenders exacerbate this inefficiency, says Crane, since they have to repeat every single thing they “hear”-like someone following you around all day, repeating everything you say before someone else can talk.įinally, managing these extenders is often a pain. Wireless is “half duplex,” which means a wireless device can't send and receive information at the same time-every device on the same channel has to take turns talking, including devices on your neighbor’s Wi-Fi networks. More importantly, though, range extenders can often slow things down.
There's no internal logic that sends packets to the right path. Repeating the entire Wi-Fi signal is also inefficient-that extender merely listens to every packet and rebroadcasts it.
This means you'll still have slow Wi-Fi at multiple points in your house unless you manually switch back and forth between networks as you move around, which is a huge hassle. Your devices will often stay on one until it's completely out of range. You’ve probably seen this before, where a home’s network has a "SmithHouse" for upstairs and "SmithHouse_EXT" for downstairs. “This usually means that you'll see two network names: one network offered by your wireless router, and another network offered by the extender.” “Wi-Fi extenders typically connect to your existing wireless network, broadcast a new network name, and blindly relay traffic back to your wireless router,” explains Crane. If you do need some help extending your Wi-Fi, you’ll have to choose between a range extender and a mesh system. Wi-Fi Range Extenders Merely Repeat a Signal TP-Link AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE450) Check out our top 10 ways to boost your Wi-Fi signal for more tips before resorting to extra devices. If it’s stuffed inside a closet on one end of the house, you might be able to solve your problem by moving the router instead of buying new hardware. If you do find dead spots, make sure your router is optimally placed out in the open, in a central location. If you don’t have any dead spots, then the problem is with your internet package, rather than your Wi-Fi network. Below -80 dBm, things probably won't work reliably at all.” (Remember, those are negative numbers, so -80 dBm is lower than -67 dBm.) “Once you dip below -67 or -70 dBm, performance will start to degrade. “Any signal strength between -67 and -30 dBm is good,” he says.
He recommends using a free tool like InSSIDer Lite to map your home’s signal strength-as you walk around the house with the tool running, make note of any spots that have poor signal. “Before making an investment in a mesh Wi-Fi system, check to see if you have any signal strength issues in the places where you need to use Wi-Fi.” “Mesh systems and extenders are primarily designed to solve one problem: bad signal strength,” says Joel Crane, a Certified Wireless Network Expert and Wi-Fi Engineer at Juniper Networks.