Tech

How to Find the Right Wi-Fi Extender for your Network Connection?

Having a Wi-Fi connection is essential for every home, we all know that. But what most people don’t know is that they need a Wi-Fi extender for their network connection too. Have you felt that some corners around your home do not receive the same internet connection as well as the other corners? Or, there is totally zero internet connection up in the attic? That’s not some error from the network’s end. That just means that the attic is out of the Wi-Fi range of your home network connection. And the solution to this is installing Wi-Fi extenders.

Read on to find out what Wi-Fi extenders are and how you can find the right one for your home network connection!

Purpose of a Wi-Fi Extender

A Wi-Fi extender is referred to as a repeater that expands the reach of any wireless LAN. It can be placed at the end of the main Wi-Fi range, so you can receive internet signals outside of the main Wi-Fi range. The extender connects automatically to the router, picks its signal, and retransmits it to create another wireless range.

Some internet service providersalso offer Wi-Fi extenders with their internet routers. Take Xfinity, for example. Xfinity-internet customers can avail of Xfinity Wi-Fi Extenders to expand the network range to other corners of their homes. They can also choose to use any other model of Wi-Fi extenders, but to make the best use of Xfinity internet services, it is recommended to use Xfinity xFi Pods.

Having a Wi-Fi extender will allow you to enjoy the following benefits;

Zero Dead Spots

The dead spots you found around your home where you weren’t able to receive a connection on your devices will be eliminated with the help of a Wi-Fi extender.

Improved Network Speed

An extender also may be able to provide an improved internet connection speed. Mostly to places around your home that are not really dead but had been experiencing slower speeds.

Cost-Efficient

You don’t have to purchase multiple routers to place them around your home to increase the network range. Just get an extender so that it can extend the wireless range of your main internet router.

Enjoy Wi-Fi Long Range

You may not be able to receive wireless connection out on the lawn because walls can block or slow down the connection or the signals aren’t strong enough. Having an extender means that you will also be able to receive a wireless connection outside your home.

What to Look for in the Right Wi-Fi Extender?

If you are not sure what kind of extender you need for your Wi-Fi router, let’s look into some of the key considerations for choosing the right Wi-Fi extender;

Wi-Fi Mesh or Wired Backbone

These are two types of Wi-Fi extenders.

A Wi-Fi mesh or Wi-Fi repeater connects to your main router wirelessly and then repeats the signals onto a new area by creating its own Wi-Fi range. However, there is a problem with this kind; the wireless repeater connects to both the main router and your wireless devices simultaneously. This means that 50% of the wireless bandwidth is used just by being connected to the main router. Also the farther you go away from the router, the less bandwidth you actually receive on your devices.

Another kind of wired-based, which is connected to the main router with the help of a wire. This provides a stronger wireless connection to other wireless devices.

Dual Band

The best Wi-Fi extenders to work should have a dual-band of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz radios. The former one is connected to many Wi-Fi devices, such as your smartphones, cordless home phones, microwaves, baby monitors, etc. But the latter one i.e. 5 GHz is less crowded. Hence, 5 GHz is recommended for streaming videos in home theatre, whereas 2.4 GHz can just be used for general internet browsing on your other devices.

Hence, a dual-band extender is essential for configuring your network connection for a smooth wireless experience.

The above-mentioned points should give you an idea of what kind of Wi-Fi extender you need for your main Wi-Fi router so that you have an expanded network connection in all corners of your home.

Wrapping Up

In short, Wi-Fi extenders help to provide a network connection to areas around your home that are outside the main Wi-Fi range. It is completely normal to be unsure if it is just a weak connection around your home or not, but for a large home, you do need a Wi-Fi extender. It is meant to provide an improved network experience. Also, since the extender works on the same signal as the main Wi-Fi router, then it has the same levels of security, which means that the extender is also giving out a secure connection.