The Best Wi-fi Extender and Signal Booster connects with your router (either wirelessly or through a wired connection) to help extend your internet signal into rooms that are Wi-Fi dead zones due to walls, furniture obstructions, or general spacing. It’s a separate device that sits between your wireless router and the areas where you want stronger Wi-Fi coverage.
wondering if a Wi-Fi extender may be right for your home? Here are a few reasons it might work well for you:
1. The second floor lacks internet
You picked the perfect, inconspicuous location to install a wireless router: downstairs in the family room on the entertainment center. But as anyone in an upstairs bedroom discovered, the walls and physical distance between the router and the people using it is too much.
Think vertically when it comes to the spaces where you’re looking to add coverage. Install a Wi-Fi extender in the upstairs room that’s closest to being directly above where the router is located.
For instance, if your daughter’s bedroom is directly above the family room where the router is located, plug the wireless extender into one of the outlets in that room rather than in the master bedroom down the hallway. The strong signal received close to the router will easily bounce coverage to the other upstairs Wi-Fi users.
2. Multiple users mean slow loading times
If you’re finding that your home’s internet connection diminishes as more people come home and log on to the network, an extender can help them to access the network no matter where they are in the home. Just make sure that you’re using the most current iteration of Wi-Fi range extender technology. You may also be inclined to get a stronger home Wi-Fi plan.
It’s key that you use a dual-band Wi-Fi extender as the older, single-band extenders can actually slow down internet speeds as they attempt to provide a signal across great distances.
3. The Wi-Fi doesn’t reach outside
In the summer, we love spending as much time as possible outdoors, even if that time has to be spent catching up on some work. If your internet provider is reliable and your monthly plan isn’t limited by bandwidth caps, you should be able to move small distances from the router, like the back porch or deck, and still enjoy connectivity.
Whenever you install a wireless router at home, it’s best to place it in a location with as few physical impediments as possible. Limit the number of walls and barricades the signal has to cross.
When it comes to extending that signal into a nearby outdoor spot, place the Wi-Fi extender in a room with an outdoor access point. Follow all the same rules of keeping the signal as unobstructed as possible.
No matter the reason you need a Wi-Fi extender — sluggish internet on the second floor or inability to drink your coffee and surf the web outside — remember that the location of your devices is everything when it comes to a strong internet connection.
