What is a WiFi Extender?
Also known as wi-fi boosters, or wi-fi repeaters, these wi-fi range extenders are devices that can extend the range of your wi-fi to a great extent as the name suggests itself. This device will amplify your wi-fi signal thus giving you much better coverage and hence a better online experience. This device will make sure that your wi-fi reaches every single corner of your house or your workplace. If you keep reading till the end of this article, we will help you bust some myths about how a wi-fi extender works, and we will look into the details of how it achieves its function and how. If we are gonna look into the working and function of a wi-fi extender then first we are gonna have to understand why we need it in the first place and what exactly is it. So what is a wi-fi extender? The COVID-19 global pandemic introduced countless changes in our lives. Among them is the switch to remote work, which companies across the globe increasingly adopted. Chances are these work-from-home arrangements are bound to continue long after the outbreak has been contained, a new normal that has put the spotlight on devices geared towards enhancing one’s internet connection. For instance, wi-fi extenders are all the rage now. Mainly because of how people are finding their ability to work hindered by poor connections. But what exactly is a wi-fi extender? And more importantly, how do they work? Chances are there are several places inside your home that have absolutely no internet connection. These spots are referred to as “wi-fi dead zones” and are unreachable by the signal due to obstructions such as furniture and walls. However, a wi-fi extender helps extend your router’s signal into these dead zones, allowing you to connect to the internet even if you are standing smack dab in the middle of it.
How Does The Wi-Fi Booster Work?
A wi-fi extender is a separate device that is placed between the dead zone and your router, to which it is hooked up either wirelessly or through a wire. It works by grabbing the router’s existing signal and broadcasting this on another channel, relaying the connection into the spot that you want to be covered. In the simplest of terms, a wi-fi extender acts as the middleman between the dead zone and your router, extending the latter’s signal throughout the rest of your home. Because of this, an internet connection can be found anywhere, no matter the obstructions. As useful as they may be, wi-fi extenders are far from foolproof. Their effectiveness is hinged on their location. You cannot just put an extender in a spot with no signal and expect your wi-fi to improve much. The device has to be placed close enough to the router to grab its signal. However, it also must be far enough to re-broadcast the signal into the dead zone. Regardless of how you are extending your network if you are using additional hardware, it can only get as good as it’s getting. For best results use any number of free speed test applications and find a spot closest to your dead zone where the signal is strong. Put the extender or a mesh point there and it will be able to replicate that stronger signal and help with your speed.
How Are Wi-Fi Repeaters and Wi-Fi Extenders Different?
Wi-fi extenders are often confused for wi-fi repeaters, but as similar as they sound, these two devices have several key differences that distinguish them from each other. For one thing, a wi-fi extender creates a new network that has more or less the same speed and bandwidth as your existing router. On the other hand, a wi-fi repeater only repeats the same signal or the network. Additionally, wi-fi extenders are significantly more expensive than wi-fi repeaters. Some also find them more difficult to set up, but of course, this advantage is entirely subjective.
Do WiFi Extenders Really Work?
If you are having connectivity issues due to a dead zone in your home, then a wi-fi extender would be extremely useful. Not only will it allow you to access the web in that particular spot, but it will also increase the number of places from where you can work. Unfortunately, a wi-fi extender won’t cut it if your goal is to increase internet coverage throughout your entire home. For that, you will need a new router or a new service provider. If you are planning to purchase a wi-fi extender though, then here is what you should take into consideration. First up is range. This will help you get the estimate of the coverage provided by your extender. Number two is speed. Wi-fi extenders are meant to boost wi-fi coverage and not increase the speed directly. However, ensuring that the speed provided by your extender is not less than that provided by your router will enable a connection as fast as your wi-fi. Number three is connectivity. An ethernet port in your wi-fi extender is useful because you can directly connect a wire device to it for high-speed internet.
Wi-fi extenders not only help you get rid of dead zones but also let you set up an access point mode by connecting it to an internet source. If you have a small space and a single dead zone you want to annihilate then get a wi-fi range extender but if you have a large home and you want to spread coverage evenly throughout then get a mesh wi-fi.
So we hope that we answered your question about what exactly is a wi-fi range extender and how it works. Now you are armed with the most dangerous weapon of all; knowledge. Go forth and make your dead zones a thing of the past.
