So you have a wireless router installed at the most convenient place in your huge house and you still have trouble with the signal in some parts of the house. You’ve played with the antennas and placed the router at the highest possible point in the house.
You even moved furniture to the exterior walls of the house and avoided the reflective surfaces because they reflect Wifi radio signals. But nothing seems to work and you don’t want to use your PC as a Wireless Hot Spot. Maybe you need a Wireless signal repeater.
What is a Wireless Repeater?
Some people call it Wifi extender and some call it Wifi booster. It’s basically a device that takes an existing Wifi signal and extends the coverage area so that your signal can reach all the corners of your house or building.
There are different technologies and ways that different Wifi boosters work but Wifi repeaters specifically are the easiest to install and use because no wires are involved.
How To Use a Wireless Repeater:
You need to place the Wifi Signal repeater mid way between there the router is and where you want the signal to reach. The Wifi signal repeater will “repeat” the signal strength to where you need it. So that you can browse comfortably on your balcony in the other side of the house; or watch Netflix in your bathtub.
Which Wireless Repeater Should I buy?
It’s important to note that this subject and Tech in general is mired with technical jargon; sometimes to confuse you into buying something you might not need.
There is a huge range of Wi-fi repeaters that work in different ways. The easiest one to implement is a truly wireless signal repeater. Because there are no wires and cables involved, all you need to do is, find a socket, plug it in and set it up.
These gadgets vary in price from around $30 to well over $300 depending on range and other factors like quality. With a budget of around $100 you should get yourself a high quality, durable and reliable Wifi repeater.
This Netgear Nighthawk X4S Tri-Band WiFi Range Extender (See On Amazon) is probably the best I found. It strikes a good balance between quality, functionality and ease of setting up. Even a novice will do it. Just plug it in, within a few feet of he router and turn it on.
It takes a few seconds to find the Wifi signal. Once they’re paired, now you can move it to another location closer to where you want to boost the signal, but within range of the router. It doesn’t require any technical skills and does not change the SSID of your Wi-fi.
