We live in a new age after the pandemic forced us all indoors. We now have an increased reliance on the internet like never before. We spend a lot more time at home and this means we’ve had to do a lot more activities online like paying our bills, grocery shopping, buying clothes, etc. the list keeps on growing.
Ever sit in a corner in your house where the WiFi signals are the weakest? It can be the perfect place to set up your workstation but due to a lack of signals in the area, your entire work gets affected. Before you dial the Spectrum 1800 number for possible solutions, try giving WiFi boosters a shot!
What Are WiFi Boosters?
Well simply put, the range of your WiFi modem is limited and due to the curvature of your house, it’s usually unable to reach every corner of it. A WiFi booster or extender works by taking your existing internet connection and extending its reach. It’s an excellent solution to improve your network range and connectivity while also increasing the speed you get on your devices.
When Should You Buy a WiFi Extender?
It’s tempting to buy an extender for your WiFi whenever you feel it’s acting up but first, you need to exhaust all the possible reasons why your router isn’t giving you an optimum connection.
Firstly it’s crucial that you place your WiFi router or modem at a central location in your house or office, this would mean that its range is equally distributed throughout your location. If the routers are connected to a corner in the house then a lot of its range is going to go outside your house walls which defeats the entire purpose of equitable distribution. Choose a central location that allows connectivity throughout your house.
Secondly, it’s always possible that your internet issue won’t be resolved by adding an extender but rather by upgrading your router to a newer version. A lot of users have multiple devices connected to an older version router which can end up causing slower speeds and network unavailability in certain locations of your house. Upgrading to a newer WiFi 6 router which offers much more stable connections and allows for more devices to be connected, without hampering your internet speeds is a great alternative.
Best Extenders/Boosters Available in the Market
Here are the 4 best devices for boosting your WiFi range.
1: Netgear’s Nighthawk X6S EX8000 Tri-Band Extender
The best extender on our list has definitely got to be the Netgear Nighthawk EX8000. If you’re looking at value for money then there’s no better device than this one. This extender allows you to build a mesh network, which means that you will have a single large WiFi network extended all over your house, instead of multiple smaller networks.
This device is a bit on the heavy side, priced at over $200 it’s not the cheapest device out there, but it’s definitely the most reliable and always gets the job done.
2: TP-Link RE605X WiFi 6 Range Extender
If you’re looking for compatibility at affordable prices then the TP-Link RE605X is for you. Ranged at a reasonable $130, it offers a great network range for your entire house or office. It’s extremely affordable and works well with older versions of routers as well.
So if you’re still using WiFi 5 routers then this extender can connect to it and offer you a brand new internet experience.
3: Netgear X6 EX7700 Mesh Range Extender
Valued at a mere $160, the Nighthawk EX7700 is a must-have for all you old-school techies out there. Apart from providing the basic features of network extension and speed improvement, this extender comes with 2 ethernet ports as well. So if you’re a desktop user or have any old PCs lying around you want to connect to the internet, you just need an ethernet cable to get your computer connected.
4: Devolo Mesh WiFi 2
The latest Devolo Mesh products offer an immense range of versatility to their users. Sometimes a mesh network just won’t do it for you if your house walls are too thick and impenetrable by your WiFi signals. Instances like these require a Devolo device that can combine powerline connectivity with its mesh services.
This product comes with 3 separate adaptors which you can connect in three distinct locations inside your house. The Devolo devices are relatively smarter than their previous versions.