DON'T Buy A Wi-Fi Range Extender!
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- čas přidán 17. 11. 2022
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If you're not getting a good Wi-Fi signal, you might be tempted to buy a range extender or repeater - but is almost certainly a bad idea. We'll tell you why in this video.
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I’m not in the basement but I am watching this on the Toilet
Bro same
Me now , the multiverse
I'm sitting in the toilet
It's weird that how many people are in the toilet at the same time.
Same here, big pooh incomming
One good use for a range extender: many of them have a fixed ethernet port on the range extender, so if you need to "wifi enable" a device that only has an Ethernet port, these can work great! (Not all range extenders have an ethernet port). Think of this as a wireless ethernet cable, rather than a range extender.
I just left a comment about this- I used that exact setup before my work upgraded to soft-phones, bc I had to have a physical desk phone at my desk, and it needed to be hardwired but I didn't have a handy Ethernet port
@@FinneasJedidiah I have done exactly that here too! The cheap TP-Link N300 works great for this!
@@mostlypostie1 that's the exact one I have lol
@@FinneasJedidiah great minds, as they say :)
thats exactly what i use my wifi extender for!
I think there's a place for WiFi repeaters as well. I live in a shared house and the router is almost on the other side of the house (different floors as well) and I was interested in better signal in my room only. I am not saying a WAP isn't better but for this specific thing, also given the fact that it would have been pretty hard to move wires about from the router, this has definitely been the easiest solution for me, and it definitely fixed my issue. The signal and speed is fine for what I need.
Pretty much my situation
Except I'm currently waiting for my wifi extender to arrive when I spotted this video
His problems with the wifi extenders don't fit my usecase
WAP
Literally my exact issue, so glad to hear it's a working solution
I highly recommend a powerline adaptor. Similar outcome to a wifi extender but done a tad better. It's worth doing some research on them .
@@isaiahfairless104 can you specify a model pls
Use them as a bridged mode and you will be surprised.
You can wire a 2nd router to the extender and disable the radios on the extender to use them in a bridge mode.
The Dlink DAP 1860 is a champion which is one of the only 4x4 range extender that can get you speeds close to 650 Mbps+ even if the router is a bit far. Works really well with Netgear routers
I used a cheap extender so my mother-in-law's doorbell camera could connect. As many others have commented, extenders can be a very cost effective way to extend wifi to stationary devices.
this is true. im actually buying one for our dvr since the line for internet connection wasnt planned
Had the same point to make. This video is flawed
@@johnsmith-xe4qn you could always put one in. It’s not hard
I used it for my 2 PCs because 1 was disconnecting constantly and the other was so old that it didn't even have a wifi module, only an ethernet module.
@@jerkycam Intentionally so. Notice the guy's solution is basically a sponsor reel for an overkill router?
Fun fact: ASUS's range extenders can actually be reconfigured to work as mesh nodes with other ASUS routers if you update them to AiMesh firmware.
Yup, but it takes a terrible toll on the router resources if you have lots of clients, or moderate amount that's moving a lot and has a fixed point client like a gaming computer or NAS(things along those lines) that are signal strength right on the cusp of another APs water fall. If you do find yourself in this situation, you'll have to assign the mac address straight to one of the APs instead of letting the APs fight over it.
Was going to comment about how I love my Asus extender for this and a few other cool reasons. It doesn't come with the downsides that are listed in this video.
I actually tried this very thing and it bricked the extender lol
I hope ASUS's Mesh isn't bad.. I have been using, and enjoying it. We put one on the upper level, and have the smart TV game consoles plugged right into it. The connection seems more stable. I was given an almost brand new Mesh-Certified, ASUS router to pair with my already pretty decent ASUS router. As of this moment, I think It saved us from an upgrade, now I can properly wait for 6e, or 7.
I use homeplug things.
The AC lines are the spine, over the floors, with homeplug access points on each floor.
Works great.
There's one advantage that wifi extenders have that wasn't mentioned. For devices that need a hard-wired connection (like i do) wifi extenders usually have one or two... & they do it in a snap. It's great for a location that's too far from a router. It's cheaper than a mesh, and requires minimal knowledge.
And you can use a hardwired connection making your range extender more into a WAP.
@@hengineer that's what I did and my smart carama will not read my new wifi signal
Or you can just get an eero three pack because extenders are bullshit
Just get a mesh... has all that you mentioned but with better coverage and wider bandwidth
but you're still only getting the speed from the WIFI extender. so the speed and bandwidth is still nothing like being connected straight to the router
I got one of those mesh WI-FI systems. 3 main units (living room, kitchen, side room upstairs) and I could buy more from the same company. The only limitation is that the base one I have only has 2 Ethernet ports on it (one in one out) but it's worked so far. Plus the app is actually pretty good and tells me when a new device joins the network.
Just started the vid, but a wifi extender was the cheapest way to get the wifi to extend to the bedroom. Works like a charm. Curious as to why we shouldn't buy them lol...
Edit: just finished the video and I have a few issues with your conclusions. The downsides of different access points and roaming are understandable for mobile devices, but a total non issue of you just want your computer or console online in a far room. I've also never had a signal strength issue with my extender either, it just works.
I did my research years ago when I bought it, and I also concluded that a mesh wifi system definitely would be the best way to go. Those however can cost $500 to well over $1000. My wifi extender cost me $40-$50 and completely solved the issue.
So in the end it depends on what you need your extender to do and what is your budget. If u just want your stationary device online in a room with poor reception a wifi extender is the way to go imo. Unless you just have money like that lol
Agreed. Wi-fi extenders can be useful under the right circumstances. Pretty sure they ran out of video ideas and needed to come up with something so they could thank their 11 sponsors.
@@t400ml hahaha exactly!
Exactly. I've been using them for years for things like my parent's desktop or deal with trouble spots. Yeah, mesh/access point systems custom tailored to your entire home are great, but costly, and sometimes you just need a quick fix for a problem that pops up. After all, those systems are just a series of extenders, so its like saying "dont get an extender, get several!"
I also had a use case in a rental once, wifi to the basement was fine but on the other end of it signal was horrible, so putting an extender on that floor to connect the tv solved the problem, and changing the house's entire system would make no sense just to solve 1 device in 1 room.
He didn't say they didn't work, he said they sucked. If you have a download speed of 1200mbps, you are not getting that with an extender.
Oh I see a rep for Big Range Extenders here. /jk
“Don’t buy range extenders just throw out your router and buy a new one”
“Buy lots of access points you can run Ethernet to” great advice if I wanted to throw hundreds of dollars at my network I would just pay someone to run Ethernet to all my Ethernet capable devices instead.
The trick is, buying range extenders for absolute peanuts on ebay or marketplace and then wiring them in as access points. Better than a mesh network, super cheap, super clean, easy to manage, and when or if you want to upgrade it couldn't be simpler and/or cheaper.
Mine does the job. I get stable connection to it at the far end of my house when I don't to my router. I know its not ideal, maybe buying a different router in the first place or relocating it would have been better, but I'm pretty sure for my specific circumstances it was the cheapest way for me to solve the problem I had without going back in time
If you can't route an Ethernet cable to some APs, use your AP in range extender mode, provided you can maintain line of sight and/or -45ish dBm of signal strength from the host AP. Most of your configuration issues and ssid issues will be resolved.
what do u think i should buy? my wifi signal is always weak, i cant do ethernet, what do i do?
as some other comments say, I too disagree. Couldnt move my parents router from the corner it was in, got a range extender and placed it in the center of the house, now everywhere they get wifi and no need to switch what the devices connect to. its just a matter of what your situation is and whether it will be useful to you.
The issue is half of them barley work. I bought one and it literally did nothing. Which they cover in this video. Glad it worked for you but I had to return mine cause my speeds were literally 5 down when my router speed was 200 from the router
@@doomy_doomy2225 only thing I can say to that is, gotta read the reviews, even of its near 5 stars check what the 1 star reviews say. I do this with anything I buy not just technology.
@@doomy_doomy2225 One problem is it halves the WiFi bandwidth because it's a repeater. It sounds like your router WiFi was actually pretty good quality, should have got a range extender that could keep up.
@@doomy_doomy2225 The cheap ones absolutely suck, I had the same experience and if you're going to cheap out then get a router instead, they cost similar in price, but even inexpensive routers often perform much better than some of the cheap extenders, you could probably do better, but I replaced mine with a $20 router that gave me 30mbps and double the range, plenty good enough for me.
Same scenario here... mine works just fine with multiple devices.
Agreed that extenders are pretty bad for, well, extending your wifi. However, one overlooked use is to use them as a bridge. They can be useful if you want to wire up a security camera, for example, without routing ether net all the way to your main router.
My 2 extenders are great, I am on AT&T U verse 1 gig fiber and they are ATT U-verse extenders made for my network...so thats why they probably work so great...covers 5500 sq feet indoors like a champ, mobile device gets around 500 up and down wirelessly no matter where I am and around 250 up and down within 20 feet of the house outside.
EDIT: Just found out the ATT extenders are a mesh network...so that makes sense
Not too bad for smart switches. Horrible for anything else.
That's nearly my setup.
I'm not allowed to use existing holes to wire up my room by cable, don't ask me why... But my TP-Link extender solves the problem as a bridge. I constantly get the full bandwith of our internet connection (300/150) and all my devices are connected by gigabit LAN to each other using the port on my extender and a switch.
It's so stable, my whole homelab is connected to the internet via this wifi connection between the TP-Link extender and our fritzbox 7590 and I've never experienced any issues accessing it from outside our network via VPN.
Before someone asks, it's a RE655. Sadly no WiFi 6, but the original 7590 doesn't support it either.
Wireless and security shouldn't be in one sentence....
I had one to serve a smart tv with no wifi, they are great but not exactly for devices that move in and out of range.
Half way through; honestly this sounds like an issue that could be fixed on the phone itself, by allowing the user to set signal strength thresholds to automatically swap instead of it being hard coded to stubbornly stay connected.
Options for users to configure their device are really good. Unfortunately the market has decided "one size that works for the lowest common denominator only" is the only thing that should exist 😢
I have a Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro cell phone that automatically switches to the best WiFi connection it can get (when passwords for those networks are stored). When I'm in my garage, it connects to my extender in the garage, when I walk 75 feet to the house, it switches to the main router. It also picks the strongest signal between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
None of the other smartphones I have ever had (LG, Kyocera, Samsung) do this. It surprises me that none of the major manufacturers have included what seems like a basic quality-of-life feature, but some Chinese brand (that my carrier banned from their networks a few weeks after I made the purchase) implemented it.
We at home got a new router and then used the old one upstairs in a access point mode so to create a mesh network. So far it worked pretty well and we have total coverage between all floors
As other comments have already said, Mesh systems tend to be a bit pricy, and many people don't have the money to spend on those and rather go for cheaper options to extend their wifi.
Mesh systems are just as cheap as repeaters/extenders. Maybe just a little bit more expensive but not a lot. For under a 100/150 bucks a common household should be able to get a decent signal throughout the house with a mesh-kit. Also a lot more secure and waaaaay less latency.
@@NickyHendriks and an extender cost 15$.
So yeah, 10 times more expensive is a lot more expensive.
@@Jehty21 I wonder if it's wise to use that cheap equipment. Can't be of a decent quality for that price and somewhere it will lack. Most often this is on software and security. That stuff is never going to be used in my network. I'd rather spend a day to lay cables, even if it seems impossible than to use crappy repeaters. Nothing can convince me that these things are good as a lot of comments are telling.
@@NickyHendriks some can't afford anything over that, so whether it's good quality or not doesn't matter. 10x the price is just too much for most of us
Yeah, I’m sure most people with slightly above average knowledge of networking would agree that an upgraded system like mesh is worth the price tag, especially now with so many options at a fair price.
Well, a range extender actually worked beautifully in my case. I had big problems connecting from the router to a computer in the most far away room on the second floor - understandably, the signal had to pass the floor and a thick wall diagonally. And it was impacting my remote work. However, I put an extender in the room right above the router, and so the signal now only had to pass the floor straight on, and then on the second floor only thin divider walls between these rooms. Suddenly, no disconnections and 10x speed. Depends on your use case it seems, I wouldn't want to thread a new ethernet cable for one room for sure.
Hey man, do you remember what extender you bought?
The asus usb-ac53 is the best for cheap I downloaded so many games at once to try it out it was done in 3-5 mins I play gta RP and it looked better then before.
@@Wubbarb.linksy work
How expensive was it? Your story seems like it was the most successful lol
@@sarahbrzozowski4788 Honestly, it was one of the cheapest 802.11ac extenders I could find. The exact model is Tenda AC1200.
Modern extenders use the same SSID by default - in Europe buying a double the performance router doesnt necessarily come with more range - The walls of 95% of buildings in Europe are made with metal-concrete / metal-cement. Metal-concrete nastily blocks/interfers with any signal. My mid price range router hits 1 bar after 2-3 walls in less than 10 meters.
Those are a must have for me! I don't see them as "extenders" but sort of "Wifi to LAN converters/switches" As someone who loves FreeBSD (and always picks up laptops with no Wifi drivers) and old computers from the pre-Wireless era, those are life saviours. The reason is that those always have a couple of LAN ports too, so they can pick up the Wifi signal and output by the cable.
They're really good for IOT devices like sprinklers and garage openers that need internet connection but are far away from your router. The mesh systems are pretty expensive comparatively for a similar solution.
Cannot compare a mesh network to an extender at all. No where near being comparative.
Been using a mesh network for years now and cannot imagine going back.
@@ScytheNoire they're definitely worth the money if you want to extend your range for your laptop or phone but if you just want to connect a device for WiFi connection (ie: a WiFi connected grill, or sprinkler timer) then I personally feel like it would be a waste of money to setup a mesh system and you could get away with a repeater and have the same experience
@@ShawnLoftinplus Don't cheap out on network gear, especially if it's going to transmit data wirelessly. Repeaters and extenders are a security nightmare.
Yeah but mesh routers are much better in higher bandwidth scenarios. As you said extenders are only good for things using very little speed or bandwidth and only occasionally need to check-in. Your gaming PC will need something MUCH better. You get what you pay for.
For a few far away devices that don’t need fast speed or bandwidth, sure. But overall mesh wifi is worth it for seamless whole-home coverage and better security.
There is something you are missing. They are not just extending a network. They are an ability to segment your network so that your router doesn't have to process ALL the wireless signals you are routing through it.
I run a network with almost 60 wireless devices going through my WiFi 6 router. Some of these are pretty high bandwidth like security cameras. This caused issues for the router differentiating and handling all the discrete signals.
So I take two extenders for the network edges and used a different SSID and made those edge devices use those extenders. That consolidated around 15 of my devices so instead of the router processing almost 60 separate signals it was handling 49 or so. This was breathing room enough to stabilize the network.
If I hadn't done that I would have had to split the network into two with separate routers or forced to running some long cable runs where it was going to be hard to do. There is still a place for repeaters. You may get by with mesh routers now but they are still not as reliable as what I have going and I don't think the throughput will be as high.
exactly. Same here.
I actually use some wired extenders too to make some very small wired extensions.
Local to local works much faster then having to put all the data over the wifi to the router and then back besides not filling the bandwith with all the not-needed signals.
@@elvinhaak I did the same thing on one of the extenders. It was easy to localize wiring in my garage edge and then use the extender for the back haul traffic. Works well.
Okay dr edge case
meh, just get a better AP then? Cheapest unify AP can serve 300 wireless clients no problem
@@s.i.m.c.a AP is an access point. That has to be wired to the router. No thanks. The routers and the range extenders are all wireless and do not need a wire back to the router to serve as an access point.
You didn’t mention powerline network adaptors. I always suggest these first to anyone that is having Wi-Fi range issues since this is an inexpensive option. I have set up 5 of these at various friends and relatives’ houses and I have yet to have one not fix the problem. This is also a good solution if you have an outbuilding or barn that needs internet.
Yup, the powerline + ap combo works great
@@forivallwhat do you mean by AP?
@@itsStraw- access point probably
Agreed, can't recommend the powerline adapters enough
Unfortunately, from my experience powerline adapters usually have terrible speeds. If you luckily have a fiber connection then your adapter will throttle that speed hard. I have a gigabit connection and my TP-Link powerlines only manage to get to 30...40 Mb/s. And I tried different brands with same results. A 5ghz decent extender on the other hand will manage 7..800 Mb/s.
An extender has it’s place …as long as you understand it’s just a repeater as opposed to a signal booster. I had an area of my home that was “shadowed” from the gateway router by multiple walls. I was able to locate an extender in a good location and it was able to cover these two bedrooms with a stronger signal than I had previously. Would this be good enough for intense online gaming? I doubt it. But it did provide a robust enough data transfer to reliably support program streaming (Netflix, Prime, etc) along with normal internet access. Installation was easy; I didn’t need to run any cables. So I don’t agree with the “never buy” statement; assess your needs and *know* what an extender can and cannot do. In some cases, it might be all you need.
Bought a kit of 2, powerline, for my parents' place a couple of days ago. Set the SSID all the same, working wonders. Yea single extenders are kinda pointless, but powerline kits are super okay.
No mentions of powerline kits in this video. It's actually the best solution out of those you presented price/performance wise.
He isn't talking about the powerline ones.
IIRC powerline kit, as i believe, runs on the copper, which is akin to ADSL speed. if your purpose is just generally web browsing, that's fine. but higher functions that's a limiter as i understand.
@@PrograError I'm pretty sure that unless you're watching 4K streaming on your phone, you'll have no trouble. I don't think most home users even benefit that much from fiber optics
@@valfodr IIRC gaming ping would be affected, but then most of the world have relative high ping on base internet coming in anyway ... a bit on copper ain't much...
@@PrograError You don't remember correctly and you should keep your uneducated comments to yourself instead of spouting off.
You can get upwards of 800Mbps through an AV2 powerline adapter which uses the ground plug, hot, and neutral wires for very fast speeds.
How did I know you were going to mention the mesh router? In some specific situations, a range extender is fine and even with a weak signal, you can still get the benefits needed. Like working around a structural barrier. Especially when you don’t need/want to “break the bank”. Though, I also can’t say these are bad solutions. Just not the only solutions.
I was grateful to have a range extender years ago before consumer grade mesh routers were available. As long as you understand the limitations, extenders are great for smart TVs, desktops, and other devices that don't move. But my new mesh router system is SOOO much better. Worth every penny.
I hate the blanket "This is bad don't do it do this instead although more expensive". My range extender is a cheap way to increase the range of my wifi for some of my IOT devices that are just that little to far away from my main hub. Like all things, it depends on what you are using it for.
@@kelvin1316 "It depends" - one of the greatest truths of Wi-Fi!
@@PotatoFi and the world at large, but the modern internet wants everything to be black or white and forgets about all the other shades and colours inbetween 😞
A cheap "as long as it works" solution.
I’m an on-site IT consultant for homes and small businesses. I can’t tell you how many of those range extenders I’ve had to put out to pasture that the clients bought. There was a point in time where there was not much else available except those but now there are so many meshing options. Funny thing though. Apple has been doing wireless mesh networking with their routers since 2008-09. I’ve installed more of those routers than anything else - and they stopped making them in 2013.
My 2 cents on this is that repeaters have a legit use like extending range to a greenhouse for smart thermometers and such. They just suck if you set them up poorly and try to use them as a one continuous network with the existing hardware
many range extenders actually have an access point mode which can be used when they're connected over hardline. this is useful as long as you're willing to manually switch your wifi network
There is solution for not manually switching ur wifi network if it support FAST ROAMING or 802.11R protocol. But u need ethernet wire connection and some setup technical knowledge. See onemarkfifty youtubers videos for that.
@@anantshende3444 In my experience most consumer wifi hardware is not supporting 802.11R, unless it's an access point.
"dont get a range extender, instead buy a series of access points or a mesh router for hundreds of dollars!" yeeeeesh this flimsy advice (brought to you by our sponsor!)
Extenders are actually incredibly handy if you use them to connect lots of low bandwidth IoT devices. I have lots of smart plugs/switches and like IoT devices and it would bog down my router if they were all connected. The bandwidth for them is so low it doesn't effect their speed, but not having them on my main network vastly increases the speed on the devices I actually care about
It's like they're a tool that you have to know how to use? I couldn't imagine LTT treating the world in absolutes though.
low bandwidth IoT devices weren't the point of this video though as they are usually static devices not moving around your home.
While I agree to few of your points, there are still lots of use for extenders. I always use wifi extenders when I install wireless cctv in spotty corners for my clients. Very fast and easy to deploy., and also very cost effective. 🤷♂️
So you recommend me to buy it ?
They worked in workplace environments to extend range where speed was not important. There were time that I needed to work a long ways from the base device to program systems. Saved me hours of time in programming building systems.
Range extenders are pretty handy if you're only planning to use them to watch videos or download files, but not so much for gaming and live video conferencing. I would get random ping spikes that caused lag in-game and sometimes disconnected me from video calls. I made the switch to a mesh system, which may not be perfect (it literally cut my speed in half), but is definitely miles better than a range extender.
Range extenders are a great option for certain scenarios. As cheap as they are it is usually worth a try.
@@dynevor6327 yep, in a house, dad couldnt get a strong wifi signal on his phone, range extender fixed all the problems for a cheap price, gets a strong consistent signal for way less money than building a mesh network for a small house.
If you use the extenders as a bridge to avoid retransmission , it's 💯% worth it. Look for a 4x4 MU-MIMO extender. Dlink DAP 1860 and TPlink has few options.
Ehhh, have to disagree with this one, this should be more of a "it depends" type deal, especially considering how cheap wiifi extenders can be. Some can be as cheap as $5 or occasionally even less on Amazon. I use one in our baby room for the baby monitor and a music player. Since we get wi-fi just fine elsewhere and can just use mobile data in the baby room on our phones if we really needed, I can't really justify spending even $10+ on anything else when this does the job.
If there's anything Anthony missed here, I think it's just how cheap these things can be, and thus how they are justifiable in certain situations. Bet you can find it for even less than $5 at like a Goodwill.
Agreed. I have one plugged in to an under-the-eaves socket and it gives good service inside two metal-clad outbuildings which don't connect well to my Powerline network. My only grouse is that the repeater isn't using WDS (four-address headers) for its uplink but instead playing MAC translation games emulating multiple stations using three-address headers. In practice this denies me service for the router's ARP timeout period after I roam to or from the repeater, but the two minute youtube buffer hides that pretty well.
There's definitely a case use if your device is stationary and your ok with 2mbps-25mbps an extender is probably the most cost effective.
I absolutely agree!!
Eh. I’m going to hard disagree… with the title at least. I’ve used the TP Link AX wifi extender for two years now with my AX router and it provides me 95% of my usable speed with only 2ms of added latency with speed tests. Maybe for some cheap ones they don’t provide quality but the router and the extender cover every inch of my house with, basically, full speed when before there were annoying dead zones.
95%? 2ms? bullshit lmao
Same honestly, I have 2 range extenders - 1 TP-Link and 1 from another local company, and before I got them my internet was bad and unstable and now I have way above average speed and unoticable ping/latency.
@@stxnw want to come over and run a few speed tests with me? If not then your opinion is worthless because I’m the one actually running them. Cheers nerd.
@@matthewjalovick lying online feels great huh
@@N-L. that’s literally PHYSICALLY not possible
Two things.
One, TP-Link extenders work as TP-Link OneMesh extenders for $30 each, which is great, and two, I only have one of them and it's for an internet phone for work. Instead of running an Ethernet line, TP-Link's $30 OneMesh extender has an Ethernet port on the side, and can double as a wifi to ethernet bridge.
How much speed are you getting through the extenders? I'm getting max 40mbps over original bandwidth of 300mbps(5ghz)
@@darkrac2 do u have a dual bandwidth extender?
both the 2.4ghz and the 5ghz need to be connected to the original router.
and u still need a good signal to get a good extension.
trying to extend a weak signal wont lead to good results.
never had a issue with wifi extenders. one was exceeding the original router speed lel.
and the other had 1:1 signal.
but I've only worked with 50mbps and 100mbps.
@@forsaken7161 Yeah it's dual band. I'm in first floor and the router is in ground floor. Placed the extender in main hall in 1st floor almost right above the router(but of course walls/ceiling etc). The signal said it's good in the app but occasionally I see red light indicating weak signal. Without extender I get 20mbps on 1st floor and with extender I get 40mbps :(
If I'm on ground floor, I get around 200mbps on 5g. Bought the extender for around 2.5k INR, might've just bought another router and set it up as extender since it would've been more powerful.
Also I don't understand your line on weak signals - If the signal wasn't weak, I wouldn't need to use the extender in the first place right?
I've got an extender using for months and it's pretty good and handy, I connect it to my main network over Ethernet so I don't have to deal with low signal and stuff
In Germany(and maybe some other countries too, idk) there is a whole ecosystem around the Fritzbox-Router. They offer plug&play Mesh APs to just hook up via Ethernet. Some can even pass through the Ethernet port so you dont loose one. Works great
I have a fritzbox and a Euro extender and can now watch CZcams on my toilet, which I can't without one.
It would be nice that Anthony would review a cellular internet antenna bridge (passive repeater) as they could be more useful for more people living outside the us.
I've set up extenders for a couple pairs of family members that live next to each other, but couldn't reliably share a single router. No one was a heavy user, so even a cheap-ish 2.4Ghz model worked just fine. The extenders were only ever connected to by devices in the home they were in, so it was basically acting like their own access point and roaming problems were simply not even a consideration.
Dropping a couple hundred dollars on a mesh system simply was not in the budget. The reason these family members were sharing in the first place was because one household just didn't have the funds to be giving the cable company $60-80/mo for internet that was only going to get lightly used. Sure, the extender is way worse than mesh or running house-to-house cat6 for a Ubiquity AP, but I'd say these relatives are quite thankful their $30 extenders are a thing.
I had a range extender (mesh) and I would get 20 mbps in my room and when I upgraded to a mesh router (with wifi 6e) im getting 350mbps down basically as if im right next to the main router. The range extender was better than nothing though since I wouldnt get any wifi without it from my room but buy a mesh router if you can
How’s ping compared to before? That’s the most important thing imo.
Also the Mesh routers costed like $70 less than my previous router/extender set up
@@tiestofalljays Ping before was 80+ if I tried gaming on csgo and now I can get like 20 which is way more playable, I havent plugged in directly to the mesh router from my second location either which might be able to improve it more
There's also another option they didn't mention: there are extenders that transmite signals through the electric outlets
These eliminate pretty much the problem with latency from wifi extenders (unless you have a very old and bad electrical installation)
True, but performance is also based upon how many breakers powerline adaptors have to go through. In my experience if they have to cross a breaker, you lose 50% of your rated performance, for example.
I use this for gaming and have my ethernet hooked up to it (there is no ethernet outlet in my room) and it works great! My ping is only about 4 ms higher than using ethernet straight from the wall in other places in the house.
And because you are introducing a foreign signal into your homes electrical wiring you might run into nuisance tripping issues if you have arc fault circuit breakers which are a new kind of circuit breaker that can trip if it detects arcing in a circuit most commonly worn out extension cord under a rug.
@@twandepan what did you buy?
@@alextamayo5920 a "Devolo MAGIC 2 WIFI NEXT STARTER KIT"
I literally just stopped using my TP-Link router set as an access point 2 days ago and installed a UniFI Access Point PRO. It's already so much better range wise AND devices connect to it lightning fast. Since I live in a condo, only needed to get 1 of them.
Range extenders are a nice gateway into considering mesh setups. I was skeptical about mesh 5+ years ago, but the technology has come a long way.
Yeah its really nice! I think people are too hell bent on trying to make extenders work.
Is there cases where an extender is better? Maybe. Would you be better off investing in a higher quality network device instead? Answer seems obvious.
@@silverblack110 A lot depends on your living arrangement and even how you use the internet. Meshes are only necessary if you really want a seamless wifi while moving around which frankly is not really necessary as anything bandwidth-intensive won't involve so much moving around and your phone which is what you're using while moving around probably has a sim connection as backup anyway. Actual ethernet WAPs involving hard installations(riveting and what not) of tech that goes quickly obsolete is also an extreme measure. Have a decent router in a decent location and use a plugin repeater in out of the way places which you only turn on when you're there - like a cosy private bathroom or gym or even reserve office. Anything else is just overkill
There are other options outside of range extenders. Ethernet/access points being at the top of the pile and mesh being a simple setup. Also consider MoCA adapters which use your coax lines that you may have throughout the house and
powerline network adapters(ethernet and wifi AP types) are decent as well if you don't have trash electrical lines.
Ethernet access points also cost 4-5 times more, same goes for mesh.
For $10-20 it's a decent, small and convenient way to get a consistent connection.
I have to disagree, will rather use range extender that cost 10$, and works good enough rather than expensive access point that I personally would probably struggled to settup. Mesh sounds more reasonably but still its costly.
yup, and if ur network is not that fast, a cheap extender with AP mode and 10-30 metres rj45 cable between the router and ur extender is the best solution, i bough a very cheap extender,it was made for 3g dongle with chineese menu before i succesfully flash it with openwrt(alternative os), it has the worst internal wifi i ever seen so i soldered an antenna i made from CAN's metal lol, that homemade antenna outperformed my samsung smartphone wifi antenna and all my wifi dongles
I have a pole barn with a repeater in the window because the metal walls block the signal from my main router completely. Works decently. Would love to run Ethernet out there and only have access points, but that is cost prohibitive (for me).
For mobile users extenders are a poor solution (better than nothing, but not by much). For low bandwidth static devices they might be a solid option. If they re-use the same channel you get maybe half the bandwidth of upstream (one time slice for sending and one time slice for receiving, in both directions). Better to look for access points that use 802.11r (I think that is the protocol for fast device roaming) and run wired uplinks where possible.
Side note: I configured some Ubiquity Uni-fi AP's for a client five+ years ago and they worked VERY well with roaming users, even before 802.11r was implemented. Even set up multi-site AP's so users could roam between sites and 'just stay connected'. Good memories. Ubiquity is doing weird things lately though (the company, not the product).
my extender works flawlessly. it doesnt have a seperate ap name, it literally just relays the signal without being independant.
Title is clickbait, not useless. I use one to steal my neighbours wifi and just say its mine
Its a TP Link AC1750. Gives me near 600 down and 120 up & it gives me ethernet instead of wifi.
This is very true regardless of whose WiFi it is, it’s hard to call them useless for sure
My internet is shitty. I’m looking for suggestions for a router. Wondering 🤔 if I should try this one.
I've used an extender for years with a lot of success. I stay in RV parks most of the year where signals usually suck. The extender could pick up the signal and repeat it to my devices where my devices pick up nothing.
What's funny is, they work for the EXACT situation I'm in. I'm having to move back to my parents for a few months, and my mom *hates* excessive cables running around everywhere and doesn't wanna get an electrician so I can have wifi up in the room I'm staying in because our house is old with shitty wiring and bad connection spots. A range extender is fine for use for me in this situation
Bro, I'm trying to look at youtube on the toilet, not play counterstrike, my wifi extender works just fine and costs only 30 bucks. I don't need to drop 350 to 1000 bucks to watch quickbits on the crapper.
we used an extender to extenend 2 tvs, works great, they have their own ssids and only those devices connect, it made the tvs unusable to actually work in the basement and workshop
I am glad Anthony didn't mention powerline adaptors (alhtough I thought I saw one in a clip at one point) - as a radio ham, these things are the gift of the devil. They radiate lots of broadband noise over a large parts of the HF and VHF spectrum. I don't use range extenders but I do have a couple of access points setup in bridge mode to provide ethernet connectivity in far reaching parts of the property - both desktop PC in mancave and desktop PC in upstairs study are connected this way along with pheripherals such as print server.
Yeah and if you opt for an access point or mesh router nodes, you then also have to deal with the associated ethernet cables as well. Some of those cable runs could be long depending on where you position the extra devices. Then you gotta try and hide the cables by burying them in the wall, or surface mount them behind ugly trunking. It's all far more hassle, time and expense. A range extender is absolutely fine and is an acceptable solution for most situations. Just make sure you get a quality brand.
Maybe yours is broken, but mine is great. Our router is on the ground floor in the corner of the farthest room, and my room is on the top floor in the opposite corner. I had little to no signal before I started using the extender. Same wifi speed, same quality.
then fix your router placement, NOT a $100 extender
@@stxnw Actually, the extender was only $30. There's no way I'd spend $100.
@@Steelebourne good luck doing any low latency work then
I think one of the key reasons people, including myself, have range extenders isn't actually for use in the house. It gets plugged in occasionally during the warmer months to give access to WiFi in the garden. In that instant, speed doesn't matter. Since it's for music, CZcams, or other social media. Not for downloading games, or uploading videos, or anything intensive. It's a slight pain, sure, switching to and from when you walk to the house from the garden, but it's a hell of a lot better than no connection. Plus, not everyone is balling. A cheap extender for a use case like mine, is perfect compared to untold hundreds on a new setup. I'm sorry, but in this case your advice needs a serious rethink. I'm not saying I know more than you guys, I don't, but I don't think you explored every angle
Yes this 100% is the same reason I use them. Suggesting they are useless is disingenuous, it depends what you need them for. I cant get signal in my conservatory from the router alone but an extender does the trick and the slight drop in speed doesn't really make a difference because I'm not playing online games just general internet use. Go for what works and is of best value for your own purpose.
I agree. I used a range extender in our hallway to the kitchen otherwise we would not have any coverage in the kitchen
"You need to serious rethink your advice"
"My one example is for a niche scenario where I want wifi in my garden"
MMkay
My sister lives in a house where her landlord provides the WiFi signal. Her unit is on one side of the building. I installed a repeater to get around the weak signal. She uses the extender's SSID and since she is far away from anything I also removed the need for a key. She is sooooo happy!
I used one just to simply boost my connection to my PC. It's cheap, its good for me right now. I actually am so happy it works. I have no spot for my PC to connect to my WiFi far away so I got this just to connect it.
I recently noticed, my notebook and smartphone can have wifi and hotspot enabled each at the same time, so they can be used as repeater too, even after a repeater.
In some niche cases, an extender is exactly what you want. For example a lower end video doorbell or smart security camera that’s at a spot of low WiFi signal. These devices don’t always work well with mesh networks. But a strategically placed WiFi extender can solve all your connectivity problems for these devices. But again, this is a niche case. And if you can get a PoE doorbell then please do!
And thats not counting that a lot of their suggestions NEED an ethernet, which may straight up not be an option
I use a TP Link router paired with a TP Link powerline device. These two, along with the mesh tool, gets a somewhat smooth signal transition between rooms. I've also hooked up a separate Mi router with its own SSID using a very long ethernet cable to my work room. This I connect to my laptop, pc, printer and smart clock, the idea being it frees up resources on the TP link mesh so that it can work with phones and such.
My extender works fine since I'm usually too far from the router anyway, but those mesh router nodes look interesting. I'll look into it if my equipment starts failing. If it ain't broke, etc, etc.
One last thing I wish the presenter should have mentioned with the mesh network is that each node works best being hard wired rather than having them all connected to each other with wifi. I realize that requires having ethernet lines run to each point you would have the nodes and a lot of people do not have that option. However, it's an option I would suggest if possible. Fortunately I was able to run several lines throughout the house to both hard wire televisions, streaming media players, and desktop computers along with having all three of my mesh network nodes individually connected to ethernet lines. Solid wifi all throughout the house, front yard, side yards, and full bars wifi indicators all the way to the end of the back yard.
The point is that a wireless Mesh node is better than a wireless extender. Ofc if we could wire the connection in it would be better. But the missed point is when only wireless is the option Mesh > Extender
@@silverblack110 I didn’t miss the point. I added to it.
I think an even simpler solution in a lot of cases would be switching your router to the 2.4 GHz band (available on Wifi generations 4 and 6). I think a lot of people have their router set up to work on a 5 GHz band by default, but the 2.4 GHz band, although it supports lower bandwidths, has a much better ranges and passes through thick walls much better. And the speeds it supports are still way over the needs of a typical user. That's what I did last week, and my unstable connection issues in my basement are basically solved now. I can watch 1080p CZcams in my bed while tucked under my blanket without a problem
2.4ghz certainly has better range however in my case there's issues from 20 other APs that are nearby.
@@FireCulex interference issues?
I do both. My router is dual band so I use 2.4 for my basement game streaming and an extender for that one room in the house that my wifi can't reach. Cheap and easy.
If you are paying for fast internet, I don't think most people are going to want to use a standard that caps out much lower than the speeds they are paying for. 2.4 maxes at 100mbps, and that's if only one device is using it. Also the 2.4 band is very narrow and is already shared with things like microwaves and phones, so there will be more interference and less space for all the devices. However it could be useful in a dual band router to just have both. Then switch to 2.4 when you need. Put all my smart light bulbs on the 2.4 and the stuff I want to be fast on the 5. When I go in the basement, I'll switch my phone to the 2.4 for better coverage even though it is noticeably slower
i use a range extender at work. we have a key programming computer and we need to use it out in the parking lot often. It just stays connected to the extended network at all times since it's used in front of store and the router is in the back of the building. A lot cheaper than switching out the whole system to a mesh system and has worked great.
Wi-Fi extenders can also be integrated into mesh systems, btw. Have to get a model compatible with your router
As someone who has terrible experience with the mesh networks from many years ago, I'd love a video about how well the different mesh techs work nowadays. I think there are even standrads apart from WDS now? Which system is best?
You can also use a cheap second router connected to your first router via ethernet as wired range extender. Perfect for basements or other places with thick walls.
Just make sure you disable the router functionality and only use it as a access poit
Yes! This is basically “adding another AP”. By far the best way to go.
This will work, but you will have to manually choose which SSID to connect to, since each device will have its own and wifi doesn't auto-switch to connect to the strongest connection. Once it's connected, it will never automatically switch to another SSID until that connection is lost.
@@megachonk9440 you can just copy the SSID and password of the first router to second. That way it shows up as one big network and most devices are more sensible about switching to stronger AP than this video makes out.
As long as you don't need efficient roaming it's a perfect solution.
I use the xfinity pods and they work flawlessly. I used to have a hard wired ethernet line running to my detached garage, but the crashed. So installing the pods worked great.
1:20 true XD I love Extenders though!
In our house, the router covers the right side, extender covers the left. The extender is strong enough that those on the left side never need to switch to the router.
And everyone that's on the right side always stays on the router. Simply "Forget this network" to the one you don't use so you don't connected to the furthest one by mistake.
many years ago i lived at an apartment complex and so did my roommates parents (in a different building but fairly close) so we used a range extender to piggyback off the signal we could get from their place... worked amazing but the standard at the time was also 802.11n which capped at 300mbps so speed was not really a factor. Also like other comments have mentioned they work well as a bridge or for a IOT device.
If you need multiple access points but can't get cables everywhere there's also a solution:
CPL access points. And CPL networks in general.
These will use your mains power cables to transmit data, and even if it's limited it can change your life by adding ethernet ports and access points without any work on your cabling.
I use a CPL network at home and I do stream on twitch with that configuration.
I have like the only good reason for a conventional range extender (that I got for free as a hand me down from my in laws, so free beats money), the roku in our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from our router and the extender is halfway between them, and is like the only thing on the extender (my wife probably has her ipad on it, but that's also pretty much only in the bedroom so it works as "the primary signal"). Most devices work well enough in the bedroom on the normal signal, but the video streaming needs the slightly stronger signal of the repeater, and then when I do need to switch my phone I'll automatically connect to the router next time I leave and get home because the main router is close to the front door.
I work for the Phone company / best Northeast / Global telecom company so I ran a Cat 6E cable form my downstairs modem and router to my 3rd floor NightHawk , I crimped some RJ45 ends using a straight pin out config - it works flawlessly.
I had a few Netgear routers that I was about to junk. I installed OpenWrt on them and turned them into access points, spending time getting them to act more intelligently and share the SSID. End result? Less waste in the landfill and no additional costs to me. It only took minutes to flash, and only a few hours to figure out because I can be an idiot sometimes during setup.
Doesn't matter the price of a WiFi router, the range doesn't differ much.
So just use an extender, but place the extender somewhat in the middle of our WiFi router and where you need good signal. And use a different WiFi name and just go through the process of connecting to it every time you in that spot.
This is the best cost effective option. All the other solutions are hella expensive.
I've been using powerline adaptors for years as my "range extender" of choice. I've recommend them to unknown numbers of friends and family, who've all been happy with the solution they provided. They've never let me down so far, and their speeds have only increased over time as the Wi-Fi standards have been upgraded. A relatively cheap way to fix a common problem.
Ah yes, PowerLine "Range Extenders" are great! I wish they would call them "PowerLine AP's" though - that would be a much more technically accurate term.
Powerline are a hidden gem. Most people forget they exist.
Working at an ISP, alot of older clientele have old brick houses. Powerline excels in these cases.
this
I think one problem that might happen with range extenders is that they start to interfere with the original router wifi signal if they use the same bandwith. The one i have can listen on 2Ghz channel and re-broadcast it on 5G, so it wont interfere with the original signal. I noticed that if both are on 2G, then it can cause packet loss.
Don't underestimate the power of a Wi-Fi EXTENDER. I'm using an Extender to get 648 Mbps across 2 BHK apartment with the help of a 2nd router. 650 Mbps in the hall & in the 2nd room too.
The Wi-Fi extender will rock if you know how to set up the Wi-Fi extender (Ethernet ones), as a Wireless Bridge to a 2nd router/AP, but it requires fine-tuning. I have used Wi-Fi extenders in the past and now, & I'm getting full speed of my Internet subscription across 2 BHK Apartment.
It all depends on your situation and how you use it. For me, my range extender really helped when i lived an upstairs flat in a converted house. The WiFi was installed in the downstairs hallway and the WiFi sucked upstairs because of thick walls. I got an extender put on the landing upstairs in almost direct line of the WiFi. Never had any issues and good stable connection, beforehand the signal was low and always disconnecting
Which one did you buy?
@@ThePatbiller a tp-link one
Yea I agree with the idea that range extenders suck if the range extender itself is working off the wifi. However, if you wire it so that you connect your range extender via ethernet, then it is way more impactful. The way I do it is we have the actual router on the first floor of the house while the range extender is connected via ethernet from first floor to upstairs so people upstairs can have speedy connections regardless of which floor they're on. Connecting your extender via ethernet is much better because wifi signal is much weaker than ethernet. Half the time the extender sucks is because the signal that your crappy router emits is probably poor and therefore the signal that the extender emits will also be poor. However, using ethernet cord to connect from router to wifi extender basically breathes in new life to your wifi and broadcasts it much stronger, especially around the extender.
Extenders aren't bad in certain situations. I use one myself in order to connect devices on my upper floor that don't move around the house and it's doing what I need well.
I think is useful in specific situations for example my consoles don't have a goo WiFi antenna like my smartphones has so I use a extender for them while keep using the usual router for my phone, therefore I don't need to change anything and since my consoles are staying in one place there's no other problem, so yeah it has its uses just don't let them sell it you as a device that can solve absolutely all of your connection problems.
I personally really like the ASUS mesh routers. Specifically the
RT-AX92u model. You can get it in a two pack and the wireless range on them has been fantastic. You can run them in either wireless backhaul (has 2 5g bands) or you can run it Ethernet backhaul. I have even convinced my job to let me put them into the coaches that I work on instead of the damn Cisco meraki router that I hate using..
I would generally love to see you test and comment on top consumer powerline options. I for example use Devolo Magic 2 WiFi next Starter Kit it works fine, but not that much better than cheaper one, which quite surprised me.
Powerline adapters should be your LAST option because they interfere with other radio systems. Most houses have coax, and you are much better off using a MoCA bridge.
A wi-fi range extender fixed my issue as well.
I've got two range WiFi extenders in my house and rather than connecting them to the router using WiFi they are connected via ethernet cable through the loft space so they are acting more like wireless access points. But I do see issues with mobile devices when moving around the house they will, as you mentioned, try and stay connected to the original access point even though the device is now closer to a stronger signal (I have the network names all set the same).
One of the easier things i would try first before shelling out loads of money is simply switching channels and to avoid channels that are over saturated by anybody around me. Funnily enough ISPs tend to use pre-configured routers with a fixed channel set, such as channel 1. Then if the ISP is the most commonly used in your area, every neighbour will transmit on channel 1. So just switch to channel 3, 5, 7. The even channel numbers avoid, they can have crosstalk to the neighbouring channels. In many cases selecting a different channel can already fix quite a few problems. Then check your router if it goes into a power safe mode or if the WiFi is power limited. Switch it to full performance. There, problem solved for many issues. If you are living in Europe with it's common brick houses you might be out of luck. Here it really helpy to use seperate APs or Mesh Networks. Whenever possible rather use LAN Cables. And no, you don't need CAT6 or CAT7 cabling. Most users run a max of 1Gb and for that a CAT5E is sufficient unless you have extremely long cable runs, reaching or exceeding 50 meters. But if you need to put down new cabling i personally would go for CAT6 as a minimum and i also would put empty pipes in, to be on the safe side for the future when i might want to use for example fibre or whatever will be the next hype.
And if you really have an annoying neighbour that blasts on all channels with his overly powerful router just get a Raspberry Pi and a USB WiFi Adapter and deauth every session constantly until he gives up. :)
I fully disagree with the wifi-channels you mentioned. Channels 1 and 3 overlap and why avoid even numbers? There are only three non-overlapping channels and those are 1, 6 and 11 and in my opinion all other channels should be banned from the standards. It's better to be on the same channel than adjacent to a network. If both routers are in channel 1 they can see each other just fine and will wait with transmitting, if one is on 1 and the other on 2 they can't see each other and data will be mangled because of interference. Not that much of a problem for TCP-traffic but UDP can be a thing.
I agree with the cabling part but I would recommend to skip CAT7 all together as it's not a standard. CAT5E can go up to 5GBase-T on short runs but the can run 2.5Gbit just fine for distances up to 50 meters with the relatively new 2.5Gbase-T standard. CAT6 can do 10 gigs up to 45 meters and I don't think we're going to get above those speeds before the cables need replacement. CAT8 is something that doesn't have a future in my opinion and should be avoided.
Orrrr instead of spending a lot of money, just use a wifi extender. They aren't as bad as this video says. They're perfect for workshops and garages
this video was made for sponsor money
We went from one TP Link AC1750 router with a range extender to two TP Link AX55 routers (one as router, one in AP mode on the opposite side of the house connected via CAT6 cable) and it made a massive difference. We have zero dead spots now and everything is blazing fast. Before we would hardly have wifi signal outside our front door, now we have a good usable signal 200ft away from the house.
I have a specific case scenario where we have a TV in our bedroom that doesn't connect well to the router at the other end of our house, even though our phones and stuff do. So we put a range extender half way across and have the TV programmed to ONLY connect to that SSID. Works like a charm and doesn't get in the way of anything else
Using a quality extender from tp-link. Only sucks because it blocks a power outlet.
Yep, as a senior admin working at a mid-sized European ISP, I can confirm that this is one of the worst things you can do to your home network. You have no idea how many cases we've had related to this very problem, and some clients are pretty difficult to work with - they won't accept that their wifi extender, which is supposed to increase the range, is a bad idea for increasing the range, however ridiculous it sounds, and blame us for unstable connection without even checking if there's any packet loss over a wired connection. Thanks for making the video and informing people about the drawbacks!
And don't forget about the internal connectivity, I have regularly ripped wifi extenders away to fix printing issues.
Totally agree, coming from a mechanic from a major Dutch ISP. The amount of people here disagreeing to this video and saying extenders are great are just lying to themselves, and to us with the results they are posting. A range extender isn't a proper product, it can't be for the cheap price that is goes for. Yes, things are expensive but proper access points are an investment that could last years. I'm doing three years now with one €80 euro AP by TP Link Omada and it's doing great. Totally worth the money. Luckily one AP is enough for my house as it's just wooden floors and single stone brick walls.
@@NickyHendriks our company likes the ubiquity unify stuff, but it doesn't really make a difference. Detected wifi accesspoints are the only stable solution. And stay away from the powerline stuff.
@@JeffreyBNL agreed. I'm using TP Link Omada myself but Unifi is great!
@@NickyHendriks Nice! I'm glad more fellow network specialists agree on this. In Poland, both Ubiquiti and TPLink are very popular, but the former isn't used that often in residential networks. When it comes to extending wi-fi, we usually recommend simply buying another router, e.g Tp-Link Archer C6 - they're almost as cheap as APs, and people are more familiar with them. An average Joe doesn't even know what an AP is, so it's easier for our technicians to say "Just buy another router and we can walk you through the config process" without having to answer a barrage of questions, so it's a compromise. We use Ubiquity to create wireless bridges between buildings when it's impossible to install fibre optics, and to handle our internal office network. We haven't thought about TP-Link Omada, though, I'll check it out.
One overlooked use of an extender, is outside. I bought one to give better signal in the back yard / garden. It's not perfect, but it does the job and I get a decent enough signal to play CZcams videos or music, which is pretty much all I wanted it for anyway 🙂
I bought an Ethernet bound Extender. It creates a separate Network which I can connect to. Not the ideal situation but better than getting the signal from the basement (yeah actually)