WiFi Extender

[jayerose]

Recommended by a friend....do they really work?

[dewilson58]

Yes and no.

If you get one.....make sure it's a seamless connection.
Usually has to be the same brand name as your WiFi.
If not, you will have to sign onto a different wifi connection.....the extension unit.

Also, usually you will NOT get the full strength as the base unit.

[Bill14564]

Recommended by a friend....do they really work?

Yes, they really work. I have one in my garage.

Many different devices or systems you can buy. The one I have is inexpensive with very few features; I don't need high speed, just a reliable connection. My Xfinity modem/router at one end of my house satisfies everything else.

Others will certainly tell you about bridges, extenders, and mesh networks. Determine the features you really need and how much you want to spend on the solution.

[daniel200]

Yes, they work very well if you purchase a well rated one. I often travel outside the USA and find the hotels have poor wifi signal strength in the rooms. I always carry an wifi extender with me. The one I have is small but has good antennae to help with reception. I set it up in my hotel room at whichever corner has the best reception. Then I have my own wifi private network in my room. I have been doing this for many years and it eliminates lots of wifi frustration. As others have noted, extenders will typically provide reduced speed if you are expecting a high speed wifi connection. But the hotels in Asia often have low speed wifi connections to begin with …. And an extender has no problem to provide the same low speed without degradation.

On the other hand the newer AC or AX home routers have very good coverage. For $100 you can buy a new router that will cover a large home. I have an older AC router that covers my 2000 sq foot home (including garage) with no problem. I recently helped a friend install a new Asus AX router in his multifloor home and he gets a good wifi signal, including garage, outdoor patio and upstairs. So you can spend $30 on an extender or $100 on a new router

[villagetinker]

We found that moving the main WiFi router to the center of the house eliminated all signal problems with no need for extenders. We were able to use one of the unused coax cables and a short extension through a wall to get to the center of the house.

[Bay Kid]

Would an extender work to the house next door?

[retiredguy123]

Would an extender work to the house next door?
Probably. I get a wifi signal from 3 neighbors without an extender. Go to settings and connections and click on wifi on your computer or phone to see what wifi signals are within range.

Note that sharing an Internet service with a neighbor would probably violate your contract with the Internet provider.

[tophcfa]

Would an extender work to the house next door?

If placed correctly between the base and extender it will work just fine. The password is required to operate the extender. We share the WIFI service with the next door neighbor at the summer lake house up north.

[pikeselectric]

Recommended by a friend....do they really work?

Hi there!
I personally have a WiFi extender for my smart LED recessed can lights for my master bedroom. They are worth it price-wise for connectivity reasons. I have Xfinity and my router box is clear across my home in a guest room so when we first had our Smart LED cans installed they had an issue connecting to the app. Once we got an extender to plug in to our master bedroom, the issues stopped.
Hopefully this helps! - Casandra with Pike's Electric

[asianthree]

At our other homes we had Comcast and had to use their extender’s. Especially for lanai and garage.

We now have spectrum and have zero WiFi issues anywhere in or outside of the house

[EdFNJ]

At our other homes we had Comcast and had to use their extender’s. Especially for lanai and garage.

We now have spectrum and have zero WiFi issues anywhere in or outside of the house

Actually that has nothing to do with ComCrap vs Spectrum but the router they provide and the wifi devices being used. ComCrap (Xfinity's) new gateway routers are actually pretty good. I am on their 1200Mbps tier and the router is in my bedroom (office) at the furthest end of my home and standing outside the front door I still am gettinng 40-50% of my bandwith (500+ Mbps) on my cellphone and have no issues live steaming 24/7 a driveway cam and doorbell at full res on wifi. Lots of variables.

That being said I wish I had Spectrum fibre. Only option here (just north of 466A) is Xfinity or circa 1990 technology DSL with max of maybe 20Mbps if you're lucky.

[Freehiker]

Adding an AP is the best solution and simple to do.