How does a WiFi extender work?

The fact that WiFi extenders can extend the coverage of your wireless network is its primary function. But their effectiveness can be affected by factors such as: its distance from the router, the WiFi needs of you and your family, the speed of the Internet connection coming into your home, and the area of your home that needs WiFi coverage. Here are our findings.

WiFi range extenders can fix dead spots in your network when you have a home office in your bedroom or attic. It is often interpreted as a secondary device that delivers super fast, secure and reliable WiFi to all corners of your home. You have to plug the extender into an electrical outlet in the middle of the router and the dead zone to get maximum signal enhancement as well as range enhancement. The extender can then pick up the WiFi signal next to your router and extend it deeper into your home.

This is due to the extender using the same frequency range as the router." Athreya explains, "The data that initially arrives directly from the access point to your connected device now goes through an intermediate stage.

This extra step can cut the speed of your WiFi signal in half. If you stand next to your WiFi router (where the signal is strongest) and get a speed of 50 megabits per second (fast enough to stream two 4K Netflix videos at the same time), the speed of your extended network will be about 25 megabits per second. And that's in a perfect environment where the router's WiFi signal isn't affected by obstacles like thick walls or heavy equipment.

Mesh routers, on the other hand, use two different bands to limit the speed loss to about 10%. They are usually available in sets of three, allowing you to move devices around the house to provide coverage.