
How to choose the best Wi-Fi extender for you Is a Wi-Fi extender definitely the answer?īefore you buy an extender, check that it really is the performance of your wireless network that’s slowing you down and not just a slow internet connection. The most reliable extender money can buy: Devolo Magic 2 WiFi Next.The best compact tri-band extender: Netgear Nighthawk X4S.The fastest, smartest Wi-Fi extender: Netgear Nighthawk X6S EX8000.A great all-rounder at a very affordable price: TP-Link RE-450.
Faster speeds for multiple devices: TP-Link RE-650. The best powerline extender kit: Devolo Magic 1 WiFi. The best budget extender: TP-Link RE300. READ NEXT: Test your Wi-Fi with our broadband speed checker Here’s everything you need to know about these handy devices, along with our selection of the best Wi-Fi extenders on the market. Choose from our list of the best Wi-Fi extenders below and you'll be able to strengthen the signal to all areas of your home, as well as potentially benefiting from a much faster connection. But you don’t need to buy a new router to give your wireless performance a boost. It means a more stable, speedier connection for your chosen gadget.No matter how fast your broadband connection, if your Wi-Fi isn't up to scratch then you'll be missing out. Lastly, look for an Ethernet port on board if you want to connect one or more of your devices up with a cable rather than Wi-Fi – a games console, for example. Look for support for the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard too – it's not essential, but it means your extender will work better with the routers of future years (so will extenders using the older 802.11n tech, just not as quickly). First, speed, indicated in Mbps: the faster the better of course, though these are theoretical limits – the speed of the broadband coming into your home and the position of the extender are going to play a big part in the speeds you see.ĭual band support means the extender uses both the 2.4GHz (slower but long range) and 5GHz (faster but short range) frequencies to beam Wi-Fi around. You've only got a few specs to think about when it comes to picking the best Wi-Fi range extender in the UK for 2021. How to choose the best Wi-Fi extender for you It comes with a neat analytics app as well, for testing Wi-Fi strength around the home. Unlike a lot of extenders, it simply repeats the name of the network being broadcast by your main Wi-Fi router, so you don't need to worry about switching between them.
The Netgear EX7500 goes above and beyond the call of duty to bring you just about every feature you could want from the best Wi-Fi extender of 2021: a whopping max speed of 2,200 Mbps, dual band coverage, support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards, and more besides. Whether you're looking to stream content in 4K from your Netflix account or simply catch up on some work emails while you have your morning coffee, T3 has tried and tested the very best Wi-Fi extenders on the market today to find the best ones for every kind of property and every kind of person. Wi-Fi extenders are also handy for gamers who want to play from more than one part of the house: because you can be sure of a fast connection anywhere, there's no danger of one room bringing your performance down. For example, it makes no difference whatsoever if you run a video meeting off a 300Mbps down connection or a 30Mbps one, where it does definitely make a difference to that video meeting if your computer only has a weak Wi-Fi signal, as this will cause video quality to degrade and even disconnections.
Range of signal and strength is arguable more important than out and out speed for most users and applications. Wi-Fi extenders are particularly good in large homes, as even the best Wi-Fi routers don't have the range to deliver strong wireless internet through multiple rooms or up multiple floors.