Like lots of folks, I'm working from home these days, so I tested each range extender out on my home network, a 300Mbps AT&T fiber connection. My top pick, the TP-Link RE220, makes it really easy to tweak settings via TP-Link's Tether app on an Android or iOS device. AC750 AC750 WiFi Range Extender. You can see the situation clear as day when you look at the average speeds in each part of the house. Built-in Power Amplifiers and beamforming extend the reach of your Wi-Fi and direct the signals where they need to go. © 2020 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. The best Wi-Fi range extender for just about everybody. Aside from my speed tests, I made sure to stream video in my bedroom on each extender's network, and I made several video calls on each network, too. I placed them in the hall, halfway between the spots where I test in the hallway bathroom and the master bedroom, and close to the edge of where I'm able to get a strong signal from the router. By default, the device automatically steers you between the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, but with download speeds ranging from 10 to 35Mbps throughout all of my tests over multiple days, it might as well just default to the slower 2.4GHz band. If your home Wi-Fi network needs an extra room's worth of range, then there's no need to spend more than $30. At $35, the TP-Link RE220 was the least expensive range extender I tested, but that didn't stop it from outperforming everything else I tested at every turn. One seller has it listed new on Amazon for about $40, but I wouldn't spend more than $30 on it, given what the superior TP-Link RE220 costs. Description Expand the coverage of your WiFi network with the 4-Stream WiFi 6 Mesh Extender. Easy ways to expand and enhance your network, Keeping your home wired for quality connections, Everything else you need for a connected lifestyle, The easy managing smart business network solution, Managed and unmanaged network switches for access and convergence networking, Secure VPN and Load Balance gateways to the business, Professional business Wi-Fi with centralized management, Be The First To Get Exclusive Deals & News. This item NETGEAR Nighthawk WiFi 6 Mesh Range Extender EAX80 - Add up to 2,500 sq. On top of all that, the RE6350 seemed to be the least stable of all the extenders I tested, with more than one dropped connection during my tests. It has great range and … But don't start thinking these things are interchangeable. The Amped Wireless AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE1750A) is a pricey dual-band range model that has lots of I/O ports and management options, and delivers solid 2.4GHz … As a result, you're probably pushing your home's Wi-Fi network to the limit. Upload speeds where typically in the single digits, and in most cases, my connection would drop after a few minutes in the room. I picked out some of the major manufacturers' most popular, budget-friendly options and spent a few days testing out their wireless coverage. And since it's not quite the newest model from D-Link, there's a good chance you can find it on sale somewhere. Both offered steady speeds throughout my entire home, including average download speeds on the 5GHz band of at least 75 megabits per second in every room I tested, along with strong upload speeds, too. A mesh router with its own, dedicated range extenders will do an even better job of spreading a speedy Wi-Fi signal throughout your home. buy online & pick up in stores all delivery options same day delivery include out of stock Wireless Range Extenders Wireless Routers Netgear TP-LINK All Deals Sale Wi-Fi 1 (IEEE 802.11b) Wi-Fi 3 (IEEE 802.11g) Wi-Fi 4 (IEEE 802.11n) Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac) Wi-Fi 6 … When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Dual-band AX1800 (574 Mbps + 1200 Mbps) Industry-standard mesh Wi-Fi ; Gigabit Ethernet port supporting wired mesh backhaul To find out, I plugged each range extender in one at a time and paired them with my router, connected my laptop to their extension networks, and repeated my speed tests. The Netgear EX3700 wasn't powerful enough for the price. Most, including all four that I tested, support Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or WPS, which is a universal protocol that wireless networking devices can use to connect with each other. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It's fast, it's reliable, it works with just about every router out there, and it's really easy to use. I was able to stream HD video, browse the web and make video calls on the extender's network without any issue. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. NETGEAR WiFi 6 Mesh Range Extender (EAX15) - Add as much as 1,500 sq. AX1800 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender. Linksys RE6350: My speeds were consistent with the RE6350 -- they just weren't very fast.Â. All four were serviceable, but the TP-Link RE220 was the only one that didn't present any issues with my internet connection. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Any of those would likely outperform a standalone router paired with a plug-in range extender like the ones tested here. (166) Price Match Guarantee. You'll want a steady connection of at least 20Mbps in order to stream video and browse the web comfortably. They're simple to operate: Just pick a good spot, plug it in and press the WPS button to sync it with your main router. In most cases, your wireless range extender doesn't have to be the same brand as your router's in order to work. That presented a clear mission for my test extenders. Most were underwhelming, which isn't too shocking when you're talking about a hunk of plastic that costs $30 or $40. Netgear Nighthawk AX8 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Extender Review Netgear’s Nighthawk EAX80 is one of the first Wi-Fi extenders to support the new 802.11ax standard, more colloquially known as Wi … For my money, that's the TP-Link RE220. ft. and 30+ devices with AX6000 Dual-Band Wireless Signal Booster & Repeater (up to 6Gbps speed), plus … and 20+ Devices with AX1800 Dual-Band Wireless Signal Booster & Repeater (as much as 1.8Gbps Speed), WPA3 Security, Smart Roaming - Price: (as of - Details) The NETGEAR 4-Stream WiFi 6 Mesh Extender (EAX15) is constructed for the way forward for WiFi to create a formidable mesh WiFi In 2021, we'll start seeing routers that support Wi-Fi 6E, which adds in exclusive access to the newly opened, ultra-wide 6GHz band. With two adjustable external antennas, the D-Link DAP-1620 is pretty powerful for a budget-priced range extender, but it wasn't as consistent as our top pick. The overall average across all tests was about 60Mbps, but that's overselling it. Free shipping . 6 streaming services you can give as gifts (including Disney Plus), Great gifts you can still get in time for Christmas, How to watch Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max on Christmas Day, Discuss: The best Wi-Fi range extender for just about everybody, Best Wi-Fi range extender for almost everybody, Read more about improving your home's Wi-Fi, The 3 fastest VPNs we've tested: NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark compared. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis still has a lot of us working and doing school from home. Pairing a plug-in range extender with your home network is as easy as pressing the WPS button. With 4X more capacity, no matter how many devices everyone in your home uses to stream, game, and stay connected, WiFi 6 can handle it. (Just note that I'm testing from home and working with a limited sample size of devices -- once I'm able to test more, I'll update this post accordingly.). Read more about improving your home's Wi-Fi. With that in mind, we set out to see just how effective a low-cost WiFi extender can be in improving WiFi coverage.We … The device supports automatic firmware upgrades, which is nice, but you can't use the Linksys Wi-Fi app to tweak settings -- instead, you'll have to log in via the web portal. Same goes for video calls, where you'll also want sturdy upload speeds to match.Â, If that back bathroom were, say, a back office, I'd be miserable. I didn't see much variance between test rounds, either, even between daytime testing and evening testing.Â. 7.3. Make that 50Mbps if you want to stream in 4K. Copyright © 2020 TP-Link Corporation Limited. Simple! Sure enough, my average speeds plummeted in that back bathroom, the farthest room from the router. Unlike range extenders, which communicate with the router via the 2.4GHz or 5GHz radio bands, most Wi-Fi system satellites use mesh technology to talk to the router and to each other. 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