In case your Wi-Fi speeds cannot sustain together with your demanding video chat wants, an costly new Wi-Fi mesh system or an web service improve might assist. However likelihood is, so will an under-$100 vary extender, particularly if in case you have connection issues solely in a single space of your house. Aptly named, vary extenders decide up your router’s Wi-Fi sign, amplify it, and rebroadcast the boosted sign. At PCMag, we take a look at range-extender throughput on all bands and visually map the sign utilizing specialised tools. We have examined practically 40 of them over time, so you may belief our skilled evaluations. Our present top-rated extender is the TP-Hyperlink RE715X. (See the editors’ notice beneath relating to the standing of networking-hardware maker TP-Hyperlink.) We’ll talk about it and a number of other really useful, examined options beneath, adopted by an in depth information to choosing the vary extender that meets the wants of your house.
Deeper Dive: Our Prime Examined Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
Dec. 20, 2024: The Wall Avenue Journal studies that the US Commerce, Protection, and Justice Departments are investigating routers from TP-Hyperlink with an eye to a possible ban on gross sales within the US. For now, we retain our suggestions for the TP-Hyperlink merchandise listed right here, however we’ll reassess their standing pending additional developments.
Greatest Wi-Fi Vary Extender General
TP-Hyperlink AX3000 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Extender (RE715X)
- Simple to put in and handle
- Quick throughput efficiency
- OneMesh prepared
- Helps 160MHz channels
- Cumbersome
- No pass-though outlet
The RE715X is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 vary extender that’s straightforward to put in, works with any Wi-Fi 6 router, and installs in minutes. It might even be used to create a mesh community in tandem with a suitable TP-Hyperlink router, which makes it a logical different for folks whose current routers work positive and who due to this fact need not spend $200 or up on a brand new mesh system with a number of nodes. The RE715X turned in strong scores in our throughput efficiency checks and did significantly effectively on the 5GHz checks, the place it garnered 410Mbps on the shut proximity (identical room) take a look at.
In addition to serving as a mesh different when coupled with a TP-Hyperlink router, the RE715X is a perfect candidate for somebody with a comparatively current Wi-Fi 6 router from any producer who simply wants a bit of additional vary to hold their Wi-Fi indicators to a distant spare bed room or maybe the again deck.
Wi-fi Specification
802.11ax
Wi-Fi Velocity (Complete Rated Throughput)
AX3000
Variety of Bands
2
Variety of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port)
1
Variety of Antennas
2
Variety of USB ports
0
Greatest Funds Wi-Fi Vary Extender
TP-Hyperlink RE600X AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Vary Extender
- Good throughput efficiency
- Quick, straightforward setup
- Works with suitable routers to create a mesh community
- Doesn’t help 160MHz channels
- No passthrough outlet
- Cumbersome
At $99.99, this vary extender presents a reasonably cheap solution to enhance Wi-Fi protection with out having to put money into a brand new router or mesh system. It is smaller and cheaper than our prime decide, the RE715X. In return for the area and cash saved, you hand over some efficiency in addition to help for 160MHz channel width. Nonetheless, it is simple to put in and handle, and a strong performer total.
If you’ll want to enhance the sign of your Wi-Fi 6 router, the RE600X is a strong choice that will not break the financial institution. It is an particularly good selection if in case you have a TP-Hyperlink router, since, like many TP-Hyperlink merchandise, it may be used to create a mesh community as a substitute of a separate prolonged one.
Wi-fi Specification
802.11ax
Wi-Fi Velocity (Complete Rated Throughput)
AX1800
Variety of Bands
2
Variety of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port)
1
Variety of Antennas
2
Variety of USB ports
0
Greatest Netgear Mesh-Prepared Wi-Fi Vary Extender
Netgear AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Extender (EAX15)
- Sturdy 5GHz throughput efficiency
- Good sign vary
- Shares host router SSID
- Simple to put in
In case your router is having bother delivering a powerful Wi-Fi sign to sure areas of your house however you detest the considered switching between otherwise named networks for various elements of your own home, the Netgear EAX15 may help. It’s straightforward to put in, and you need to use it to create a mesh-like community with out shopping for an entire new mesh system, because it helps single-SSID naming for seamless roaming if in case you have a suitable Netgear router. It additionally helps the newest Wi-Fi 6 know-how, and it delivered strong efficiency on the 5GHz band in our testing.
Do you hate switching between community names as you progress out and in of vary? It is annoying, however in the event you’ve already bought a cutting-edge Wi-Fi 6 router, you are in all probability reluctant to ditch it in favor of an entire new mesh system. The EAX15 is an efficient different on this state of affairs, extending the Wi-Fi sign to beforehand underserved places in your own home whereas letting you roam seamlessly from room to room with out worrying in regards to the identify of the community you are on.
Wi-fi Specification
802.11ax
Wi-Fi Velocity (Complete Rated Throughput)
AX1800
Variety of Bands
2
Variety of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port)
1
Variety of Antennas
2
Variety of USB ports
0
Greatest D-Hyperlink Mesh-Prepared Wi-Fi Vary Extender
D-Hyperlink Aquila Professional AI AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Good Mesh Extender (E30)
- Simple to put in
- Mesh-ready
- Good efficiency
- Helps 160MHz channels
- Cumbersome
- No pass-through outlet
- Solely middling sign power
The E30 is a dual-band extender that can be utilized with any Wi-Fi 6 router and can function as a node in a mesh community when paired with a suitable D-Hyperlink Aquila Professional router such because the Aquila Pro M60. Set up is straightforward, and the E30 posted aggressive scores in our throughput efficiency checks. At $99.99, it is cheaper than shopping for a brand new router, and it makes use of Wi-Fi 6 know-how together with 160MHz channel transmissions.
If you’ll want to prolong the vary of your current D-Hyperlink router, the E30 is an efficient selection as a result of it’ll create a mesh community at a considerably decrease price than shopping for an entire new mesh system.
Wi-fi Specification
802.11ax
Wi-Fi Velocity (Complete Rated Throughput)
AX3000
Variety of Bands
2
Variety of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port)
1
Variety of Antennas
2
Variety of USB ports
0
Greatest Asus Mesh-Prepared Wi-Fi Vary Extender
Asus RP-AX58 AX3000 Twin Band Vary Extender
- Strong efficiency
- 160MHz channel bandwidth
- Simple to put in
- Works as a mesh node with suitable routers
- No pass-through AC outlet
- Middling sign power
The Asus RP-AX58 is a Wi-Fi 6 vary extender that plugs into an AC outlet to carry wi-fi connectivity to areas that your router can’t attain. It’s easy to put in, and it may be paired with an Asus AiMesh router to kind a mesh community. At $99.99, it’s proper consistent with the price of different vary extenders, and its throughput efficiency is superb primarily based on our testing.
If you’ll want to prolong the vary of your current Asus router, the RP-AX58 is an efficient selection as a result of it’ll create a mesh community at a considerably decrease price than shopping for an entire new mesh system.
Wi-fi Specification
802.11ax
Wi-Fi Velocity (Complete Rated Throughput)
AX3000
Variety of Bands
2
Variety of Wired LAN Ports (Excluding WAN Port)
0
Variety of Antennas
2
Variety of USB ports
0
The Greatest Wi-Fi Vary Extenders for 2025
Evaluate Specs
Shopping for Information: The Greatest Wi-Fi Vary Extenders for 2025
What makes vary extenders so enticing in contrast with a extra elaborate mesh system is that they’re straightforward to put in and cheap. Pair one with a budget-priced router, and you may construct a tandem system with protection that rivals what you’d get from a single high-priced router or mesh community. Vary extenders are available varied shapes, sizes, and speeds, however they’ve limitations: They’re usually half as quick as your major router, and so they create a separate prolonged community that makes seamless roaming tough.
Relying on the dimensions and format of your house, a mid-to-high-end router might present all of the Wi-Fi protection you may want. However some stage of sign degradation is nearly a certainty for houses constructed with dense supplies like brick, concrete, plaster, and metallic. Likewise, houses with a number of flooring and lots of partitions are extra prone to sign loss than a one-story house with an open flooring plan. In some circumstances, you may relocate your router to a central location to ship a stronger sign to these useless zones that had been beforehand out of attain.
In most houses, nonetheless, the router’s location is tied to the room the place the web enters the home, which suggests relocating the router will probably require operating an Ethernet cable to the specified space. Vary extenders present a comparatively straightforward solution to ship Wi-Fi with out operating cables.
(Credit score: TP-Hyperlink)
When looking for a variety extender, discovering one which matches your router’s specs is crucial. For instance, if in case you have a dual-band AC1900 router, get a dual-band AC1900 extender (or higher). In case your router helps Multi-Consumer A number of Enter A number of Output (MU-MIMO) knowledge streaming, which gives enhanced efficiency by sending knowledge to suitable shoppers concurrently moderately than sequentially, search for an extender that helps this know-how if you wish to prolong your MU-MIMO community.
The identical goes for the newest Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 applied sciences, the present quickest flavors of Wi-Fi. When you just lately purchased a brand new router that helps these requirements, you may undoubtedly need to guarantee any vary extenders additionally help them.
How Does a Wi-Fi Vary Extender Work?
A Wi-Fi vary extender boosts the Wi-Fi sign out of your current router for better protection all through your house. To do that, it picks up the indicators from a selected Wi-Fi entry level (your router). Relying on the model and mannequin of the gadget, it then both boosts the indicators underneath the identical community identify (SSID) or underneath a brand new SSID that should be created and configured. You’ve in all probability seen this earlier than, the place a house’s community has a “SmithHouse” for upstairs and “SmithHouse_EXT” for downstairs. Your gadgets will usually keep on one till it is completely out of vary; then, you may change over to the nearer vary extender to get a greater connection.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Some vary extenders do extra than simply enhance your Wi-Fi sign, nonetheless. Many fashions are geared up with Ethernet ports in order that they’ll moonlight as wi-fi entry factors, with an Ethernet connection to your router as a substitute of a wi-fi one. On this state of affairs, moderately than the entry level boosting your router’s Wi-Fi sign, your site visitors flows wirelessly out of your gadget to the entry level, after which from the entry level to your router by way of the Ethernet cable. This mode of operation is usually most well-liked because it reduces the potential for interference, nevertheless it requires operating a cable between the router and the realm of your own home experiencing spotty Wi-Fi protection.
What is the Distinction Between a Wi-Fi Booster and Extender?
Some producers name their merchandise Wi-Fi boosters or Wi-Fi vary boosters, whereas others name them Wi-Fi extenders or Wi-Fi vary extenders. For many shopper functions, all of those phrases are synonymous.
Nonetheless, before you purchase a variety extender, you need to examine different methods to spice up your Wi-Fi sign with out one. Many are straightforward and free. You might reposition your router, replace its firmware, and alter its broadcasting sign. These easy tweaks and lots of extra like them may remedy your connectivity points with out extra tools. For extra concepts, see our guide to boosting your Wi-Fi signal.
Do You Want a Desktop or Plug-In Extender?
There are two sorts of Wi-Fi vary extenders: desktop and plug-in. Most desktop extenders look similar to a wireless router and are usually geared up with exterior adjustable antennas, a number of LAN ports for connecting to gadgets like TVs and gaming consoles, and USB ports for attaching to peripherals resembling storage drives and printers.
Plug-in extenders are a lot smaller than their desktop counterparts and are inserted proper right into a wall outlet. Some fashions have exterior antennas, whereas others use inner antennas to current a discreet profile. As a result of their measurement, plug-in extenders normally have solely a single LAN port and lack USB connectivity, making them much less versatile however extra reasonably priced than desktop extenders. If you cannot spare a wall outlet, search for a plug-in mannequin with a pass-through outlet.
It is also value noting that in the event you’re having bother connecting a pc to Wi-Fi in a specific a part of your house, you may be higher served by a USB Wi-Fi adapter. For as little as $15, these adapters are primarily antennas that plug straight into your laptop to assist it pull in a greater Wi-Fi sign.
How one can Set Up a Wi-Fi Vary Extender
Not very way back, organising a variety extender required some technical experience and persistence to seek out the most effective location (ideally midway between the router and the useless zone). However most of at this time’s routers and vary extenders help Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), which makes pairing the 2 so simple as urgent a few buttons, naming your new prolonged community, and making a community password.
(Credit score: D-Hyperlink)
Furthermore, practically all producers provide web-based setup wizards and illustrated directions that can assist you to configure fundamental wireless settings. Some (however not all) extenders are geared up with LED standing indicators that let you know if the extender is just too removed from the router. Extenders may provide superior router-like options resembling visitor networking, entry scheduling, and media server capabilities.
Do Wi-Fi Extenders Actually Work?
Whereas comparatively straightforward to configure, vary extenders have their limitations. Along with the truth that they usually use a separate community SSID that you must log into as you progress by the home, Wi-Fi speeds are usually half what you get out of your important router. Most dual-band extenders use each radio bands to transmit knowledge to and from the router, which suggests gadgets connecting to the extender are competing for bandwidth with the router. (Some producers allow you to dedicate a band for router-to-extender communications to assist alleviate community congestion.)
Advisable by Our Editors
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Nonetheless, possibly the quickest attainable throughput is what you are after. That might be since you’re operating enterprise functions throughout your community, or since you’re out there for a gaming router or particularly a Wi-Fi 6 router. In that case, take a look at the connection between your endpoints to make sure you’re getting the utmost site visitors speeds you may. PCMag thoroughly tests all routers and vary extenders that come by its doorways, so you may know what to anticipate before you purchase.
Wi-fi Extenders vs. Wi-Fi Mesh Techniques
When you’re contemplating upgrading your community with all-new {hardware}, it is value trying right into a mesh-based Wi-Fi system earlier than you spend cash on a conventional router. Wi-Fi mesh techniques are designed to blanket your house with wi-fi protection. They comprise a number of networking parts, together with a important router and a sequence of satellite tv for pc modules, or nodes, that you just place all through your house. They’re all a part of a single wi-fi community and share the identical SSID and password, that means you may roam all through your own home with out logging into an prolonged community.
Whereas vary extenders talk with the router by way of the two.4GHz or 5GHz radio bands, most Wi-Fi system satellites use mesh know-how to speak to the router and one another. Every node serves as a hop level for different nodes within the system, which helps the nodes farthest from the router to ship a powerful Wi-Fi sign as they discuss to different nodes and do not depend on one-to-one communications with the router.
Wi-Fi mesh techniques are perfect for customers with little or no technical data. They are often put in in minutes and usually include a user-friendly cellular app that walks you thru the set up course of with easy-to-follow illustrated directions.
Many vary extenders provide a hybrid method for individuals who need to take a look at out the advantages of a mesh system with out changing their current router. These fashions replicate some (however not all) of the benefits of a mesh system, together with the flexibility to change seamlessly between the extender and the principle router with out altering to an “_EXT” SSID. Search for a “mesh-ready” vary extender that is suitable together with your current router and made by the identical firm. Our prime picks embody mesh-ready extenders from Asus, Netgear, and TP-Hyperlink.
Able to Purchase the Greatest Vary Extender for You?
Try our picks for the highest extenders now we have examined in our wireless-extender overview summaries above and in our spec comparability chart. To get much more from your house Wi-Fi community, take a look at our guides to setting up your router and protecting your Wi-Fi network.