How Do Wi-Fi Range Extenders Really Work?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 เม.ย. 2021
- A low-cost way to increase the reach of your wireless network is to use a Wi-Fi Range Extender, often known as a Wi-Fi Booster, or a Wi-Fi Repeater. But how do they work? What do you need to know to use them correctly? Let's find out.
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Finally! Someone who explains this stuff in a way that's understandable. Thanks dude!
Why haven't I found you on my 8000 other searches? Yes, finally, someone that explains the use of an extender in great and clear detail. Much appreciated!
You can connect an ethernet cable to a Wi-Fi extender if you want a hard-wired connection. This will help to get a stable internet connection where Wi-Fi signal tends to go weak. The speed of the connection depends on your purchased plan and capacity of the extender
my first search!
I vote for the additional videos on powerline and Ethernet wired backhaul.
Wired and access points are my setup, though currently I use some home routers as access points. The disadvantage is I'm limited to 2.4 GHz.
@@paulstelian97 qw te
You just saved me money... I had a wrong idea of how it works. Almost bought one until I watched this video
Thanks Gary! This was so helpful. I really appreciate your ability to put things in regular people speak. So so so helpful.
Awesome explanation! Looking forward to learning more about mesh networking soon too
Tech has improved! Years ago I bought an extender, and while it increased the range, with each one daisy chained (wirelessly), data throughput was essentially halved. So at the house, great data speed, garage slower, equipment room even slower, pool area sllooowwweeerrr, barn… hopelessly slow.
How'd you fix this??
@@WhoIsJC7 better tech more extenders
When I have nothing to watch, your videos are always the ones I go to, awesome content as always Gary!
That was very enlightening. Didn't realise how much they'd affect an existing WiFi. I do use a separate Access Point, extended using powerline adapter and also different channel to main system.
I would like to see presentations of the mesh network and powerline adapters. Love your videos, great work, thanks.
I have a mesh video already.
I found it Gary, thanks. The difference is now clear to me between both approaches and I now understand why my extenders solution was a bit disappointing, albeit cheaper and maybe a bit less complicated to implement. Great job!
Hi Gary, could you please provide the link for the mesh video? Cheers!
@@spm2381 That would be: Understanding Mesh Networking (feat. MikroTik Audience) - th-cam.com/video/mOiu9fgOhFo/w-d-xo.html
Yeah, I purchased a Wi-Fi extender, tested it out in various places around my house, and ended up returning it. You really do have to test the locations before and after to see if it’s really giving the benefit your looking for.
Did you purchase it so you can use it around multiple areas in your home or so you can get better connection in a bedroom?
@@Cordinium the goal was to improve the Wi-Fi in an upstairs office.
thank you for explaining this in such detail. You just saved me time and money on trying out probably several extenders.
I didn't realize that extenders recalculated the data, I thought that it was just a passive repeater
You can't just repeat the same data package because then you don't know if these is a new one or the already been transmit and it'll create feedback loop (repeat same package over and over again) that will choke up your bandwidth massively reduces speed.
They have to. They don't have any thing directional in the end.
I find placing the extender 1/2 way between the router where you still get a good signal(usually in the hallway), and where you want to connect say your back porch, to work the best for me, I did not fell like drilling holes in my floors, or running cables in my walls, so in my house I have 2 WiFi Network extenders. one for the front edges of my house, and one for the back edges.
Thanks Gary - Just bought a MESH WiFi system from Huawei and it solves all these "old" wifi issues. Mesh is super fast and best of all all the Android phones of my family automatically fails to the strongest signal keeping the Internet speed high over the fibre line. Used 5 WiFi Apps to do testing in and around my house to make sure MESH works and it does !!!
Good to hear that. My next videos will be in mesh networking. What Huawei model did you buy?
Definitely spot on. Best explanation I've ever heard on the subject. I currently run four access points hardwired back to a gig switch/router. 3300 square feet 2 story the switch is the DHCP server. That was the only way I could get everything talking to each other. Access points 2 upstairs 2 downstairs none in the same corner and manually set channels I turn the power down to about 50% on all of them so it makes it switch from one to the other. Cat6 cable not the prettiest install but it's effective, expensive, and bottlenecked at the switch. It's like running a USB 3.0 device on a 2.0 port. But I can stream video to multiple devices with no problem except for the bottleneck. I really don't have a use for anything faster than 300Mb. Now for the question.
How come four devices run a speed test at the same time and all four get 250MB download but, one device by itself will only do maybe 260 MB? I'm not complaining cuz I don't pay for gigabit speed but how is it getting it is my question?
Hello, Gary. You are a wealth of information. Thank you for explaining how an Extender works. From your explanation, Extenders inside the house are pointless but it's only helpful if you want to connect with the WiFi outside. Is that correct? Therefore, is Mesh a better option to push the wifi to other parts of the house where there are deadzones?
would love a video on power-line communication
basicyl it's a methode to used existing power-line as wire for network (wire or wireless) by mixing internet data in power-line
... it's usually better than wireless but not as good as dedicated lan cable. point is you don't need to rewire.
A lot of cable modems have batteries. So if you have a power outage, your wireless connection to your router will remain active.
With power line networking, if you have a blackout, then you will lose it all.
Also, if you live in an apartment building, will your neighbors, who are also using power line adapters, be on you local network?
I do not know the answer. But that would be a privacy and security issue.
@@NoEgg4u I’ve not owned a cable modem with a battery in it. None of the three or four I’ve used in the last few years has one. I’m not immediately seeing any on Amazon either.
I think privacy probably isn't a problem, they should be on different ring mains. Even within my house I have a different ring main upstairs to downstairs so I can't use a powerline extender to extend from downstairs to up.
Mmmmh.someday I have one that wi-fi the problem I can't afford ,hehehe
Very good and detailed explanation, thank you so much!
Nice video - informative and well explained. It would be nice to have a video on wire connection to the range extender.
Really clear and useful explanation. Thanks.
im glad this video exists. but why is this kind of video appearing in 2021 - needed this in 2010
Eh? Are people no longer buying or using WiFi extenders?
Thanks, Great information. I tried using an Extender and it seemed to be unreliable. I discovered that my Home Access Gateway supported MoCA so I installed a MoCa extender onto my Cable TV system and it has been Rock Solid at getting Wireless Anywhere in the house. Cheers.
Thank you Gary! That was one of the most informative, and useful narratives on WiFi range extenders that I have come across in the last one year.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent technical video explains all practical issues
I find Net Extenders to play a very niche role and are very hard to recommend in those instances. Sometimes they help with stationary devices that have poor internal antennas like TVs or your example of little to no signal in a certain area of the house/property. Even then I tell people to only connect one or two devices at a time.
Wouldn't a mesh setup be much better?
@@FuriousImp I don't really have much experience with home mesh routers like Eero. In theory they should work better if they are Tri Band and I have heard they work good.
Best is to ditch the wifi router and install 2-3 Access Points with a wired router. Ubiquiti makes pretty affordable equipment for home use so that should only run you $300-$500 for a comparably superior set up. Only issue is snaking the wire to the Access Points depending on home layout and floors.
I have 2 specific uses for my Wi-fi extender, but turn it off when I’m not using it to avoid interference and save power. Since I’ve done this my router and Wi-fi in general have been better behaved.
1) When I’m in the garden and need more range when I want Wi-fi on my phone.
2) I keep my router on a 5GHz only band to make its life easier and use less power (it stays cooler in the summer as an added bonus). I sometimes need to use a 2.4Ghz network for a) an ancient laptop and b) a wireless 2.4Ghz-only printer (annoyingly many cheap printers are still sold as 2.4GHz-only and will not work on 5GHz). The Wi-fi extender will broadcast at both frequencies, 2.4 and 5GHz and solves that problem very easily and cheaply.
yes, a video on MAC addresses please~
I made the calculation on the max available number of unique devices when I learned binary but I never knew how they reserve and make them completely unique
@@CesarHn95 Basically you have 24 of the bits being used to select a brand, and these are in a registry; the other 24 bits are device-unique in each brand. Popular brands will take multiple OUI identifiers (the first 24 bits) to avoid collisions, Intel being one example.
i like using multiple APs in the way that Ubiquity does with the UniFi system so each AP is linked to a central router, so wherever you go you are connected to the same network, the radios are the only thing that changes, but i know some people are unable to run ethernet cables everywhere due to leasing agreements, or maybe the way the house is configured, i've tried wifi extenders in the past, and always ended up just getting the alarm installation bit out, the low voltage tools, and a box of ethernet cable and running a wire to an additional AP configured with the same config as the primary and setup in the firmware as a wireless extension in AP mode Only via WDS, so as you said, WiFi Extenders do have their place, but they aren't the end-all be-all that most try to make them out to be, great video mate, and loads of good information
Yes, that is called a Mesh Network. I have a video about that as well.
Exceptional stuff Gary! Thanks :)
Thanks Gary, for this excellent explanation on Wi-Fi extenders. It's the best explained that I have come across.
Glad it was helpful!
This was REALLY interesting!! Counter intuitive results REALLY well explained. The model/diagram of the house def helped the explanation.
crystal clear explanation! Thanks @Gary 😀😀😀😀
Great explanations! Please complete a performance testing with WIFI extender via Ethernet connectivity
Thanks for this, you’ve just saved me time and money. I was going to get one for my bedroom upstairs because I get a low signal there but as you’ve explained a booster in that room will not help.
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation of a wi-if repeater. I, however, have a query as to whether or not having such an extender would lessen the security of your original relatively private system. I have read recently that having such a device would greatly diminish the security of one’s data. In advance, thank you. very much…….Joe
thank you sir, this was very informative.
What I learned quickly:
Buy the same router I already have and use that as a repeater. As long as the second router isn't placed on the edge of wifi coverage, broadcasting a weak signal as a "strong" signal, speeds don't suffer as much as people think.
That works if you can place that router there in the first place.
@@paulstelian97 huh?
@@playerroku4412 There's the issue of having the power plug in the first place. It's not easy to modify the electrical installation in order to just plug in a Wi-Fi extender after all (my hallway literally has no free plugs)
@@paulstelian97 I don't want to be a jerk but you're attempting to sound way too intelligent for a simple conversation. Use a power strip then. I don't even know why you're attempting to make this complicated. Also, why would it have to be in a hallway? Put the router anywhere. Even if it's only 5 to 10 feet away from the primary router, that can still give you good speeds and way more coverage. I feel like you don't know what you're talking about, which is fine
@@playerroku4412 In my house there's literally 3 walls between the main router and the one in my room, and where would I put a power strip? In the same room as the main router? In the hallway which is 2m by 8m in size? In my own room where the signal is already bad?
I need the wired variant, the access point. And I need to replace them since I can see that it behaves very poorly even with this optimization.
I just express frustrations not only because of having to do more than just putting a power strip (what if I trip on it? How do I deal with the fact that there's no line of sight spot that is even remotely convenient? And let me completely ignore the fact that there's slowdown from devices which are hard to get in range even with repeaters anyway, and also because of constant traffic from those devices eating away at what 2.4 GHz can do).
And further. Recommend me one main router and some repeaters which actually work well. I don't want something that takes up 5 minutes to recover after a power outage (it's enough that my ISP's EoC takes two, I don't want three extra on top of that), like one specific Archer router that I had for two months and sold it away because of this crap...
Very useful explanation. Thanks.
Hi Gary, if you do end up doing a video on mesh, could you explain the difference between a mesh vs extender, specifically how the mesh can get original speeds vs the extender which usually halves the speed. Is it just to do with the number of antenna? And also, why are mesh more expensive? I get that mesh gets you more speed but why don't they just make extenders the way they make mesh so that we don't get this speed difference. I have quite limited understanding haha.
great video. i went for a mesh setup with fritzbox routers as my internet router is also fritzbox. i wired the extra routers, as running that wireless did almost destroy the network. i now have a router on every floor, as the concrete floors almost completely take out the wifi signals. now it all seems to work fine, but i would be interested to find out how te improve on it even more. mainly i worry about the best possible placement of the accespointrouters. i still want to add an extra accespoint to create garden wifi access. i'm thinking of putting that on a windowsill at the backend of the house. but now i worry of that interfering with the accesspoint closest to it. i use wired setups however and the mesh usually runs at 5 ghz, so i would probably run the gardenwifi at 2.4, hoping that would in turn not interfere too much with the zigbee home automation devices in my house, also running at 2.4. this stuff gets hard. i would love videos on that. maybe my situation is a good example or indication of the type of things to consider. greetings from the Netherlands
Do a video on all of them. I like hearing your teaching pedagogy
I was about to buy a wifi extender and after watching your video I change my mind. Thanks for the info!
Buy one anyway, place it in the middle point between where you have trouble connecting, and your main router. Works wonders. And you can just return it if it doesn’t work for you.
@@cat-.- Or better yet, return it for one that does work!
I would love to hear you explain how mesh networks using things like unifi access points using poe work to allow you to go from access point to access point smoothly
Yes, as I say in this video I will be doing a video in mesh. 👍
One would recommend when setting up and AP extender to do DHCP pass threw so devices like a printer can be seen on the network Always places the extender 1/2 way between where you want the signal and the main AP. But now days a Mesh AP a set of 3 mess APs can be gotten for $150.00
Very good and detailed explanation. What should i use to get better wifi sygnal in the basement. Router is upstairs and i have ethernet cable in the basement that runs from the upstairs router.
Thank you for an honest discussion
Great explanation for beginners! One small nitpick though. While access points usually do have the power to send at 100mW or even 500mW on 5 GHz channels you should never use these high levels because your poor smartphone usually only sends 20 to 25mW back to the access point and you don't want constant failed transmits from the smartphone crippling the experience. Better to also leave the access point at max 25 mW (14 dBm) so you truly get an idea how many access points you actually need.
The only reason you would have a single radio on an access point at full power is when you are only using that radio for a mesh link towards another access point.
But again, great simplified explanation!
I'd love a video on MOCA and it's advantages, And disadvantages, over power line. When I moved in, the wifi is terrible in my room. My roommates gave me a power line adapter. Horrid performance. I went out and got a Mocha adapter and it's just shy of the performance I'd get over Ethernet. Pair that with a wifi access point, and I've got amazing connectivity in my room.
The better option would be to hardwire your place with Cat5e or 6. Switch your extenderé to access point mode and plug it in the hardwire. Do a quick set up with your wifi device to give it a name and a password. After that, it will access the router with no back n forth from the wifi and you get the full speed of the modem. That’s if you means to do so
Excellent Information Thank you gained good knowledge from your content
Tell us more about the mesh network! Great video!
I have a video already published. 👍
GREAT EXPLANATION 👍 THANKS
Thanks garry, I wish I'd seen your video before I listened to Yorkshire Darren a few months ago, I bought a so called wifi extender/repeater, and to be honest, I think I'd have got better results useing a coat hanger.
Very informaitve Gary. Question: Would the connectivity / transmitting power of the end client have an impact? E.g. for devices in the room furthest from the primary AP, would the primary AP be able to receive "messages" better from the range extender when compared to "messages" being received directly from a mobile or laptop? (Assuming range extenders have better "connectivity" than a mobile device)
You are a very good explainer!!!
I use a air of powerline units to extend into the garage, then WiFi AP in bridge mode to the original router. Works ok for the garage.
I like setting up these extenders in client mode. That doesn't create a new SSID, but gives connectivity via the ethernet port. They usually work better than a WIFI USB dongle. It's running openwrt, btw.
That works good for a situation where you just have a few devices that can be hardwired to the extender. For solving an issue where 1/3 of the house is a deadzone due to distance/obstruction/em interference, I opted for the MOCA route. The extender can sync to the existing wifi for SSID settings but has the same bandwidth as if it was plugged directly into the router, thanks to the coax wiring in the house acting as a really effing long ethernet run.
Soooo useful! This could be a great "how to effectively distribute your internet bandwidth around your home" type playlist for people getting better broadband or with constant wifi problems (most people lol)
It's all interesting Gary 👍🏻
Great video!! Very informational, Thanks 😁
Glad it was helpful!
Hey Gary. Does changing the position of antenna in a router strengthen or weaken the wifi signal? Have searched a lot about it, everybody saying different things. Really confused. Need your help professor! 🙏
Not bad, but one important case you should have included: put the extender roughly ½ way between the router and the intended room, not necessarily in each room.
That was a great explanation, thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
they are good at reducing your wifi bandwidth by 60-75% (unless fed by network cable and just operating in AP mode)
Great video! What happens if you are in the farthest room and the extender is halfway in the hall. And what about mesh?
So much smarter!! Thank you
Now I understand why the range extender I got for my parents' home didn't double the range of their WiFi. Truth in advertising Amazon? 😂
Someone seems to be impersonating Professor Gary 🤔🤔
@@Garythefireman66 Yeah I'm getting the same BS, all we can do is keep reporting the account as SPAM, and hope YT gives enough of a toss to ban it.
Yeah, sorry about that, it is a fake account that is spamming my channel.
Please keep reporting the spamming. As you say, maybe YT will ban the account.
Great video, I now think in understand more about how the WiFi extender works. I am also interested in the how to use wired extension and this is related to how our home network is setup.
We have three floors in our home and the WiFi router is in one corner of the middle floor (where the cable modem is). We also have three extenders - upstairs, downstairs and the middle of the first floor. The upstairs and first floor extenders have a (mostly) line of sight to the router but not the lower floor. The one additional thing is that I have been able to get wired network to the lower floor.
1) It seems that using a wired extender would be better for out lower floor extender (since we have a wired connection there and the extender cannot easily "see" the router. Could you do a video on that?
2) The lower floor can "see" the extender on the middle floor better than the router - would it be better to connect the lower floor to the middle floor or just connect to the router even though it is a much weaker signal?
This is very informative...and discouraging.
I thought the extender would have a more sensitive receiver so it could still achieve a higher data rate.
Thanks for video, got a 3 pack mesh and wifi so better, thanks again
How did you measure the bandwith? Running a speedrest?
Right at the beginning you say that by relaying data through a single-radio extender, you lose at least 50 percent of your throughput compared to connecting directly at close range to the wired access point. Then in the rest of your figures that 50 percent factor disappears without explanation. Can Gary Explain? This is overall pretty clear, but a little light in its coverage of the situation where an extender does make sense: If there is a location where you need, but can't quite get, a Wi-Fi signal, and you can put the extender approximately halfway between that location and the existing Wi-Fi AP, a good extender is likely to get a reliable (but not full-speed) connection to where you need it.
Thanks ❤️
I would like a video on Etherley connected Wi-Fi extenders
Excellent!
Amazing explainetion ❤❤❤
Glad you liked it
what about wifi adapters with high gain antennas? i have one i use when i go on camping holidays instead of the piddly wifi built into my laptop so i can get a stronger signal from the campground wifi at a distance. is this my best solution or is there something better?
Thanks mate👍🏻
Wow , nice explanation ! Question , I use a firestick and that tells me the Wi-Fi connectivity in terms of fair , good , very good etc , also my Wi-Fi is called whole home coverage , so there are 2 Wi-Fi routers strategically placed in 2 different places in my house , also it has 2.4 and 5 ghz , and I have a rock space extender with 2 antennas on it , and I thought I was occasionally losing signal on my firestick in one bedroom , so I tried the rock space in there , both the original Wi-Fi and the extender show very good / very good on my firestick , I realize that this is not the best way to test , but after seeing this video , I don’t think my extender is helping my situation at all ? Can anybody help me out with this , thank you
Once again, great video, I now think in understand more about how the WiFi extender works.
I do have another question. How does the extender handle connecting multiple devices back to the router? Does it create a connection for each device as well as a separate MAC address?
I do see some weird device names in my router device list Ex: "17261ec2-7292-f269-5ee7-78ce56f1zzzz" (note:zzzz is so I obscure the real name - it looks like that may be a MAC address).
Are these weird device names, devices that are being relayed by the extender?
I have a solar cctv and would like to know if these boosters will boost the phone signal to pick up the cctv signal better?
Which one do you recommend
You must disable DHCP settings on your extender if you are going to keep the same SSID as the main network and use as a wireless repeater to another wireless router.
Nice explanation
Gary, you mention running an ethernet cable between the router and the extender/access point.
Is it possible to do it the other way around? i.e a cable from the access point to feed another building?
Router Extender secondary router/access point
Never mind - i had an epiphany and managed to test my theory - It works!
For anyone else wanting to do the same, i'm using a Netgear N300 wifi range extender (essentials edition). model number EX2700-100UKS
Love this video
That was an excellent explanation of a confusing subject - one that’s far too confusing for most of us to get our heads around. But I’m left wondering what’s the point of a wifi extender in the first place?
Excellent video Gary, but I still have a question. At 12:37 putting the Wi-Fi extender in the same room as your device doesn't help. But if you put the extender somewhere between the router and the device, like in the corridor or inside the bottom middle bedroom, would it be better to connect directly to the router or to the extender? Because it's not the same as in 13:26 that you don't have a direct connection to the router.
If you put the extender in the middle but you are at the other end of the house (away from both transmitters} then you should get better bandwidth by connecting to the extender, but it is worth experimenting.
So helpful fair play
Very informative and presented in a way the common person can understand.
Great video.
You explained the shxt out of this😂💯💯💯💯💯
Hi Gary I live on a site that has common wifi working around the site it s download speed outside is 30 to 4 mps but when I step just inside my front door it drops to 5 to 7 mps if I more further into the house it drops to 0 mps. Is their a way to bring the signal into the house. I live in the UK.
Please do a video on range extenders with LAN connections
Question, is a router good next to a window it's the only place I can place mine ?
So if I’m getting this straight you have your modem from your internet provider then you have a router the wifi extender connects wirelessly to your router thats connected to your modem. You stick the the extender in an area that has bad wifi coverage. The extender creates its own wifi access. You then log into that access point. So the internet is going from the modem to the router to the extender to your devices.
My main wifi router is on the ground floor, in the middle of the house and provides good wifi on that floor. But doesn't provide good wifi(or no wifi) on the floor above.
Do wifi routers even transmit in the vertical direction as well in the horizontal direction?
And will a wifi extender be able to fix my problem?( Because would it even be able to catch a good wifi signal from the original router?)
If use multiple wifi boosters can you improve signal all around the house?
For powerline wifi/ethernet extender must be on same electricity phase. But now better, cheaper invest is to buy mesh than setup those wifi extenders. I have Airport Time Capsule in living room and Airport Extreme in the bed room, same SSID. And it works very stable. No mess with wifi names etc.
Cheaper? The one I used in the video costs $14. Can you get mesh networking for $14?
@@GaryExplains most it will be mission imposible to get mesh for USD14. But most problem is lose connections, unstable on very heavy load. Mesh or wifi repeater I believe is much better.
@@WP7Nettwerk Of course mesh is better, but you didn't say that, you said cheaper, that is why I replied.
@@GaryExplains but it will be nice if you give video about mesh and wifi repeater and comparison.
@@WP7Nettwerk I will and I say I will in the video.