WiFi extenders - are they worth the money?

[Jan]

I have a Netgear extender but I don’t think it has made any difference. I am wondering whether to “invest “ in a more expensive one.

[blusteryday]

We use an extender for our garden cabin. The thing to remember is all an extender will do is take the existing signal and amplify it , so if the signal from the router is weak it’s unlikely to improve reception.

[Hotlush]

If the point you're extending to is on the same electrical circuit a powerline extender with Wifi might work better?
I've got one from tplink, extends signal from our master socket on 3rd floor to downstairs.

currys/gbuk/comput...66934-pdt.html

[YorkshireT]

Buy a wireless mesh network instead, well worth it. The google one is good but for a budget option the Tenda MW6 (make sure it’s that version and not the MW5) is excellent. Just plug it in and go.

Buy the Tenda one here, go for the MW6 3 pack at £150

amazon/Tenda-Nova-...2 C151&sr=8-4


The google one is here, again go for the three pack, it’s better but twice the price

store.google/config/google_wifi

The best may be Netgear Orbi, the top spec one, but that’s even more.

I have the Tenda MW6 and I get pretty decent speeds all over my house. For example, it’s gone from about 10 to 200 in by bedroom (I have a 550 meg connection)

[braby]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

Buy a wireless mesh network instead, well worth it. The google one is good but for a budget option the Tenda MW6 (make sure it’s that version and not the MW5) is excellent. Just plug it in and go.

Buy the Tenda one here, go for the MW6 3 pack at £150

amazon/Tenda-Nova-...2 C151&sr=8-4


The google one is here, again go for the three pack, it’s better but twice the price

store.google/config/google_wifi

The best may be Netgear Orbi, the top spec one, but that’s even more.

I have the Tenda MW6 and I get pretty decent speeds all over my house. For example, it’s gone from about 10 to 200 in by bedroom (I have a 550 meg connection)

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Sorry to jump in on this but, do you only need the one LAN input to run three of these? Or does each node need a hard wired input?

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by braby

Sorry to jump in on this but, do you only need the one LAN input to run three of these? Or does each node need a hard wired input?

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Just one in the back of the router. On the Tenda (and Google works same way) plug any one of the three in. Then just switch the rest on, and position them around the house. Then just open the app and they all connect up.
Each satellite box also has 2 Lans so for example, I have my Sonos and Hue plugged into one under the bed upstairs, and my iMac plugged into one in my office, which is a great additional feature if you ever want to hard wire a device into one. At the back of the house , my iMac plugged into one of the satellite units can download at 350. The satellite unit is connected to the one plugged into the router via its dedicated WiFi channel which you don’t see.

[plutofan1]

Similar issue
What’s the view on the BT WiFi extender
They charge £7 a month
Give you a new home hub and additional discs if needed

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by plutofan1

Similar issue
What’s the view on the BT WiFi extender
They charge £7 a month
Give you a new home hub and additional discs if needed

See more...

This is a mesh network. It is pretty good, albeit there were complaints when they messed it up on a software update. Unsure if they sorted that. See reviews online. But in 2 years you could have bought one.

[blusteryday]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

This is a mesh network. It is pretty good, albeit there were complaints when they messed it up on a software update. Unsure if they sorted that. See reviews online. But in 2 years you could have bought one.

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Mesh networks are a different technology to simple WiFi extenders. They have the capability of providing a much stronger and more stable network, but are more expensive.

[plutofan1]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

This is a mesh network. It is pretty good, albeit there were complaints when they messed it up on a software update. Unsure if they sorted that. See reviews online. But in 2 years you could have bought one.

See more...

Thank you
All new to this
So will re read the other advice above
I would rather buy than be tied into Bt than any longer than I need to

We used to have 2 lots of broadband coming into the house ( one was business ) have since cancelled that one and DD who is now home from uni is complaining how bad her WiFi is - seems she used to connect to the one we have cancelled and it seems very weak upstairs in her room - probs furthest point from router 🙄.
So advice as to what to buy Is greatly appreciated