Wi-Fi repeaters sound like a simple solution to the frustrating problem of wireless dead zones. Plug a new networking point into the wall to provide coverage to an area that doesn’t have it, and you’re all set, right?
While they can be useful in some circumstances, Wi-Fi repeaters often end up causing more trouble than they solve. You might not realize all the problems with them; if you have any other option to improve your network, it will serve you better.
Wi-Fi repeaters and Wi-Fi extenders are generally used interchangeably, which I’ve done here. While extenders can sometimes refer to units with better features, like an Ethernet port, I don’t notice any consistent differences in product listings.
They don’t use all available bandwidth
You can’t talk and listen at the same time
Image by Jayric Maning –no attributions required
When you connect to a wireless extender, you likely don’t enjoy the same speed as when connected directly to your Wi-Fi network. This is because many repeaters only support a single band, which must be used for communication in both directions.
To illustrate, imagine Alejandro (who speaks Spanish) and Beatrice (who speaks English) talking to each other through an interpreter named Chuck. After Alejandro speaks in Spanish, Chuck repeats what he said in English so Beatrice can understand.
In this situation, Chuck can’t provide the translation while Alejandro is still speaking. He’ll have too much trouble keeping track of the original speech, plus Beatrice won’t be able to hear Chuck clearly while both people are speaking.
Thus, speaking through an interpreter takes twice as long as talking to someone in the same language, since everything has to be repeated. It’s the same scenario with wireless repeaters. Everything your PC sends to your router, and vice versa, has to go through the repeater. But the repeater can’t “listen” to what your PC is saying while it “speaks” the previous message to your router.
When your router talks directly to your PC, there are two streams of traffic. Once you add a repeater, there are now four traffic streams, which effectively halves your bandwidth. The increased overhead also adds latency.
And that’s on top of the fact that using Wi-Fi already results in you getting a slower signal than your ISP provides. Thus, if you pay for 300Mbps, you might only get 100Mbps on Wi-Fi and 50Mbps with your repeater.
Placement is difficult and affects performance
There’s rarely a “Goldilocks” spot
Brady Meyers / MakeUseOfCredit: Brady Meyers / MakeUseOf
Where you put a wireless repeater has a huge effect on your experience with it. Many people run into issues when they put the repeater too far away from the router, because a repeater amplifying a weak signal causes problems.
If you place a repeater where it receives 30% signal strength from the router, the best it can do is amplify that 30% signal. Even if your device shows 100% signal strength to the repeater, the ultimate connection to the router is still weak. Any interference between the repeater and router will be passed on, too.
Meanwhile, putting an extender too close to the router has its own problems. Unless you configure their Wi-Fi channels, you might create interference between the repeater and router. And of course, having the repeater close to the router can negate the whole point of repeaters if the signal doesn’t reach where you need.
Another negative side effect is that a repeater adds yet another Wi-Fi signal, which is a particular issue in crowded areas like apartment buildings.
Switching between networks isn’t seamless
Adding more overhead to what should be simple
When setting up a Wi-Fi extender, you have to choose its network name. The two options for this are to add “_EXT” to the end of your existing network name (creating a separate access point) or give it the same name as your main network.
Both of these have their own issues. Giving the extender its own name means you can choose when your devices connect to it, and it reduces confusion. But when you move closer to your router, you have to manually change to the main network.
In theory, giving your extender the same name as your main network means your devices will choose which one is best. But in practice, this isn’t so smooth. Your devices will choppily switch between router and extender, or get “stuck on” the wrong one even after you’ve moved away from it.
Wi-Fi repeaters can work sometimes…
Wi-Fi repeaters are frustrating and get a lot of flak, but they can work in certain scenarios.
If you need to provide a basic signal to a few rooms to keep devices online (especially ones that don’t move), then a repeater can suffice. Ideally, you should buy a dual-band model that isn’t as subject to the bandwidth-halving issues discussed above. The TP-Link AX1500 is a well-reviewed choice.
But for anything that requires real-time communication (like gaming or video calling), repeaters often introduce lag and are prone to interference. The drop in speed can make using them agonizing.
…but you have other options
Thankfully, there are better options for solving these issues. The best is a mesh Wi-Fi network, which is made up of several nodes that work together to provide coverage across your house. Unlike a router and repeater, mesh network points communicate with each other to make sure your devices connect to the optimal node and share the networking load across your house.
Mesh Wi-Fi can be expensive upfront, but it’s easy to add nodes later if you need to improve coverage in a certain area. If that’s not an option for you, consider connecting an access point (or reuse an old router as an access point) to your existing one using an Ethernet cable. This is superior to an extender, because there’s no signal loss over the cable.
Otherwise, powerline adapters are an option. These run an Ethernet connection over the power lines in your home, which isn’t as good as “real” Ethernet, but is more reliable than Wi-Fi.
Credit: Jonathon Jachura / MUO
Finally, consider upgrading your router. If you have an old or weak model, replacing it with something more modern could improve the signal and remove the need for an extender. If you can’t afford this, see if you can move your router to a more optimal location in your house.
Every experience I’ve had with Wi-Fi repeaters has been a frustrating one. They can work if you need a cheap solution, but be prepared to put up with their quirks. If you can spend more or run a few cables, you’ll come away with a much better solution.
