How do Wi-Fi Extenders Work?
November 20, 2020 Category: Residential Services
The Internet has become an important staple in our daily lives, with people wanting to have 24/7 access to a connection in order to stay productive and entertained. There are many devices that need to work together to make this connected world a reality.
At Execulink Telecom, we want to keep you updated and informed on innovations in technology, so you have the knowledge to utilize them for your own purposes. Whether it’s trying to stream your favourite show on Crave or trying out a new online game, lack of Wi-Fi in the area of your home, you need it can be frustrating. If you’re struggling to get Wi-Fi to reach every corner of your home and need more coverage, then a Wi-Fi extender combined with an excellent Internet service provider may do the trick! Execulink’s Wi-Fi extenders are called Mesh Wi-Fi Nodes, you can choose to add them along with our Premium Router to create a Complete Wi-Fi set up in your home.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to use a Wi-Fi extender:
What is a Wi-Fi extender?
A Wi-Fi extender is used to extend the area of coverage for your Internet. If your Internet weakens the further your device is from your router, then you may need a WI-FI extender to maintain a strong connection.
Similar to a stereo amplifier, a WI-FI extender can amplify the signal. It can reach the corners of your home or floors of your home that may having a hard time getting the strength of signal you need whether it’s because of walls, obstructions like furniture, or other issues.
When trying your new Wi-Fi extender, experiment by placing it in different spots in your home to determine if that helps improve the signal.
Do Wi-Fi extenders work?
Wi-Fi extenders will work if you find the perfect location to place them in your home to provide Wi-Fi coverage to the dead zone. However, another key part of using a Wi-Fi extender is understanding that the quality of your Internet service provider must be good in order for the extender to work. Without a solid Internet provider, extenders won’t make a big difference.
Many people appreciate Wi-Fi extenders to help them use more of their home or even outdoor space to access the Internet connection.
For instance, if you’re working from home a Wi-Fi extender may provide the opportunity to work outside, whether on the front porch or in the backyard, to make the scenery less monotonous.
What is the difference between Wi-Fi extender, repeater, and booster?
A WI-FI booster is an encompassing term for all of these extender technologies. They take the existing Wi-Fi signal and amplify it on a different broadcast channel. However, a WIFI repeater is slightly different, it takes the signal and amplifies it on the same broadcast channel and does this wirelessly which means there’s the potential for interference.
Since the extender uses a different channel, the signal tends to be stronger. Whereas a repeater – because it uses the same channel – may have slightly slower speeds in comparison.
Where should I place my Wi-Fi extender?
It can be challenging to decide where to place your Wi-Fi extender. The device needs to be close enough to your router to pick up the signal to amplify it, while still being in a spot where it can amplify the signal to the areas of your home that need a stronger signal.
If you want to enjoy your Wi-Fi connection outside, then be sure to place the extender in a room with an outdoor access point and ensure there aren’t many obstructions between your devices.
How many Wi-Fi extenders do you need?
You can use multiple Wi-Fi extenders at the same time. For those who have larger homes or office space, this may make sense. However, it’s important to keep in mind that with each additional extender, the overall connection will deplete slightly, which means you may experience slower speeds due to an overloaded network. Ideally, you should limit the number of extenders to two overall. Also, ensure you don’t connect the extenders to each other, and outline each one with a different name to prevent them connecting to one another. You can connect up to 4 Mesh Wi-Fi Nodes with Execulink’s Premium Router.
What should I look for when buying a Wi-Fi extender?
There are several different types of Wi-Fi extender devices to choose from and therefore installing the device will vary. We recommend choosing our Mesh Wi-Fi nodes and Premium router to provide better Wi-Fi coverage in your home. With the Premium Router you will receive better support from Execulink as we can gain more insight into your connection for troubleshooting. An important thing to consider is that your extender has the latest firmware updates so it’s working optimally.
Choose Execulink
With over a century of experience in the telecommunications industry, Execulink has been serving Ontario proudly since 1904. Our team is extremely knowledgeable about our products and plans and happy to help in any way we can. We offer several unlimited Internet options that are straightforward and easy to understand.
If you want to try a Wi-Fi extender to gain better coverage, consider Execulink’s Mesh Wi-Fi nodes and Premium Router. To explore your Internet service options, contact us at 1-866-706-1942 today.
