If you have been noticing frequent drops from your network while walking throughout your home or you simply have dead spots in your home that you seemingly can’t get your router to reach, you might be interested in a wireless extender. A wireless extender is certainly one of the solutions that you can use to minimize your problem.
However, it is also important to note, these extenders are not necessarily the best route to take. There are many other better solutions to opt for that will not degrade your network speeds and that will provide better overall performance. Below, we will be going over some of the pros and cons of wireless extenders.
Pros:
1. Extended Wireless Range And Coverage
The main pro that you are going to get from integrating a wireless extender into your home would be the ability to extend the range of your wireless network throughout your home. It will simply act as a repeater and boost the signal of your network.
2. Convenience and price.
Another good thing about wireless repeaters or extenders is the fact they are extremely easy to setup and require no extra wires or hassle. Because they are generally plug-and-play, you do not have to worry about connecting them directly to your router which can cause a headache to those that have nowhere to route extra cables.
3. You can use your old router
If you are someone that has old routers laying around your home, you can make use of them and turn them into repeaters for your home. This will allow you to repeat the signal to areas in your home where you might not have a great wireless signal. Therefore, you will be able to make use of older hardware that you were likely not using anyways. Thus, it can save you money by avoiding having to purchase new equipment.
4. Dedicated Devices That Are Cheaper
Another good thing about repeaters and extenders is that they are generally going to be much cheaper than investing in an entirely new setup to fix your problems. There are dedicated wireless extenders on the market that you will be able to find a great price. Therefore, you should be able to invest in one of these dedicated devices and not have to worry about spending hundreds of dollars reconfiguring your setup to be completely different. You will simply be adding a new device to your existing WiFi network which is going to be much less of a hassle for a lot of people.
Cons:
1. Double NATing.
The main disadvantage that comes with using two different routers in your network is the issue that can present itself known as double NATing. This problem can cause a lot of problems with your network including ruining functions of various devices in your home. For instance, you might have trouble connecting with servers and you might experience other issues.
2. Weaker Signal.
While the extender will work to extend the signal around your home, it will not fix the problem of having a weak signal, to begin with. Because the repeater is going to pass through the signal, it will degrade the quality even more. Thus, your network quality will get worse.
3. Lower Speed.
As noted above, you are going to end up downgrading the speed that you are able to get from your WiFi network because the signal will be degraded as it passes through your repeater. It essentially cuts the speed in half.
Overall, there are a lot of things to think about when it comes to solving the problem of a poor network or WiFi in your home. The truth is, a wireless repeater or extender is not the best solution in most instances and should be seen as a last resort. There are plenty of other ways to improve the quality of the network in your homes such as mesh networks, access points, and powerline adapters.
Depending on what you need out of your setup, there are different ways to approach your issues. For instance, a wireless repeater might be a good idea for those that are simply looking to fix a single dead spot in their home. However, if you have widespread wireless issues, you are likely going to need to invest in a completely different solution such as mesh wireless systems that can blanket your whole house in wireless. For the best mesh wireless systems, you can visit Zilla Best and make an informed choice.
