By: Cristina | Last updated February 15, 2019 
We’ve all experienced a drop in our WiFi signal at least once in our life and it is not the most pleasant thing in the world, especially when it happens at the wrong time, like when you are watching your favorite show, or you are in the middle of a game, for instance.
It is an issue that can be dealt with in multiple ways, but purchasing a WiFi range extender is one of the most affordable solutions. A WiFi extender is considerably cheaper than a router and it is pretty effective in doing its job. What wifi extenders do is they basically rebroadcast your WiFi signal in the areas of the house that are blind spots, or with a weak signal, because they are too far from your router. This way your signal is boosted or extended to places that are not near your router.
Before you buy a WiFi extender for your household, you should first take some aspects into consideration.
Check the type of router you already have. If the router itself is low performance or outdated, it is useless to go any further until you solve this issue first. Maybe you won’t even need an extender and your router is the problem. You should aim for a router that supports 802.11ac, which is pretty standard nowadays and offers double the speed of routers with only 802.11n support. Moreover, it is useless to spend your money on a modern extender if your router is outdated and not compatible with it. It is also useless to buy an extender faster than what your router can support.
Calculate how much usage you need. You might not necessarily benefit from an extender if your Internet can’t support the load. If there are too many connected devices in your home and they all drain the juice out of your Internet, that might be your problem right there and an extender won’t solve your issue. Make sure that is not the case before you invest your money in such a device.
Consider going ‘wired’. If you know that’s possible, try to choose a wired setup. Your speed will be significantly higher and you will also free up bandwidth for other devices.
Don’t forget about the single band or dual band aspect. Single band routers cover the 2.4 GHz band which has a longer range but a lower speed. Dual bands routers work on the 5GHz band, which ensures a higher speed. You should match your extender with your router, band-wise, but be aware of the fact that dual band extenders will cost you more.
What kind of features does the extender include. When choosing your WiFi extender, you should also consider the features of the extender. One thing to look for are Ethernet ports, which let you connect other devices to it. It is best to go with the ones that have GE Ports and not FE ports, because the first ones provide higher speed of up to 1 GBPS. Other features that might interest you are an audio jack, USB ports (that let you connect printers, external drives and so on) and external antennas which ensure a better coverage.
