Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.

It’s difficult thinking back now to a time when we didn’t have the internet. It’s become an integral part of our lives, and we’re all connected. Whether it’s the cellular connections on our mobile devices when we’re out of the home to coming back and enjoying the home WiFi, if there’s one thing we like, it’s fast internet.

No doubt you’ve had the experience when you’re out and about where you just need to get onto the WiFi so you can look something up or send someone a WhatsApp because your phone doesn’t have the data. Or maybe you just want to watch movies at home from your room in the attic and not have to worry about any buffering.

Mesh WiFi Systems

For the past few years, I have been a proponent of mesh WiFi systems, and I think anyone that lives in a house will greatly benefit from investing in one of these.

However, in a time where costs are rising uncontrollably, investing in a mesh system may not be affordable.

That’s where the mighty WiFi extender comes in, a handy tool that should be in every home.

What does a WiFi extender do?

Exactly as the name suggests, a WiFi extender can increase the WiFi range in your house. It will eliminate any dead zones you have – you know, the ones in your house that just can’t pick up the signal.

With an extender installed, you’ll be able to enjoy WiFi wherever you are in the home. They’re easy to set up and work with regular routers. In most cases, it’s just plug in and follow some basic set up settings then go, so you can enjoy a wider WiFi range from the offset. Even better, they don’t cost an arm and a leg either.

How does a WiFi extender work?

The clue is in the name. The extender will sit somewhere between where there is already relatively good WiFi and where you want to extend it.

It will connect to your router’s WiFi and then act as a middle man, repeating or extending the signal to parts of your home that don’t have WiFi.

Why is mesh better?

Mesh is a newer technology. I won’t get too technical in this article, but a mesh system will act as your router and extender, and the two or more units are designed so they can talk to each other natively.

The big advantage here is that as you move around, you’re the mesh system knows which device you are closest to and will allow you to roam around freely. With an extender, because they don’t really talk properly to each other, you either have to use a different WiFi name or risk intermittent connectivity issues as the device you are using gets a bit confused about what to connect to.

Mesh systems, in particular tri-band mesh systems, will have significantly better performance than a WiFi extender. With a triband system, it doesn’t just pick up the signal and repeat it. There is a dedicated wireless radio that connects the devices.

Browsing should be easy

When you’re at home and just browsing the internet, it’s easy to go down the rabbit hole. Opening up tab after tab of Wikipedia articles that you eventually sift through. Or perhaps you’re just using the internet to do some research, homework, work, or want to read books on your Kindle or comics or see the latest news.

There’s so much to do when it comes to browsing the internet, and the last thing you want is to have a bad experience when you’re looking up the latest memes. With the WiFi extender, you’ll be able to enjoy the same fast broadband you’re used to, so you can open up as many tabs as you like and browse to your heart’s content.

Gaming without interruption

These days, many games are played online as multiplayer – these have blown up massively recently. While a strong internet connection is important when you just need it to download things or update a game, it’s imperitive when you need a strong signal all the time to play online.

Imagine if you were playing at a live dealer casino. It’s streamed live to your screen, you’re playing with real money, and you don’t want to miss out on what the studio live dealers are saying to you, so you need fast and reliable internet. Or how about you’re in the middle of a Fortnite or Call of Duty game, and just before you get that winning shot, the internet cuts out. Nope. You don’t want that.

So, with a WiFi extender, you can enjoy a stronger broadband connection to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

Minimise work disruption

Over the last few years, working from home has become a big thing, and it looks to stay that way. But with it, there are its own challenges. For instance, team meetings taking place online mean you want a constant speed, a reliable one that won’t have you saying, “sorry, the internet’s playing up”.

Then let’s not forget about the interruptions you can face when working from home. Your significant other walks in on a call. Your child runs into the office screaming while you’re on an important Zoom meeting. So, how do you avoid all that? You need to set up camp somewhere in the house where you can enjoy peace and quiet.

The trouble is, the usual WiFi doesn’t reach there. Obviously, this is where the WiFi extender comes in handy, letting you work from all the way in the attic or a self-made office in the shed in the garden. Not only will you be able to work uninterrupted, but you can also enjoy a quieter office location.

If you’ve got lots of people using the internet at home, it’s good to spread the load. And stop everyone from sitting in the same room and staring at their phones. Instead, everyone can be antisocial from different rooms in the house and still enjoy great broadband. Maybe that’s reason enough to get a WiFi extender.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *