Here Are The Wi-Fi Range Extenders We Recommend
Here Are The Wi-Fi Range Extenders We Recommend
4:45

Here Are The Wi-Fi Range Extenders We Recommend

Home Internet
Speaker 1: Your wifi signal will get weaker and weaker. The farther away you are from your router. So if your home office is on the other side of your house, or if you're just trying to stream TV in a back bedroom, then you might experience some slowdowns. That's where a wifi range extender. Like this one can really help you plug it in. You pair it with your router and then it re-broadcast that signal further out into your home. So let's take a look at how your top options stack up Speaker 1: In this video. I'm gonna walk you through the range extender [00:00:30] tests that we do right here at the CNET smart home. I'm gonna identify the models that perform the best along with a couple of good value picks. And I'm gonna offer some tips on how to get the most out of extenders. Like these now keep in mind, they aren't a magic bullet. They aren't gonna solve every wifi. Whoa. In some cases you'll be a lot better off just upgrading to a mesh router. But we'll talk about that too. Let's start with the tests. The CNET smart home is a multi-story house of about 5,800 square feet, which is a lot of ground for a single router to cover on its own. Sure enough, when I set [00:01:00] up an entry level, wifi, six router upstairs, I found multiple dead zones down below on the basement level. Speaker 1: That's exactly the sort of thing that range extenders like these are designed to help with, but which one would do the best job to find out? I picked a good spot in the basement for my test extenders adjacent to the dead zones, but not in the dead zones. That's important. Ideally, you want your extender to have a good connection with the routers. So if it's sitting in the dead zone, it's not gonna do it. Stop that well with each extender up and running. I started testing speeds in eight [00:01:30] rooms throughout the house. The first four up here on the main floor where the router is and the last four are downstairs on the basement level. This graph shows you what the speeds look like with just the router. And you can see that things really fall off a cliff down on the basement, but now let's see what happens when we add in our top performing range extender. Speaker 1: There we go, much better. The extender taking the incoming signal from the router, rebroadcasting it out into the basement and eliminating those dead zones altogether. That top performing range extender was this one, [00:02:00] the TP link, R E 6 0 5 X available most major retailers for a hundred dollars or less. The re 6 0 5 X is a cinched to use and it delivered the fastest average download speeds. Plus the fastest average upload speeds of all the extenders that I tested. And if you're using older gear in your home than my wifi, six test laptop, don't worry. It did a great job when I ran the test on a wifi five device as well. And that one, wasn't the only model that performed well. This one, the links, this re 73 10 [00:02:30] finished right behind TP link in those speed tests with average wifi six downloads that were only four megabits per second lower than the re 6 0 5 X and average uploads that were only two megabits per second lower. My only complaints here are that it's a little bit bulky as range extenders go. It doesn't have a ethernet Jack for wired connections and it costs a little bit more than the re 6 0 5 X still, if you catch it on sale, I think this one's a pretty great choice Speaker 1: As for the value picks. I liked this delink Eagle [00:03:00] pro AI range, extender, which shouldn't cost you more than $65 or so it wasn't as fast as TP linker links this and the range wasn't quite as strong, but it was reliable and easy to use. And it comes at a decent discount, especially given that it supports wifi six now by default, most extenders like these are gonna put out a network that's separate from your router's network, maybe the same name, but with ext tacked onto the end, that can get a little annoying. If you're moving about your house and you need to switch from one network to the other to get the best signal. [00:03:30] Fortunately, all of my top picks make it really easy to change the extenders network, name, and password to match your routers. And once you do that, you'll have a single unified network that's automatically connecting you through the best device to give you the best signal. Speaker 1: You should also keep an eye on security as you're setting these things up. For instance, this ASIS model was a really strong performer in my tests, but I don't recommend it because it puts out an unsecured network. By default, if you forget to change that, then any neighbor or stranger could hop onto your network. One [00:04:00] last point, if you're dealing with multiple dead zones and you're living in a big house like this one, then you really want to consider making the upgrade to a mesh router with multiple devices spread throughout your home. A mesh router is basically just a router with its own dedicated range extenders. And in almost all cases, it's gonna be a much more effective option than going with plug-in range, extenders like these still, if all you need is to eek out an extra room's worth of wifi coverage from your router than a simple plug-in range, extender might be all you need for more on range extenders and [00:04:30] on mesh routers, check out the CNET links and the video description down below. And don't forget to leave us alike if you found the video helpful and to subscribe, if you wanna see more, thanks a lot for watching.

Up Next

Digital Heroes: Connecting New Yorkers to Affordable, High-Speed Internet Access
230922-yt-nyc-mesh-v01b

Up Next

Digital Heroes: Connecting New Yorkers to Affordable, High-Speed Internet Access

Find Free Wi-Fi Near You to Stay Connected
220630-yt-how-to-get-free-wifi-on-the-go

Find Free Wi-Fi Near You to Stay Connected

Here Are The Wi-Fi Range Extenders We Recommend
1202287667973762-nfmevjargzjqdurzyjmh-height640.png

Here Are The Wi-Fi Range Extenders We Recommend

Testing out T-Mobile's home internet service
yt-t-mobile-internet-2

Testing out T-Mobile's home internet service

T-Mobile announces $60 Home Internet is available nationwide
capture

T-Mobile announces $60 Home Internet is available nationwide

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
playstation5pro-leak-clean

PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know

Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
nvidiastill

Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference

Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
nvidia-vision-pro-image

Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro

Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
robot-2

Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference

Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
gettyimages-1178244881

Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?

The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
playstation-portal-audio-options-thumb2

The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
adobe-lightroom-00-02-58-03-still006-1

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro

This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
p1022441-mp4-15-35-32-23-still001

This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro