After you have tried all the above-mentioned solutions but in vain, you can try to upgrade the Tenda device’s firmware if any bugs exist. In theory you could hook up a chain of WiFi repeaters to be able to extend your signal to the ends of the Earth. In practice if you use more than one, you’ll probably lose so much signal between the two that the exercise would be pointless. The tagline TP Link are using for the Deco mesh system is ‘paint your home in Wi-Fi’, which is a pretty fair assessment of the technology. Want to paint an extra room in WiFi? Buy another node. Wish you hadn’t painted the kid’s room in WiFi? Take the node away. If you mean boosting the range of your WiFi signal then you can do so with a mesh network, WiFi repeater, or powerline adapter, as described above.

There’s no denying that you’ll get higher speeds and a more expansive feature set from Netgear’s Orbi RBKE963 system but that’s a phenomenally expensive mesh. The Deco XE75 provides a satisfying high-end experience for a much more sensible price. The system’s strength lies in its ease of use – everything is managed via the excellent TP-Link Tether app – and its unusually broad selection of features. Not only do you get decent Wi-Fi coverage with the Deco X20 but it also comes with baked-in parental controls and antivirus protection for the whole of your network. What really sets the Tenda Nova MW6 apart is its low price. True, the BT Whole Home kit costs a similar amount, but it only functions as an extender, whereas the MW6 is a fully standalone system. That makes it a terrifically cost-effective option if you’re looking to replace an underperforming router and extend your Wi-Fi coverage at the same time. With home working from becoming the norm, there’s more need than ever for a reliable laptop, as well as a separate keyboard, wireless mouse and printer to complete the ‘home office’ setup. Add in your gaming setup (or your children’s) and an excellent internet connection is essential. Physical connectivity is a tad limited. Each node has only a pair of network ports, there’s no USB sharing, or even a WPS button. For the price, though, the TP-Link Deco X20 is a great system with plenty of features and fast enough speeds for daily life.

The best Wi-Fi extenders you can buy in 2023

Powerline systems are often more expensive than repeaters but they’re a fuss-free way to extend a network connection into places that are otherwise hard to reach and can be simpler to set up. Might I be better off with a mesh Wi-Fi system? Whole Home WiFi sits between Google and TP Link in terms of functionality. It can do everything that its competitors can do, minus Google’s home control elements. Considering it is the cheapest of the three, you may not miss any of that. Note: Before proceeding with the solutions in this article, ensure that your Internet connection is active by plugging the Internet cable, which may come from your modem, directly into your computer. SSID: Short for ‘set service identifier’, it’s the name of the network you’re connected to. For example, that might be “_The Cloud” or “BTHomeHubX98281” or “VM217321”. Some ISP’s allow you to change the SSID, some don’t. Either way, once you’re connected it doesn’t really matter. The only thing to consider is that if you get a WiFi repeater or a Powerline Adapter, they sometimes have a different SSID to your main one.

Other things we liked about the system include the fact that there are four Gigabit Ethernet ports on each unit and that these are located on the rear rather than on the base of the units, making them easier to access. There are basic parental controls here, too, however we didn’t like the way the web interface was laid out. The bigger brother of the lovable RE505X is another compact, plug-in Wi-Fi 6 extender, but with the speeds boosted to meet the AX3000 spec. Similar to its cheaper sibling, this model is easy to set up and configure using TP-Link’s Tether app, and it supports OneMesh technology for seamless roaming around the house. If you have a compatible TP-Link router, it can even set up the RE700X while in this mode.The primary unit it working normally. On secondary units, this indicates a good connection to the primary unit. Solid yellow On the face of it, it’s business as usual. Setup is no different to the other mesh networks I’ve already described and the app is easy to use and offers you a lot of control over your WiFi. The Deco X20 is a dual-band system supporting 2×2 MIMO, which helps to keep the costs down, but since WiFi 6 is designed to share bandwidth more efficiently across multiple connections, this shouldn’t be a huge problem. The downside of these speeds is that they involve a design that looks more like a small router with a separate power supply. However, this gives you more flexibility than a plug-in unit, helping you to get a better signal, while you can also use this repeater as a Wi-Fi access point. And, just like the Repeater 3000, it’s as simple as anything to set up. The WiFi 6 Repeater 5400 will be overkill for many people, but if you must get a high-speed connection to a distant corner of the house, nothing else out there comes close. Why we like it: A gorgeous design and vast functionality mean that Nest WiFi – Google’s offering – would be the best of the best, were it not for the vertiginous cost

Wi-Fi mesh systems are ideal for users with little or no technical knowledge. They can be installed in minutes and typically come with a user-friendly mobile app that walks you through the installation process with easy-to-follow illustrated instructions. And their prices are coming down, too. I also noticed that the connection between the nodes very occasionally flagged when I was walking from one part of the house to another. It only took a second to connect from one node to the next, but it wasn’t something I noted with any of the other devices. The only one you could theoretically keep extending is a mesh network. You could conceivably just keep adding nodes to cover as much area as you liked with no slowdown or loss of signal. A glossary of terms Moreover, nearly all manufacturers offer web-based setup wizards and illustrated instructions that will help you configure basic wireless settings. Some (but not all) extenders are equipped with LED status indicators that tell you if the extender is too far from the router. Extenders can also offer advanced router-like features such as guest networking, access scheduling, and media server capabilities.

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