How Do Wi-Fi Range Extenders Really Work? 

Finally! Someone who explains this stuff in a way that's understandable. Thanks dude!

I vote for the additional videos on powerline and Ethernet wired backhaul.

You just saved me money... I had a wrong idea of how it works. Almost bought one until I watched this video

Tech has improved! Years ago I bought an extender, and while it increased the range, with each one daisy chained (wirelessly), data throughput was essentially halved. So at the house, great data speed, garage slower, equipment room even slower, pool area sllooowwweeerrr, barn… hopelessly slow.

Yeah, I purchased a Wi-Fi extender, tested it out in various places around my house, and ended up returning it. You really do have to test the locations before and after to see if it’s really giving the benefit your looking for.

Thanks Gary - Just bought a MESH WiFi system from Huawei and it solves all these "old" wifi issues. Mesh is super fast and best of all all the Android phones of my family automatically fails to the strongest signal keeping the Internet speed high over the fibre line. Used 5 WiFi Apps to do testing in and around my house to make sure MESH works and it does !!!

I would like to see presentations of the mesh network and powerline adapters. Love your videos, great work, thanks.

Awesome explanation! Looking forward to learning more about mesh networking soon too

Thanks Gary! This was so helpful. I really appreciate your ability to put things in regular people speak. So so so helpful.

That was very enlightening. Didn't realise how much they'd affect an existing WiFi. I do use a separate Access Point, extended using powerline adapter and also different channel to main system.

I find placing the extender 1/2 way between the router where you still get a good signal(usually in the hallway), and where you want to connect say your back porch, to work the best for me, I did not fell like drilling holes in my floors, or running cables in my walls, so in my house I have 2 WiFi Network extenders. one for the front edges of my house, and one for the back edges.

I didn't realize that extenders recalculated the data, I thought that it was just a passive repeater

When I have nothing to watch, your videos are always the ones I go to, awesome content as always Gary!

would love a video on power-line communication

yes, a video on MAC addresses please~

im glad this video exists. but why is this kind of video appearing in 2021 - needed this in 2010

I was about to buy a wifi extender and after watching your video I change my mind. Thanks for the info!

Really love the explanations using the house diagram! Really made things clear and informed my purchase decision. Kudos to you, Gary. Now, I'm wondering on two things: 1. What's the bandwidth percentage in the upper right room if the range extender is in the hallway? 2. What are better alternatives to range extenders? You'd think with all the advanced mobile tech we have now that WiFi tech is able to bypass walls and obstructions, but that doesn't seem to be the case...

Definitely spot on. Best explanation I've ever heard on the subject. I currently run four access points hardwired back to a gig switch/router. 3300 square feet 2 story the switch is the DHCP server. That was the only way I could get everything talking to each other. Access points 2 upstairs 2 downstairs none in the same corner and manually set channels I turn the power down to about 50% on all of them so it makes it switch from one to the other. Cat6 cable not the prettiest install but it's effective, expensive, and bottlenecked at the switch. It's like running a USB 3.0 device on a 2.0 port. But I can stream video to multiple devices with no problem except for the bottleneck. I really don't have a use for anything faster than 300Mb. Now for the question. How come four devices run a speed test at the same time and all four get 250MB download but, one device by itself will only do maybe 260 MB? I'm not complaining cuz I don't pay for gigabit speed but how is it getting it is my question?

I have 2 specific uses for my Wi-fi extender, but turn it off when I’m not using it to avoid interference and save power. Since I’ve done this my router and Wi-fi in general have been better behaved. 1) When I’m in the garden and need more range when I want Wi-fi on my phone. 2) I keep my router on a 5GHz only band to make its life easier and use less power (it stays cooler in the summer as an added bonus). I sometimes need to use a 2.4Ghz network for a) an ancient laptop and b) a wireless 2.4Ghz-only printer (annoyingly many cheap printers are still sold as 2.4GHz-only and will not work on 5GHz). The Wi-fi extender will broadcast at both frequencies, 2.4 and 5GHz and solves that problem very easily and cheaply.

crystal clear explanation! Thanks @Gary 😀😀😀😀

Thanks, Great information. I tried using an Extender and it seemed to be unreliable. I discovered that my Home Access Gateway supported MoCA so I installed a MoCa extender onto my Cable TV system and it has been Rock Solid at getting Wireless Anywhere in the house. Cheers.

Thank you Gary! That was one of the most informative, and useful narratives on WiFi range extenders that I have come across in the last one year.

thank you for explaining this in such detail. You just saved me time and money on trying out probably several extenders.

Excellent technical video explains all practical issues

Thanks garry, I wish I'd seen your video before I listened to Yorkshire Darren a few months ago, I bought a so called wifi extender/repeater, and to be honest, I think I'd have got better results useing a coat hanger.

Thanks for this, you’ve just saved me time and money. I was going to get one for my bedroom upstairs because I get a low signal there but as you’ve explained a booster in that room will not help.

I find Net Extenders to play a very niche role and are very hard to recommend in those instances. Sometimes they help with stationary devices that have poor internal antennas like TVs or your example of little to no signal in a certain area of the house/property. Even then I tell people to only connect one or two devices at a time.

Hello, Gary. You are a wealth of information. Thank you for explaining how an Extender works. From your explanation, Extenders inside the house are pointless but it's only helpful if you want to connect with the WiFi outside. Is that correct? Therefore, is Mesh a better option to push the wifi to other parts of the house where there are deadzones?

This was an excellent presentation. Thank you it helped me!!!

i like using multiple APs in the way that Ubiquity does with the UniFi system so each AP is linked to a central router, so wherever you go you are connected to the same network, the radios are the only thing that changes, but i know some people are unable to run ethernet cables everywhere due to leasing agreements, or maybe the way the house is configured, i've tried wifi extenders in the past, and always ended up just getting the alarm installation bit out, the low voltage tools, and a box of ethernet cable and running a wire to an additional AP configured with the same config as the primary and setup in the firmware as a wireless extension in AP mode Only via WDS, so as you said, WiFi Extenders do have their place, but they aren't the end-all be-all that most try to make them out to be, great video mate, and loads of good information

What I learned quickly: Buy the same router I already have and use that as a repeater. As long as the second router isn't placed on the edge of wifi coverage, broadcasting a weak signal as a "strong" signal, speeds don't suffer as much as people think.

Marvelous. Clearly explained.

Very good and detailed explanation, thank you so much!

Exceptional stuff Gary! Thanks :)

Tell us more about the mesh network! Great video!

Great explanations! Please complete a performance testing with WIFI extender via Ethernet connectivity

Really clear and useful explanation. Thanks.

they are good at reducing your wifi bandwidth by 60-75% (unless fed by network cable and just operating in AP mode)

Thanks Gary, for this excellent explanation on Wi-Fi extenders. It's the best explained that I have come across.

Soooo useful! This could be a great "how to effectively distribute your internet bandwidth around your home" type playlist for people getting better broadband or with constant wifi problems (most people lol)

Not bad, but one important case you should have included: put the extender roughly ½ way between the router and the intended room, not necessarily in each room.

I would like a video on Etherley connected Wi-Fi extenders

So if I’m getting this straight you have your modem from your internet provider then you have a router the wifi extender connects wirelessly to your router thats connected to your modem. You stick the the extender in an area that has bad wifi coverage. The extender creates its own wifi access. You then log into that access point. So the internet is going from the modem to the router to the extender to your devices.

Thanks for the clear tutorial on Wifi Extender. To your last example while you are in the garden you can still receive 16% Mbps. What happens when I place the Extender in the Router Room itself? What %?

That was an excellent explanation of a confusing subject - one that’s far too confusing for most of us to get our heads around. But I’m left wondering what’s the point of a wifi extender in the first place?

Do a video on all of them. I like hearing your teaching pedagogy

Great explanation for beginners! One small nitpick though. While access points usually do have the power to send at 100mW or even 500mW on 5 GHz channels you should never use these high levels because your poor smartphone usually only sends 20 to 25mW back to the access point and you don't want constant failed transmits from the smartphone crippling the experience. Better to also leave the access point at max 25 mW (14 dBm) so you truly get an idea how many access points you actually need. The only reason you would have a single radio on an access point at full power is when you are only using that radio for a mesh link towards another access point. But again, great simplified explanation!

I use a air of powerline units to extend into the garage, then WiFi AP in bridge mode to the original router. Works ok for the garage.

Used wifi extenders and they always work poorly. You had to be right beside it and all you get is 10-20 mbps for a router with wifi capability of 800 mbps even if the extender is probably 10-15 feet from the router. I installed 3 tp link deco m9 wifi mesh and added 3 used but compatible tp link m3w wifi mesh extender I bought on ebay for $10 each and never looked back...running nothing lower than 300mbps and have a max of 600mbps, though it mostly stays in the 400-500mbps average. I did have to reset and change some specs in my router once the main deco and satellite decos are up and running to fully get a fast wifi.

Now I understand why the range extender I got for my parents' home didn't double the range of their WiFi. Truth in advertising Amazon? 😂

You must disable DHCP settings on your extender if you are going to keep the same SSID as the main network and use as a wireless repeater to another wireless router.

Right at the beginning you say that by relaying data through a single-radio extender, you lose at least 50 percent of your throughput compared to connecting directly at close range to the wired access point. Then in the rest of your figures that 50 percent factor disappears without explanation. Can Gary Explain? This is overall pretty clear, but a little light in its coverage of the situation where an extender does make sense: If there is a location where you need, but can't quite get, a Wi-Fi signal, and you can put the extender approximately halfway between that location and the existing Wi-Fi AP, a good extender is likely to get a reliable (but not full-speed) connection to where you need it.

Wow , nice explanation ! Question , I use a firestick and that tells me the Wi-Fi connectivity in terms of fair , good , very good etc , also my Wi-Fi is called whole home coverage , so there are 2 Wi-Fi routers strategically placed in 2 different places in my house , also it has 2.4 and 5 ghz , and I have a rock space extender with 2 antennas on it , and I thought I was occasionally losing signal on my firestick in one bedroom , so I tried the rock space in there , both the original Wi-Fi and the extender show very good / very good on my firestick , I realize that this is not the best way to test , but after seeing this video , I don’t think my extender is helping my situation at all ? Can anybody help me out with this , thank you

If your extender and wifi router supports both 2.4ghz and 5ghz, and you want range, often you are better bridging with 5 ghz, and using 2.4ghz to give you the additional range, rather than bridging with 2.4ghz. 5 ghz between gives you a bigger pipe in between to support more devices, and 2.4ghz connected devices give you more range and ability to pass thru obstacles; even more true if you have 2.4ghz only devices that are on the perimeters.. With an extender: why bridge with 5ghz ; simply - the desire for range that 2.4 gives you on the outer edges. Why bridge with 2.4ghz; you have lots of devices in the same general area that support 5ghz (because 5ghz is better with that sort of interference ), but are less concerned with range. As far as placement, I'd start by splitting the dwelling into 4, roughly diagonally. At the 1/4 mark and 3/4 mark, roughly, place your extender and router to optimize range and bandwidth.. It's not an absolute, just a good starting point.. Height also matters in the equation; try to keep the router and extender at or above head height, and higher than most or out of the path of large obstacles, like brick, steel doors, filled bookshelves, TV's,and other electronic items - assuming a one floor layout.. If you have wooden studs, and the antennas can "span" the stud, center your device on the stud.. it's less interference for the antennas.. This is NOT an absolute; move your equipment around where you can visualize your path between the components, and try to get close to your target.. It's not rocket science; it's not about whipping out a tape measure either. Often times, moving the router 5 to 10 feet one way or another helps solve a dead spot immensely. So, no absolutes.. Often, however, you can avoid the extender by upgrading to a better wifi router, and placing the router as close to the center as possible.Not always possible to hit 1/2, but try to get as close as possible, with emphasis on the most used portions of the home.. If your router is over 2 or 3 years old, consider upgrading.. If your equipment does not support both bands, well, honestly, it's time to upgrade your equipment. If you doubled the amount of gear on your network since it was bought, it might be also time to look at upgrading.. Don't skimp by getting the cheapest router either; consider what you pay for a years worth of service and consider heavily towards something in the range of what it costs for 3 to 4 months worth of service. Research is your friend and will save you time, money and frustration in the end. For an extender, I'd go with about 1/3rd the price of the router as a starting point. I've been using extenders for years; many extenders can also be used as a desktop switch to put a non-wireless desktop onto a wireless network, while also serving as an extender. The latest wifi router I purchased allowed me to eliminate the extender, but I'll still find use for it. It's a number of years old, but is still sold new today.. The tp-link router rocks however.

Thank you for an honest discussion

The better option would be to hardwire your place with Cat5e or 6. Switch your extenderé to access point mode and plug it in the hardwire. Do a quick set up with your wifi device to give it a name and a password. After that, it will access the router with no back n forth from the wifi and you get the full speed of the modem. That’s if you means to do so

Thanks for video, got a 3 pack mesh and wifi so better, thanks again

thank you sir, this was very informative.

Runing secondary AP on classic cable is always a better choice ;-)

Very useful explanation. Thanks.

Amazing explainetion ❤❤❤

You explained the shxt out of this😂💯💯💯💯💯

One would recommend when setting up and AP extender to do DHCP pass threw so devices like a printer can be seen on the network Always places the extender 1/2 way between where you want the signal and the main AP. But now days a Mesh AP a set of 3 mess APs can be gotten for $150.00

This is very informative...and discouraging. I thought the extender would have a more sensitive receiver so it could still achieve a higher data rate.

I tried an extender but it wasn't working well. I changed to a mesh network and it works like a charm.

You are a very good explainer!!!

Yes, a video about Mac address please.

You can connect an ethernet cable to a Wi-Fi extender if you want a hard-wired connection. This will help to get a stable internet connection where Wi-Fi signal tends to go weak. The speed of the connection depends on your purchased plan and capacity of the extender

This was REALLY interesting!! Counter intuitive results REALLY well explained. The model/diagram of the house def helped the explanation.

In my location, I have a router in front of a window. An access point in another building (about 125 paces away) an a hard wire to a router on the other side of that building. I now have internet out there. Iys good enough to watch RU-vid, without buffering. And. I dont use phone data. Cheers

Which one do you recommend

Once again, great video, I now think in understand more about how the WiFi extender works. I do have another question. How does the extender handle connecting multiple devices back to the router? Does it create a connection for each device as well as a separate MAC address? I do see some weird device names in my router device list Ex: "17261ec2-7292-f269-5ee7-78ce56f1zzzz" (note:zzzz is so I obscure the real name - it looks like that may be a MAC address). Are these weird device names, devices that are being relayed by the extender?

Thanks mate👍🏻

Please do a video on range extenders with LAN connections

Excellent. Yes on mac

Great video!! Very informational, Thanks 😁

Very good and detailed explanation. What should i use to get better wifi sygnal in the basement. Router is upstairs and i have ethernet cable in the basement that runs from the upstairs router.

can't connect a extender to a extender to router, is that what mesh is help

Hi Gary, if you do end up doing a video on mesh, could you explain the difference between a mesh vs extender, specifically how the mesh can get original speeds vs the extender which usually halves the speed. Is it just to do with the number of antenna? And also, why are mesh more expensive? I get that mesh gets you more speed but why don't they just make extenders the way they make mesh so that we don't get this speed difference. I have quite limited understanding haha.

great video. i went for a mesh setup with fritzbox routers as my internet router is also fritzbox. i wired the extra routers, as running that wireless did almost destroy the network. i now have a router on every floor, as the concrete floors almost completely take out the wifi signals. now it all seems to work fine, but i would be interested to find out how te improve on it even more. mainly i worry about the best possible placement of the accespointrouters. i still want to add an extra accespoint to create garden wifi access. i'm thinking of putting that on a windowsill at the backend of the house. but now i worry of that interfering with the accesspoint closest to it. i use wired setups however and the mesh usually runs at 5 ghz, so i would probably run the gardenwifi at 2.4, hoping that would in turn not interfere too much with the zigbee home automation devices in my house, also running at 2.4. this stuff gets hard. i would love videos on that. maybe my situation is a good example or indication of the type of things to consider. greetings from the Netherlands

So much smarter!! Thank you

I'd love a video on MOCA and it's advantages, And disadvantages, over power line. When I moved in, the wifi is terrible in my room. My roommates gave me a power line adapter. Horrid performance. I went out and got a Mocha adapter and it's just shy of the performance I'd get over Ethernet. Pair that with a wifi access point, and I've got amazing connectivity in my room.

That was a great explanation, thanks.

I always learn from his channel. Good explanation not to buy extender then

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation of a wi-if repeater. I, however, have a query as to whether or not having such an extender would lessen the security of your original relatively private system. I have read recently that having such a device would greatly diminish the security of one’s data. In advance, thank you. very much…….Joe

It's all interesting Gary 👍🏻

Please do a video on how MESH differs from repeaters

Powerline is brilliant, unless your home has electrical "problems". Ours failed when the electric heating panels came on, even with the new one I bought!

Your problem makes sense. You didn't place the extender properly. You expect good signal from the extender. You must give the extender good signal in the first place. Therefore, you must place the extender AS FAR AWAY FROM THE ORIGINAL ROUTER AS POSSIBLE WHILE HAVING THE BEST POSSIBLE CONNECTION. What you did was put the extender in an area with poor coverage. That's where your devices will connect to the repeater FROM. What was the repeater going to work with in that area if there's poor coverage to begin with? The repeater needs good Wi-Fi coverage to begin with, so put the repeater in a spot the original router covers very well (hallway, for instance) and then test again from the room you were having issues in. 12:35 would've worked properly ONLY if the connection between your RE and the router was by cable.

I never actually encountered a decently working wifi extender. You'd be better off getting a secondary WAP and connecting it with a networking cable.

I have a solar cctv and would like to know if these boosters will boost the phone signal to pick up the cctv signal better?

Nice video - informative and well explained. It would be nice to have a video on wire connection to the range extender.

Hey Gary. Does changing the position of antenna in a router strengthen or weaken the wifi signal? Have searched a lot about it, everybody saying different things. Really confused. Need your help professor! 🙏

I connect a TP-Link WiFi-6 Extender to my T-Mobile OnePlus 6T. The Extender has a single Ethernet out connected to an 8-port hub. My phone is my internet, in my very small home, connecting all my tech. It works. Eventually I'll upgrade to a 5G device (X65).

GREAT EXPLANATION 👍 THANKS

I have a WiFi security camera I have a WiFi extender because of the distance involved I can connect with my base router with the extender. I can connect the Camera with the WiFi extender. In the home I have a security camera recording DVR connected to the base WiFi. However I am unable to have the signal from the camera pass through the WiFi extender and or the WiFi Base to the DVR. When accessing the Base WiFi connections, the Extender is listed correctly. Any idea what is going wrong?

Show us step by step!

I like setting up these extenders in client mode. That doesn't create a new SSID, but gives connectivity via the ethernet port. They usually work better than a WIFI USB dongle. It's running openwrt, btw.

Thanks ❤️