Poor wifi connections in parts of your home or office can be incredibly frustrating.
It can mean slow speeds or “dropping” of your wifi signal to your smart TV during your favourite game, or when you’re about to email a client from your laptop in the kitchen.
The problem is likely to be you’re too far away from your wifi router, and/or metal cabinets and solid walls blocking the signal. Wifi boosters and advanced routers can help by extending the coverage area of your network.
Boosters grab the wifi signal from the router, amplify it and then transmit the boosted signal. You should be able to double the coverage area of your wifi network. One client we know boosted wifi so it could reach a smart TV in the backyard shed.
Wifi “boosters”, “repeaters” and “extenders” work much the same. But what’s the best? As always, money will talk. Pay more, get more.
Some boosters will simply “hop” the signal to one or more boosters, and some will allow you to send your internet signal through the electrical circuit in your home or office.
Basic models start at about $50. Most boosters are simple to install, even for novices (check online reviews to see if anyone has a problem).
Advanced routers (without boosters) have super-fast processors and technology targeting the wifi signal to where it’s being used. So instead of hopping the signal to a booster, the source router has much more grunt, improving speed and performance. For that you’re starting close to $300 and will pay more than $500 for top-of-the-line models.
As always, check online to see what might be best for your circumstances, and to see if reviews show up any potential problems with installation or performance.