How do Wi-Fi extenders work?
It is incredibly frustrating not to have access to the internet wherever you need it.
Why does the internet work well at one end of your house but not the other end?
People have told you that a Wi-Fi extender will help, but will it? How do Wi-Fi extenders work?
In this article, we unpack these questions for you and remove the mystery behind making your internet available in every room.
Definition of Wi-Fi
Communications networking standard which is used to create high-speed wireless local area networks. – adjective
[Source: Macquarie Dictionary. Fourth Edition]
Why do you need a Wi-Fi extender?
Let’s start here: A Wi-Fi extender, Wi-Fi repeater and Wi-Fi booster are – for all intents-and-purposes – the same thing. They are the same rose, but by other names.
But why do you need one – regardless of what it’s called?
Well, because there’s a bunch of things that can get in the way of you having a solid Wi-Fi signal right across your home.
Some of those things include:
- the age of your router (if it’s old tech it might be slowing you down)
- your distance from the router
- the number and type of barriers between you and the router (from walls through to other electrical appliances like fridges)
- where you’ve positioned your router
- how many people and devices are sharing your connection at any one time.
Just about every modern family will have a variety of people all wanting to access the internet at the same time.
They will all be doing different things, on different devices, from different parts of the house.
It’s likely that none of those people will be having the best possible online experience.
In saying that, those sitting closest to the router will have a far better experience than those at the other end of the house or on another floor. Some of those people further away may even struggle to connect at all!
This is precisely the kind of scenario that can really stretch the capacity of your router. It’s also when a Wi-Fi extender can really come into its own.
A Wi-Fi network extender is going to super charge your signal so you can get it when and where you need it.
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How do Wi-Fi extenders work?
Wi-Fi extenders work by connecting to your router and then amplifying and repeating the signal so that it reaches further across your home.
If a Wi-Fi extender was human, it would work by standing between you and your router (within earshot of both) and repeating everything you say so the router can hear what you’re saying.
Choosing a Wi-Fi extender
When it comes to choosing a Wi-Fi extender, you will want to make sure that both your extender and router can deliver the same speeds and access the latest networking standard.
For example:
Perhaps you bought the D-Link DIR-822 router from SkyMesh.
That particular router delivers dual band connectivity and AC2600 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi speeds.
You’ll want to get a Wi-Fi extender that can also deliver at least dual band connectivity and AC2600 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi speeds.
As a result, you may consider the D-LINK DAP-1860 Wi-Fi range extender because it too offers dual band connectivity and AC2600 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi speeds.
You’ll find a great article on the best extenders and more about this example over at PC.mag.
What is AC2600?
The letters AC mean that the router or Wi-Fi extender support a relatively fast networking standard (802.11ac). It means that your equipment is capable of fast connections on the 5GHz frequency.
The numbers that follow AC are in reference to the speed your equipment is capable of achieving. In the example of AC2600, we’re talking about achieving an aggregate speed up to 2600 Mbps: 800 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and 1,733 Mbps on 5 GHz.
What is MU-MIMO?
MU-MIMO stands for multi-user, multiple input, multiple output.
It is essentially the technology that makes it possible for multiple people to access the same Wi-Fi network at the same time and also have a great online experience.
It can also be referred to as Next-Gen AC or AC Wave 2.
You may want to look at what is available in the same brand as your router.
I say this because otherwise you may end up having to navigate two pieces of software to optimise the performance of your new Wi-Fi set-up.
Often manufacturers will have a combination of routers and extenders that are designed to be used together.
Taking this option will certainly reduce the need for multiple software to apply settings and likely mean a smoother set-up process.
Where is the best place to position your new Wi-Fi extender?
The Wi-Fi extender needs to be within range of your router so it can amplify the signal.
Placing in the middle of your router and your dead zone is generally recommended.
Why do I have to name my Wi-Fi extender network?
You’ll be prompted to name your Wi-Fi extender network during the set-up process.
Making this name unique will help you identify the difference between directly accessing Wi-Fi from your router or your extender.
You’ll have seen Wi-Fi networks pop up on your devices from all over your neighbourhood with names like Mum_Use_THIS_one, I LOVECATS 1952, Kristy’s Office or any of a billion other equally random names for Wi-Fi networks.
You can generally name yours whatever you like.
Your router might be in the upstairs lounge room and named something like TelstraSmith2Ghz.
Your extender might be in the downstairs study and named something like Nacho_Wi-Fi.
Different names for each network will make it easier for you to know which network to connect to while you’re on the downstairs toilet (just saying 😉).
Side note: There are some very funny websites dedicated to lists of very funny Wi-Fi network names. I highly recommend googling them. You’ll be in stitches for hours!
Not already a SkyMesh customer? Find out if you’re nbn™ ready.
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