Started By
Message

Wifi Range Extenders - Worth it?

Posted on 7/10/19 at 11:37 am
Posted by Chucktown_Badger
The banks of the Ashley River
Member since May 2013
31406 posts
Posted on 7/10/19 at 11:37 am
I've got my router in my second bedroom of my place, and the wifi out on my balcony can be kind of slow/spotty. I like to work out on my balcony during the summer months, so was wondering if wifi repeaters/extenders are worth the money...or if they're like those cell phone signal booster stickers that people used to stick inside their phones.

Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations? Was looking at this one, and for $30 it doesn't seem like a terrible gamble.

LINK
Posted by Fonzarelli
Dallas
Member since Jan 2015
3974 posts
Posted on 7/10/19 at 11:42 am to
I like the ones that operate over your electric wire in the house. They seem to work better.

LINK

Something like the link i just posted. I haven't used one in years (switched to a mesh system a few years back). But using one of those is like converting your already installed electrical line into one big ethernet cable and having a direct connection into that secound router (instead of trying to connect a shoddy OTA wifi signal and then producing an even shoddier secondary OTA wifi signal).
Posted by Niner
Member since Apr 2019
2026 posts
Posted on 7/10/19 at 11:46 am to
I haven't tried a range extender like the one you linked, so I can't speak specifically to that. I did, however, try a powerline adapter. It's a similar end-goal, but a different way to get there.

All that to say, the powerline adapter was a total waste of money. T-O-T-A-L waste.

I mention that only because I investigated the same thing you are, and my research brought up powerline adapters as well and they seemed like a great solution. False.

I ended up just getting a more powerful router.

EDIT: As mentioned above, a powerline adapter could be a good solution in certain houses and wiring systems - but it does heavily depend on the wiring in your apartment/house.
This post was edited on 7/10/19 at 11:49 am
Posted by Crow Pie
Neuro ICU - Tulane Med Center
Member since Feb 2010
25423 posts
Posted on 7/10/19 at 12:34 pm to
quote:

Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations? Was looking at this one, and for $30 it doesn't seem like a terrible gamble.

NetGear Externder

I have 2 good NetGear extenders I will sell cheap. I cant use them since I went to a mesh network but they worked fine for extending upstairs and out in my shop. I have a Nighthawk router too but it was acting up hence the move to Goggle WIfi
This post was edited on 7/10/19 at 12:44 pm
Posted by LSUgEEkish
Baton Rouge
Member since May 2013
94 posts
Posted on 7/10/19 at 1:12 pm to
I've dealt with several and all have needed to be rebooted every couple of weeks. A mid level mesh system is a much better choice. Extenders work okay, but are frustrating in the long run.
Posted by KajunKouyon
White Castle, LA
Member since Jun 2012
2379 posts
Posted on 7/11/19 at 5:22 pm to
Slight hijack

But can you pair 2 wireless routers together wirelessly? I just moved and switched to ATT. Most of my house is covered except for one room and outside patio. Was wanting to connect my old Netgear router to my new att router
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram