Choosing the right Wi-Fi extender can completely change your online experience, but there are so many to choose from with different levels of performance, so which one is actually best for you? In this article, we break down the top 3 Wi-Fi extenders on the market this year based on price, performance, and situations they’ll be used in. We’ll be taking a look at products in every budget range, so whether you’re looking for an affordable, easy-to-use Wi-Fi extender or you’re looking for the absolute best of the best, we’ll have an option for you. So if you’re interested in finding out which Wi-Fi extender will be best for you, stay tuned.
First up is the TP-Link RE650, our pick for the best Wi-Fi extender for ease of use. Thankfully, you don’t need to be very tech-savvy in order to improve your signal thanks to the TP-Link RE650, which features a convenient plug-in design that offers long-range coverage for larger homes and delivers plenty of power and data speed while remaining compact and unobtrusive. The extender is easy to move, so you can enjoy strong Wi-Fi wherever you need it. To find the best location for the extender, built-in indicator lights will help you find the best area. An LED turns red where Wi-Fi is weak and blue where it’s strong to help you find the perfect setup spot. The setup is simple. Just press the WPS button on your router and then on the extender, and the RE650 setup routine basically takes over and completes the process for you. Once you’re up and running, the extender takes the Wi-Fi signal from your router and amplifies it. The signal is distributed through the quad antenna array, which sets up the most efficient path to transfer data between the router and the RE650, and then sets up a strong Wi-Fi signal to serve your multiple devices and deliver seamless gaming and streaming to the farthest corners of your home. For certain devices, like game consoles, where a wired connection is desired, a gigabit Ethernet port lets you plug into your network for a high-speed wired connection. While you’re enjoying better signals, the RE650 manages and balances the demands of all your connected devices to keep Wi-Fi connections on each band fast and smooth, so you can game online, stream in 4K, and download large files while your Wi-Fi remains fast and all your connections stay strong. Although range and speed aren’t the best on our list, and you can find similar speed and range performance at a cheaper price point if you know where to look, it’s still solid quality. If you’re looking for a Wi-Fi extender that’s easy to set up and use and that also does a great job significantly boosting your Wi-Fi range, the TP-Link RE650 will be the perfect choice for you. You’ll eliminate dead spots and weak signals across your home and enjoy 4K movies and gaming without lag anywhere in the house.
Next up is the Veritek DB1200, our pick for the best Wi-Fi extender for most people. Now most people just need a Wi-Fi extender that works well, and you don’t want to spend more than you need to get that. The Veritek DB1200 is the perfect Wi-Fi extender, mixing the performance of higher-end Wi-Fi extenders at an affordable price. Get better connectivity for all your network devices, like TVs, security cameras, gaming consoles, tablets, and more, and extend the range of your existing network into areas that were not accessible previously. Like the TP-Link RE650, the DP1200 will help you find the best location to set up the extender using a segmented LED indicator that displays overall signal strength. Getting up and running is simple too. Connect easily with a single push of the WPS button, or you can use a web browser to set up coverage of up to 1200 square feet on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to stream movies or music, work from home, play games, or browse the internet. The DP1200 rebroadcasts your router signal using a four-antenna array with high-powered signals that are strong enough to penetrate walls and floors to give you a stronger, more stable wireless connection for all your devices. Although it doesn’t boost the Wi-Fi speeds you’re getting from the router, none of these Wi-Fi extenders do. What it does is extend the range, so you’re getting the best connection throughout the home. You’ll get better 4K streaming of movies and your favorite TV shows, better gaming performance, and improved web browsing and file downloads across the board. And if you ever need a wired connection, the DB1200 is also equipped with an Ethernet port. Your signals are kept secure with built-in WPA-WPA2 security protocols to keep out unauthorized users and prevent signal theft. But the big difference with this is that it costs under $50. There are some better Wi-Fi extenders out there, like the Netgear Nighthawk EAX80 we’ll talk about later, but most people won’t get that much additional value or see very big increases in speeds from the extra money. If you want an easy and effective way to improve the Wi-Fi signals in your home at an affordable price, the Veritech DB1200 Wi-Fi Extender is the ideal solution for you. With a similar uncomplicated setup process to the RE650 and an overall ease of use, most people will find the DB1200 delivers a good enough job improving signal stability for better performance and coverage.
Last but not least, the Netgear Nighthawk EA-X80 is our pick for the best overall Wi-Fi extender. If you’re looking for something to truly take your range and speeds to the next level, the Netgear Nighthawk EA-X80 is that Wi-Fi extender and is the best Wi-Fi extender that has support for Wi-Fi 6. The Nighthawk EA-X80 offers impressive Wi-Fi 6 performance and good coverage for larger homes and includes additional features like four 1Gb Ethernet ports to connect a game console or other device that works best with a wired network connection, as well as a USB 3.0 port for connecting a hard drive to provide network storage that everyone can use. The extender is bigger than the others we’ve looked at so far, but its impressive performance and features easily justify its more substantial heft. Setting up the EAX80 is a straightforward process, and the Nighthawk app will easily guide you through each step. Once everything is up and running, you’ll be able to roam from room to room with your mobile devices, and you’ll always get a strong, stable connection. As you move around, the signal will switch between the router and the Nighthawk EAX80 to choose the best path that will give you the strongest signal, no matter where you are in the house or whether you’re on the 2.5 or 5 GHz band. And for 4K streaming or multiplayer gaming, the EA-X80 is up to the task with heavy-duty performance up to 6 gigabits per second, which is almost unnecessarily good. To set up coverage for a very large home or area, one device can cover up to 2,500 square feet, but you can also choose to build a mesh network using additional EA-X80 extenders and link them together to scale up a mesh network that can easily cover several thousand square feet. If you’re looking for the best overall Wi-Fi extender that supports Wi-Fi 6 and is still relatively easy to set up, the Netgear Nighthawk is what you want. You’ll be able to cover a large area and get strong, stable connections for all your devices, along with four 1Gb wired ports for game consoles and more. Alright, guys, that’s all for now.
