One of the best Wi-Fi extenders in 2025

In case your Wi-Fi sign is struggling to achieve each nook of your private home, a sign booster — often known as a Wi-Fi extender — is perhaps the repair you want. Whether or not you are coping with annoying lifeless zones, buffering video calls or laggy gaming periods, the correct Wi-Fi extender can assist develop protection and enhance connectivity with out forcing you to maneuver your router.

There are several types of Wi-Fi extenders to select from. Some fashions use exterior antennas to push the sign farther, whereas others, like mesh extenders, create a seamless, whole-home community. In the event you’re merely seeking to lengthen protection into a particular room, a Wi-Fi repeater can do the job — however it might reduce your bandwidth in half. Extra superior extenders, nonetheless, can assist preserve sturdy speeds and reliability all through your private home.

We have rounded up one of the best Wi-Fi extenders to swimsuit totally different wants, whether or not you are on the lookout for an inexpensive repair or a high-performance improve.

Desk of contents

Finest Wi-Fi extender for 2025

TP-Hyperlink

TP-Hyperlink has a bunch of Wi-Fi extenders below its umbrella, however the one that can doubtless serve most individuals one of the best is that this AX3000 mannequin, which is available in two variations: the RE700X and the RE705X. Each extenders have the identical specs, together with Wi-Fi 6 assist, however the 705X has a barely totally different design with pull-out antennas on both aspect. I examined the 705X, so I’m basing my advice off of my expertise with that mannequin, particularly.

Establishing this extender was as simple as plugging it in and following directions in TP-Hyperlink’s Tether cellular app. All the gadgets I attempted adopted the identical fundamental setup course of: first, plug within the extender near your wi-fi router, comply with directions in a cellular app or on a setup webpage, and as soon as the connection is established, transfer the extender to your required location.

It took all of 5 minutes to pair the 705X with my Verizon FiOS router – most likely essentially the most time-consuming bit was deciding what I needed to call the brand new 5Ghz and a couple of.4Ghz networks. I went with the identical title for each as a result of I didn’t need to manually select from two totally different bands when connecting issues like my cellphone or laptop computer. The machine will routinely pair your machine with the suitable band — for instance, connecting most good dwelling devices to the two.4Ghz community, which frequently helps cut back latency.

The everlasting location the place I moved all the extenders I examined was in my basement, since that’s the place we are able to get the spottiest Wi-Fi sign. I first ran velocity exams on my iPhone and MacBook utilizing Speedtest.internet and Speedcheck.org so I may evaluate them with the usual speeds I received when linked to my router’s predominant community. Unsurprisingly, the speeds generated by TP-Hyperlink’s extender had been a lot slower than these from my router’s community, however that was the case with all the gadgets I examined. Solely our prime decide (see under) received near my router’s commonplace speeds, however I anticipated this. Wi-Fi extenders aren’t going to make your connection higher – they’re simply going to offer you a wider space of protection. From a spec perspective, each the 705X and the 700X are rated for speeds as much as 2402 Mbps on the 5GHz band and 574 Mbps on 2.4GHz band.

Regardless of the outcomes of my exams, I used to be joyful to find that I wasn’t held again by the 705X’s seemingly slower speeds. I labored as regular for hours with my cellphone and laptop computer linked to the extenders wi-fi community, answering emails, messaging in Slack, streaming YouTube movies and in any other case sustaining a number of dozen tabs in Chrome, with none hiccups or noticeable slow-downs.

I used to be not stunned to search out TP-Hyperlink’s Tether companion app to be simple to make use of, if slightly easy, as a result of that was my expertise with TP-Hyperlink’s good dwelling app. Tether is particularly used with the corporate’s networking gadgets, and also you most likely gained’t spend a ton of time in it after preliminary setup. I particularly like that you would be able to title wi-fi gadgets which can be linked to your extenders community like your cellphone and good TV. That makes it a lot simpler to know which issues in your house are consistently paired with the extender fairly than your router’s default community.

One essential factor to notice with these TP-Hyperlink extenders is that they each assist OneMesh, which is the corporate’s function that means that you can create one seamless community when you’ve got a appropriate mesh router. Since I’m nonetheless utilizing the router offered to me by my ISP, I wasn’t capable of take a look at out this function, but it surely works like this: when you’ve got a OneMesh router and OneMesh-compatible extenders, you’ll be able to hyperlink all of them collectively below the identical community title. So fairly than having a router community and an extender community below the identical roof, the whole lot could be linked and filed below your predominant community’s title.

It’s a small perk that turns into not so small when you’ve got a spotty extender, and even simply an awkwardly laid-out dwelling. In my testing, I discovered my cellphone disconnecting from some extenders’ networks after I went upstairs to the principle ground of the home from my basement. It might then try and reconnect to the extender community, when actually I might have most well-liked it to default again to my router’s community. That fortunately didn’t occur with TP-Hyperlink’s RE705X, but it surely’s one thing to bear in mind when contemplating shopping for a Wi-Fi extender in any respect. If you may get one which has a function like OneMesh, it’ll make your life a lot simpler.

Coming in at $130 and $120, respectively, the RE705X and RE700X is probably not the most affordable Wi-Fi extenders on the market, however their protection vary, newest Wi-Fi assist and max speeds make both of them a superb decide. If you recognize precisely the place you need to put an extender and it’s not in a clumsy or hard-to-reach location, the marginally cheaper, antenna-free RE700X may fit simply superb for you. However in order for you that additional potential to tweak antennas to fit your wants, the RE705X is the way in which to go.

Execs

Simple setup course of
Good efficiency
Simple to make use of companion app
Integrates with TP-Hyperlink OneMesh

$130 at Best Buy

TP-Hyperlink

TP-Link’s RE315 Wi-Fi extender is bodily similar to the RE705X, however with decrease specs and that’s what makes it a $50 machine. You’ll stand up to 867 Mbps speeds on the 5GHz band and 300 Mbps on the two.4GHz band, and it solely supplies protection for as much as 1,500 sq. ft. That gained’t be as a lot of a difficulty for most individuals as max speeds will, however when you’ve got a very massive property, you’re higher off going with a costlier extender that may cowl more room.

There’s additionally no Wi-Fi 6e assist on the RE315, which can be a dealbreaker for individuals who just lately invested in a Wi-Fi 6 router. This mannequin does assist OneMesh, although, which is sweet if you have already got a OneMesh system in your house.

I’m specializing in specification variations as a result of my expertise with the RE315 wasn’t that far off from the RE705X. Setup was simply as plain and easy because the RE315 additionally makes use of the Tether cellular app, and whereas speeds had been barely decrease in my testing, I didn’t discover an excessive amount of of a distinction in actual world use. For $50 usually, and infrequently nearer to $30 when on sale, the RE315 is a straightforward decide for anybody who needs a budget-friendly strategy to fill Wi-Fi lifeless zones of their dwelling.

Execs

Reasonably priced
Simple setup course of
Good efficiency for the worth
Simple to make use of companion app

Cons

Solely supplies 1,500 sq. ft of protection
Doesn’t assist Wi-Fi 6

$20 at Amazon

NETGEAR

Having a couple of Wi-Fi community in your home is par for the course in terms of including an extender into the combo. However that’s not so with the Netgear EAX80 mesh community vary extender – it has “seamless good roaming,” which lets you set it up below your current SSID title. So as a substitute of disconnecting out of your predominant wi-fi community and reconnecting to the extender’s community once you transfer out of your lounge to your basement, all you need to do is… transfer from one room to a different and let Netgear’s machine do the heavy lifting.

That’s one of many premium options included on the EAX80, however its $250 price ticket will be attributed extra so to another perks. It’s a dual-band, Wi-Fi 6e mesh vary extender that can work with just about any wi-fi router you’ll have. It helps speeds as much as 6 Gbps and might have greater than 30 gadgets linked to it without delay. So far as sq. footage goes, it’ll widen your Wi-Fi’s protection by as much as 2,500 sq. ft, which must be lots for small and medium-sized houses. It carried out effectively in our velocity exams, coming very near the add/obtain speeds I received when being linked to my predominant community earlier than putting in the extender.

There’s nothing out of the extraordinary concerning the Nighthawk cellular app, which is what you’ll use to initially arrange the EAX80 extender. After that, you should utilize the app to troubleshoot, examine Wi-Fi speeds and see which gadgets are in your community. It’ll doubtless be an enormous checklist because you’ll see the whole lot that’s paired to your router’s community as effectively. My solely gripe is that you would be able to’t edit machine names. For instance, my den’s TV exhibits up as “LGwebOSTV” and our soundbar in our basement exhibits up as “sonyaudio” — however there are a variety of linked gadgets with no title in any respect, and we’re simply caught with that.

Other than its quick speeds and dependable connection, two issues set this Netgear extender other than the opposite gadgets I examined. First is that seamless good roaming function – not having to change between Wi-Fi networks when going round my dwelling was tremendous handy. I by no means needed to fear about my laptop computer dropping connection to a devoted extender community after I moved from my basement to my second ground, which is one thing I ceaselessly needed to take care of when testing different gadgets.

The second differentiating issue is the EAX80’s design. Not like different vary extenders which can be chunky blocks that plug straight into an AC outlet, Netgear’s mannequin appears extra like a standalone router. Whereas that does imply it has a bigger footprint than different gadgets I examined, it was truly simpler to search out good spots for it in my dwelling as a result of it didn’t must be chained to the wall proper above an outlet. Most individuals, particularly these tight on area, will most likely want the usual extender design, however the EAX80 gave me a bit extra flexibility. I additionally appreciated that the EAX80 has 4 built-in ports for utilizing an Ethernet cable to bodily join issues like TVs, consoles and extra, plus one USB-A port for hardwiring a printer.

Netgear’s EAX80 vary extender is a stable possibility when you don’t thoughts dropping a bit of cash to get a bunch of handy options on prime of stellar speeds and Wi-Fi 6 assist. But it surely’s price noting that Netgear has a number of choices which can be just like the EAX80, however with varied variations in velocity, protection and have set. Probably the most related is the $130 EAX20 extender, which incorporates 1,500 sq. ft of protection, assist for Wi-Fi 6 and as much as 1.8Gbps speeds, plus seamless good roaming capabilities. The wall-plug model of that, the EAX15, is definitely a tad costlier at $140.

Execs

“Seamless good roaming” enables you to use your current SSID title
Twin-band Wi-Fi 6 assist
Widens protection by 2,500 sq. ft
Glorious efficiency

$239 at Amazon

How do Wi-Fi extenders work?

These helpful wi-fi gadgets do precisely what their title suggests: lengthen your Wi-Fi community so it covers extra areas of your private home. Most wi-fi extenders plug into an AC outlet and hook up with your current router to allow them to then rebroadcast it to spots that your router alone might not cowl effectively. As a rule of thumb, you’ll get one of the best outcomes by putting the extender half method between your router and the lifeless zone you’re making an attempt to repair or enhance your W-Fi connection and strengthen the wi-fi sign.

One essential factor to notice about Wi-Fi vary extenders (additionally typically known as “repeaters”) is that almost all of them truly create a brand new Wi-Fi community when rebroadcasting your current one. That community could have a brand new title (it’ll usually be your default community’s title with an EXT appended on the finish, until you alter it) and which means you’ll have to hook up with totally different networks when in numerous components of your private home. Whereas that’s a small tradeoff in return for improved web connection, some will probably be extra inconvenienced than others.

In the event you’d fairly have one, a lot bigger community in your house, you’re higher off upgrading to mesh networking techniques. Mesh techniques include a predominant router and a wi-fi entry level or two that, by default, create one massive Wi-Fi system that must be accessible all through your entire dwelling. They are usually one of the best Wi-Fi routers you may get, however that additionally interprets to costlier, and probably extra difficult, gadgets. Mesh Wi-Fi techniques are, by far, extra expensive than a easy extender, plus you’ll have to work along with your web service supplier to get your private home’s current community working in your new router.

What to search for in a Wi-Fi extender

Velocity

Extenders at the moment can assist single, twin or tri-band Wi-Fi, and they’ll inform you the utmost speeds they assist on all of their obtainable bands. For instance, one dual-band machine may assist 600Mbps speeds over its 2.4GHz band and as much as 1300Mbps over its 5GHz band, for a mixed most velocity of 1900Mbps. For one of the best efficiency, you’ll need to go together with a Wi-Fi extender that has the best speeds doable (and people, as you may anticipate, are likely to value extra). Some extenders even assist Wi-Fi 7, providing you with the newest in wi-fi expertise for larger bandwidth, sooner web velocity and decrease latency.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to keep in mind that Wi-Fi extenders aren’t true “sign boosters” since they don’t seem to be designed to enhance speeds throughout your private home. In reality, you might discover that the extender’s community is slower than your router’s. As a substitute, extenders are designed to extend the sturdy Wi-Fi protection all through your private home, making them ideally suited for filling in lifeless zones. Some mesh extenders can assist create a extra seamless community, decreasing the drop in velocity and enhancing connectivity in bigger areas.

Vary, and variety of supported gadgets

With the title of the gaming being protection space, paying attention to a tool’s vary is essential. Relying on the dimensions of your private home and property, you might solely want as much as 1,200 sq. ft of protection. However these with bigger houses will need to spring for an extender that may assist upwards of two,000+ sq. ft of protection.

Equally, these with a lot of devices will need an extender that may deal with them unexpectedly. In the event you spend most of your time in your cellphone or laptop computer and possibly have your good TV on-line for a number of hours of Netflix every day, you can get by with a extra restricted extender. Good dwelling aficionados and tech lovers ought to put money into one which gained’t buckle below the stress of some dozen linked gadgets. That is particularly essential when you plan on linking all the gadgets in a sure a part of your private home to your Wi-Fi vary extender’s community, fairly than on to your current router. Some fashions with exterior antennas can enhance efficiency by offering stronger, extra directional wi-fi sign.

Design

There isn’t a ton of innovation in terms of design within the Wi-Fi extender area. A lot of the ones you’ll discover at the moment are rounded rectangles roughly the dimensions of your hand that plug into a typical wall outlet. They often have a number of indicator lights that can present you when the extender is linked, how sturdy its sign power is and when there’s an issue, and a few will even have moveable exterior antennas that corporations declare present even higher Wi-Fi sign. Usually, they’re fairly easy to put in and get linked, however when you’re combating find out how to arrange your Wi-Fi extender, there are many YouTube movies you’ll be able to try.

Other than that, there are the scant few standalone Wi-Fi extenders that sit on an finish desk or a desk, and people look fairly just like common ol’ routers. However make no mistake, something labeled as an extender or a “Wi-Fi repeater” will want an anchor router to ensure that it to work.

One other handy function you’ll discover on most Wi-Fi extenders is an additional Ethernet connection port (or a number of). This lets you use the extender as a wi-fi entry level when you join it to your current router, or an adapter to supply gadgets like TVs, good dwelling hubs or recreation consoles a hardwired connection to the web. Unsurprisingly, this wired connection often supplies you with the quickest speeds doable, so you might need to use it on your most important gadgets.

Wi-Fi extender FAQs

What is the distinction between a wifi booster and extender?

These days, there’s actually no distinction between a Wi-Fi booster and Wi-Fi extender – they’re simply totally different names for a similar factor. Beforehand, nonetheless, Wi-Fi boosters had been gadgets that acquired indicators from wi-fi routers, broadcasting them to a different community. This primarily extends the vary of the sign. Wi-Fi extenders develop the protection inside your private home’s Wi-Fi community, however usually you will note extenders described as boosters.

Is a Wi-Fi extender higher than a mesh router?

Mesh routers, or mesh Wi-Fi systems, use a number of gadgets (or nodes) throughout your private home to create a bigger dwelling community. Primarily, you’ve gotten a number of routers round your private home with these techniques, and that can hopefully present one of the best protection doable. Wi-Fi extenders, then again, are often only one machine that extends your current Wi-Fi sign, and so they usually require you to change networks when connecting. Wi-Fi extenders are extra inexpensive, although, and are nice when you’re touring or want a Wi-Fi sign in harder-to-reach areas. Nevertheless, a mesh router can supply a greater long-term answer to improve your total dwelling’s Wi-Fi.

Ought to I take advantage of a number of Wi-Fi extenders?

Some individuals may have to make use of a number of Wi-Fi extenders, as an example, if your private home is massive or has lifeless zones in numerous areas. However when you do use a number of Wi-Fi extenders, there’s an opportunity of interference. You may additionally have to manually hook up with the extenders individually, which isn’t at all times handy.

What’s the most distance for a Wi-Fi extender?

The utmost distance for a Wi-Fi extender varies relying on the mannequin, however most can successfully lengthen your wi-fi sign between 800 and a couple of,500 sq. ft. Some high-end fashions might attain even farther, particularly in the event that they function exterior antennas or are a part of a mesh system with further devoted wi-fi entry factors.

Nevertheless, understand that real-world efficiency is dependent upon elements like your private home’s structure, wall supplies and interference from different gadgets. For finest outcomes, place your extender about midway between your router and the world with weak or no Wi-Fi connection. At all times examine the producer’s specs — a few of our prime picks clearly checklist their anticipated vary so you will discover one that matches your area.

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