A router only has a maximum range to transmit the wireless internet signal. This varies per router, but on average it is between 15 and 25 meters. This distance has to do with several factors. For example, consider the thickness of the walls and ceiling. Is there a lot of steel in your house? Or do you have many high-frequency devices, such as a microwave?
A WiFi Extender and a WiFi range extender are actually two different concepts with the same meaning. Namely, strengthening the WiFi signal. But before you purchase a WiFi hotspot extender, there are other ways to improve your internet signal.
In most routers you can set which channel WiFi is broadcast on. A 2.4 GHz router is divided into 11 channels. Each channel has a frequency of 20 mHz. It is therefore possible that the neighbors are on the same channel and that your WiFi signal is therefore disturbed. There are programs that you can install on your PC that, as it were, scan your environment for WiFi networks. Here you can see in an overview which networks use which channels. This way you can set the least used channel for your router.
If you still experience disruption in your signal after this, you can purchase a range extender. A range extender does nothing other than receive the WiFi signal and retransmit it amplified. A WiFi hotspot extender not only amplifies the signal, it also sends the signal to places where you previously never had reach, such as the backyard, basement or attic. WiFi extenders are often used for:
The placement of a WiFi range extender is very important, because it makes a big difference for the final range. For example, you do not want to place a repeater in a location where there is already very poor coverage, such as the attic. With a signal that already has very little bandwidth, there is little point in amplifying it. You can compare this with a water pipe through which a very small amount of water seeps. If you make this pipe larger, the water will not suddenly flow through it faster.
Place the WiFi Extender in places where you still have enough WiFi signal. Most extenders have an indicator light. This can help you determine whether it is a suitable place to place the extender. You can also use your mobile phone to determine the location. Use your phone to see where you still have sufficient signal and then place the extender there.
There are also extenders that you can connect to a LAN cable. They then use a cable and amplify that signal. Not every extender supports this feature. So pay close attention to this when purchasing an extender.
