The best WiFi extenders you can buy in 2020
WHETHER you are sharing a flat with friends or living with family, having a good router is important to get a good Wi-Fi signal.
However, sometimes thick walls and particular structural layouts can hinder the signal, causing various connection problems.
In such situations, there are two options you can pursue to solve your signal strength problems.
You can either replace your router with a mesh Wi-Fi system, or you can buy a signal extender that will capture your router signal and re-broadcast it.
If you opt for the latter, you will find that there are mainly two types of signal extenders: repeaters and powerline extenders.
Repeaters and powerline extenders: what’s the difference?
Essentially, repeaters relay data back and forth between your router and your wireless devices using Wi-Fi.
Powerline extenders, on the other hand, often consist of two or more boxes.
One of them connects to your router via cable, and carries the signal via electrical wiring to the other boxes, which in turn broadcast the signal via WiFi.
Powerline extenders are typically more expensive as they allow for easier setups and at greater distances.
We have selected the best options for both repeaters and powerline extenders down below
This article and featured products have been independently chosen by Sun journalists. It contains links which are ads, and if you click a link and buy a product we will earn revenue.
1. Devolo Magic 2 WiFi
- (AD) Devolo Magic 2 WiFi, £157.99 from Amazon – buy here
One of the best power line adaptors money can buy, the Devolo Magic 2 offers fast data speeds and Mesh WiFi features.
To overcome limitations caused by old HomePlug speed standard, the Devolo Magic 2 introduces a new standard: G.hn.
This allows for theoretical speeds of 2,400 Mbps against the company’s previous power line adaptors, whose speeds were around the 1,200 Mbps mark.
2. Netgear Nighthawk X6S EX8000
- (AD) Netgear Nighthawk X6S EX8000, £178 from Amazon – buy here
Netgear’s Nighthawk X6S is one of those rare WiFi extenders that also supports mesh features.
Easy to install, the X6S allows you to utilise the same network name and password as your router, which saves a lot of setting up troubles.
Speeds are solid too, as this tri-band extender can provide up to 400 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, 866 Mbps on one of the 5GHz bands, and 1,733 Mbps on the other 5GHz one.
3. ASUS PL-AC56 KIT
- ASUS PL-AC56, £104.99 from Amazon – buy here
Going down slightly, both in terms of price and performance, the ASUS PL-AC56 is a dual-band device with speeds of 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency and 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz channel.
The adaptor’s web interface offers a lot of options, but the basic setup is quite straightforward.
The signal power is solid too, as the PL-AC56 carries your connection without substantial data loss both via Ethernet and WiFi.
4. Linksys RE7000
- Linksys RE7000, £98.37 from Amazon – buy here
A simple, clean design and a great price make this adapter one of our favourites in this list.
The RE7000 is a dual-band device that uses Linksys’ Cross Band technology to continually distribute the data between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands so that both can work efficiently at all times.
The adaptor’s performance is reliable as well, although speeds and range are lower than in more expensive devices.
5. TP-Link RE650 AC2600
- TP-Link RE650 AC2600, £87.98 from Amazon – buy here
The cheapest option in this list, TP-Link’s RE650 AC2600 is a great WiFi adaptor at a record-low price.
With dual-band wireless-AC support and four external antennas, the RE650 delivers great speeds at up to 75 feet.
The adaptor’s setting up is also remarkably easy, and it even has mobile apps to facilitate installation and settings’ management.
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