Finally! Someone who explains this stuff in a way that's understandable. Thanks dude!

Why haven't I found you on my 8000 other searches? Yes, finally, someone that explains the use of an extender in great and clear detail. Much appreciated!

I vote for the additional videos on powerline and Ethernet wired backhaul.

Thanks Gary! This was so helpful. I really appreciate your ability to put things in regular people speak. So so so helpful.

You just saved me money... I had a wrong idea of how it works. Almost bought one until I watched this video

Awesome explanation! Looking forward to learning more about mesh networking soon too

Tech has improved! Years ago I bought an extender, and while it increased the range, with each one daisy chained (wirelessly), data throughput was essentially halved. So at the house, great data speed, garage slower, equipment room even slower, pool area sllooowwweeerrr, barn… hopelessly slow.

thank you for explaining this in such detail. You just saved me time and money on trying out probably several extenders.

That was very enlightening. Didn't realise how much they'd affect an existing WiFi. I do use a separate Access Point, extended using powerline adapter and also different channel to main system.

When I have nothing to watch, your videos are always the ones I go to, awesome content as always Gary!

Yeah, I purchased a Wi-Fi extender, tested it out in various places around my house, and ended up returning it. You really do have to test the locations before and after to see if it’s really giving the benefit your looking for.

Thanks Gary - Just bought a MESH WiFi system from Huawei and it solves all these "old" wifi issues. Mesh is super fast and best of all all the Android phones of my family automatically fails to the strongest signal keeping the Internet speed high over the fibre line. Used 5 WiFi Apps to do testing in and around my house to make sure MESH works and it does !!!

I would like to see presentations of the mesh network and powerline adapters. Love your videos, great work, thanks.

Definitely spot on. Best explanation I've ever heard on the subject. I currently run four access points hardwired back to a gig switch/router. 3300 square feet 2 story the switch is the DHCP server. That was the only way I could get everything talking to each other. Access points 2 upstairs 2 downstairs none in the same corner and manually set channels I turn the power down to about 50% on all of them so it makes it switch from one to the other. Cat6 cable not the prettiest install but it's effective, expensive, and bottlenecked at the switch. It's like running a USB 3.0 device on a 2.0 port. But I can stream video to multiple devices with no problem except for the bottleneck. I really don't have a use for anything faster than 300Mb. Now for the question. How come four devices run a speed test at the same time and all four get 250MB download but, one device by itself will only do maybe 260 MB? I'm not complaining cuz I don't pay for gigabit speed but how is it getting it is my question?

I didn't realize that extenders recalculated the data, I thought that it was just a passive repeater

I find placing the extender 1/2 way between the router where you still get a good signal(usually in the hallway), and where you want to connect say your back porch, to work the best for me, I did not fell like drilling holes in my floors, or running cables in my walls, so in my house I have 2 WiFi Network extenders. one for the front edges of my house, and one for the back edges.

Really clear and useful explanation. Thanks.

Very good and detailed explanation, thank you so much!

Thanks, Great information. I tried using an Extender and it seemed to be unreliable. I discovered that my Home Access Gateway supported MoCA so I installed a MoCa extender onto my Cable TV system and it has been Rock Solid at getting Wireless Anywhere in the house. Cheers.

Nice video - informative and well explained. It would be nice to have a video on wire connection to the range extender.

Hello, Gary. You are a wealth of information. Thank you for explaining how an Extender works. From your explanation, Extenders inside the house are pointless but it's only helpful if you want to connect with the WiFi outside. Is that correct? Therefore, is Mesh a better option to push the wifi to other parts of the house where there are deadzones?

Excellent technical video explains all practical issues

Thank you Gary! That was one of the most informative, and useful narratives on WiFi range extenders that I have come across in the last one year.

would love a video on power-line communication

thank you sir, this was very informative.

yes, a video on MAC addresses please~

Exceptional stuff Gary! Thanks :)

This was REALLY interesting!! Counter intuitive results REALLY well explained. The model/diagram of the house def helped the explanation.

i like using multiple APs in the way that Ubiquity does with the UniFi system so each AP is linked to a central router, so wherever you go you are connected to the same network, the radios are the only thing that changes, but i know some people are unable to run ethernet cables everywhere due to leasing agreements, or maybe the way the house is configured, i've tried wifi extenders in the past, and always ended up just getting the alarm installation bit out, the low voltage tools, and a box of ethernet cable and running a wire to an additional AP configured with the same config as the primary and setup in the firmware as a wireless extension in AP mode Only via WDS, so as you said, WiFi Extenders do have their place, but they aren't the end-all be-all that most try to make them out to be, great video mate, and loads of good information

Very useful explanation. Thanks.

I find Net Extenders to play a very niche role and are very hard to recommend in those instances. Sometimes they help with stationary devices that have poor internal antennas like TVs or your example of little to no signal in a certain area of the house/property. Even then I tell people to only connect one or two devices at a time.

Thanks Gary, for this excellent explanation on Wi-Fi extenders. It's the best explained that I have come across.

I have 2 specific uses for my Wi-fi extender, but turn it off when I’m not using it to avoid interference and save power. Since I’ve done this my router and Wi-fi in general have been better behaved. 1) When I’m in the garden and need more range when I want Wi-fi on my phone. 2) I keep my router on a 5GHz only band to make its life easier and use less power (it stays cooler in the summer as an added bonus). I sometimes need to use a 2.4Ghz network for a) an ancient laptop and b) a wireless 2.4Ghz-only printer (annoyingly many cheap printers are still sold as 2.4GHz-only and will not work on 5GHz). The Wi-fi extender will broadcast at both frequencies, 2.4 and 5GHz and solves that problem very easily and cheaply.

crystal clear explanation! Thanks @Gary 😀😀😀😀

Excellent Information Thank you gained good knowledge from your content

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation of a wi-if repeater. I, however, have a query as to whether or not having such an extender would lessen the security of your original relatively private system. I have read recently that having such a device would greatly diminish the security of one’s data. In advance, thank you. very much…….Joe

I was about to buy a wifi extender and after watching your video I change my mind. Thanks for the info!

Great explanations! Please complete a performance testing with WIFI extender via Ethernet connectivity

Great explanation for beginners! One small nitpick though. While access points usually do have the power to send at 100mW or even 500mW on 5 GHz channels you should never use these high levels because your poor smartphone usually only sends 20 to 25mW back to the access point and you don't want constant failed transmits from the smartphone crippling the experience. Better to also leave the access point at max 25 mW (14 dBm) so you truly get an idea how many access points you actually need. The only reason you would have a single radio on an access point at full power is when you are only using that radio for a mesh link towards another access point. But again, great simplified explanation!

GREAT EXPLANATION 👍 THANKS

Thanks for this, you’ve just saved me time and money. I was going to get one for my bedroom upstairs because I get a low signal there but as you’ve explained a booster in that room will not help.

Hi Gary, if you do end up doing a video on mesh, could you explain the difference between a mesh vs extender, specifically how the mesh can get original speeds vs the extender which usually halves the speed. Is it just to do with the number of antenna? And also, why are mesh more expensive? I get that mesh gets you more speed but why don't they just make extenders the way they make mesh so that we don't get this speed difference. I have quite limited understanding haha.

Thank you for an honest discussion

im glad this video exists. but why is this kind of video appearing in 2021 - needed this in 2010

You are a very good explainer!!!

Very informaitve Gary. Question: Would the connectivity / transmitting power of the end client have an impact? E.g. for devices in the room furthest from the primary AP, would the primary AP be able to receive "messages" better from the range extender when compared to "messages" being received directly from a mobile or laptop? (Assuming range extenders have better "connectivity" than a mobile device)

great video. i went for a mesh setup with fritzbox routers as my internet router is also fritzbox. i wired the extra routers, as running that wireless did almost destroy the network. i now have a router on every floor, as the concrete floors almost completely take out the wifi signals. now it all seems to work fine, but i would be interested to find out how te improve on it even more. mainly i worry about the best possible placement of the accespointrouters. i still want to add an extra accespoint to create garden wifi access. i'm thinking of putting that on a windowsill at the backend of the house. but now i worry of that interfering with the accesspoint closest to it. i use wired setups however and the mesh usually runs at 5 ghz, so i would probably run the gardenwifi at 2.4, hoping that would in turn not interfere too much with the zigbee home automation devices in my house, also running at 2.4. this stuff gets hard. i would love videos on that. maybe my situation is a good example or indication of the type of things to consider. greetings from the Netherlands

Do a video on all of them. I like hearing your teaching pedagogy

Great video!! Very informational, Thanks 😁

Thanks garry, I wish I'd seen your video before I listened to Yorkshire Darren a few months ago, I bought a so called wifi extender/repeater, and to be honest, I think I'd have got better results useing a coat hanger.

Very good and detailed explanation. What should i use to get better wifi sygnal in the basement. Router is upstairs and i have ethernet cable in the basement that runs from the upstairs router.

I would love to hear you explain how mesh networks using things like unifi access points using poe work to allow you to go from access point to access point smoothly

One would recommend when setting up and AP extender to do DHCP pass threw so devices like a printer can be seen on the network Always places the extender 1/2 way between where you want the signal and the main AP. But now days a Mesh AP a set of 3 mess APs can be gotten for $150.00

That was a great explanation, thanks.

I'd love a video on MOCA and it's advantages, And disadvantages, over power line. When I moved in, the wifi is terrible in my room. My roommates gave me a power line adapter. Horrid performance. I went out and got a Mocha adapter and it's just shy of the performance I'd get over Ethernet. Pair that with a wifi access point, and I've got amazing connectivity in my room.

It's all interesting Gary 👍🏻

Hey Gary. Does changing the position of antenna in a router strengthen or weaken the wifi signal? Have searched a lot about it, everybody saying different things. Really confused. Need your help professor! 🙏

I use a air of powerline units to extend into the garage, then WiFi AP in bridge mode to the original router. Works ok for the garage.

Tell us more about the mesh network! Great video!

The better option would be to hardwire your place with Cat5e or 6. Switch your extenderé to access point mode and plug it in the hardwire. Do a quick set up with your wifi device to give it a name and a password. After that, it will access the router with no back n forth from the wifi and you get the full speed of the modem. That’s if you means to do so

Soooo useful! This could be a great "how to effectively distribute your internet bandwidth around your home" type playlist for people getting better broadband or with constant wifi problems (most people lol)

Great video, I now think in understand more about how the WiFi extender works. I am also interested in the how to use wired extension and this is related to how our home network is setup. We have three floors in our home and the WiFi router is in one corner of the middle floor (where the cable modem is). We also have three extenders - upstairs, downstairs and the middle of the first floor. The upstairs and first floor extenders have a (mostly) line of sight to the router but not the lower floor. The one additional thing is that I have been able to get wired network to the lower floor. 1) It seems that using a wired extender would be better for out lower floor extender (since we have a wired connection there and the extender cannot easily "see" the router. Could you do a video on that? 2) The lower floor can "see" the extender on the middle floor better than the router - would it be better to connect the lower floor to the middle floor or just connect to the router even though it is a much weaker signal?

Great video! What happens if you are in the farthest room and the extender is halfway in the hall. And what about mesh?

So much smarter!! Thank you

What I learned quickly: Buy the same router I already have and use that as a repeater. As long as the second router isn't placed on the edge of wifi coverage, broadcasting a weak signal as a "strong" signal, speeds don't suffer as much as people think.

Thanks for video, got a 3 pack mesh and wifi so better, thanks again

Very informative and presented in a way the common person can understand.

Thanks ❤️

I like setting up these extenders in client mode. That doesn't create a new SSID, but gives connectivity via the ethernet port. They usually work better than a WIFI USB dongle. It's running openwrt, btw.

Now I understand why the range extender I got for my parents' home didn't double the range of their WiFi. Truth in advertising Amazon? 😂

How did you measure the bandwith? Running a speedrest?

Amazing explainetion ❤❤❤

I would like a video on Etherley connected Wi-Fi extenders

Thanks mate👍🏻

they are good at reducing your wifi bandwidth by 60-75% (unless fed by network cable and just operating in AP mode)

Nice explanation

Great video.

Excellent!

This is very informative...and discouraging. I thought the extender would have a more sensitive receiver so it could still achieve a higher data rate.

So helpful fair play

Not bad, but one important case you should have included: put the extender roughly ½ way between the router and the intended room, not necessarily in each room.

Right at the beginning you say that by relaying data through a single-radio extender, you lose at least 50 percent of your throughput compared to connecting directly at close range to the wired access point. Then in the rest of your figures that 50 percent factor disappears without explanation. Can Gary Explain? This is overall pretty clear, but a little light in its coverage of the situation where an extender does make sense: If there is a location where you need, but can't quite get, a Wi-Fi signal, and you can put the extender approximately halfway between that location and the existing Wi-Fi AP, a good extender is likely to get a reliable (but not full-speed) connection to where you need it.

what about wifi adapters with high gain antennas? i have one i use when i go on camping holidays instead of the piddly wifi built into my laptop so i can get a stronger signal from the campground wifi at a distance. is this my best solution or is there something better?

Gary, you mention running an ethernet cable between the router and the extender/access point. Is it possible to do it the other way around? i.e a cable from the access point to feed another building? Router Extender secondary router/access point

Excellent video Gary, but I still have a question. At 12:37 putting the Wi-Fi extender in the same room as your device doesn't help. But if you put the extender somewhere between the router and the device, like in the corridor or inside the bottom middle bedroom, would it be better to connect directly to the router or to the extender? Because it's not the same as in 13:26 that you don't have a direct connection to the router.

Wow , nice explanation ! Question , I use a firestick and that tells me the Wi-Fi connectivity in terms of fair , good , very good etc , also my Wi-Fi is called whole home coverage , so there are 2 Wi-Fi routers strategically placed in 2 different places in my house , also it has 2.4 and 5 ghz , and I have a rock space extender with 2 antennas on it , and I thought I was occasionally losing signal on my firestick in one bedroom , so I tried the rock space in there , both the original Wi-Fi and the extender show very good / very good on my firestick , I realize that this is not the best way to test , but after seeing this video , I don’t think my extender is helping my situation at all ? Can anybody help me out with this , thank you

You explained the shxt out of this😂💯💯💯💯💯

Once again, great video, I now think in understand more about how the WiFi extender works. I do have another question. How does the extender handle connecting multiple devices back to the router? Does it create a connection for each device as well as a separate MAC address? I do see some weird device names in my router device list Ex: "17261ec2-7292-f269-5ee7-78ce56f1zzzz" (note:zzzz is so I obscure the real name - it looks like that may be a MAC address). Are these weird device names, devices that are being relayed by the extender?

Amazing video sir

Love this video

Ah yes, the little devices that those crappy ad articles would like you to believe are the esoteric answer to circumventing internet speed throttling by your ISP, all revealed by a random tech someone drank a few beers with 😂 Wish I could remember what the ad was called, it's been floating around for a few years. Anyway, pretty cool video!

Please do a video on range extenders with LAN connections

I have a solar cctv and would like to know if these boosters will boost the phone signal to pick up the cctv signal better?

I have a doubt, what should I set the wifi power to? High, medium or low?

For powerline wifi/ethernet extender must be on same electricity phase. But now better, cheaper invest is to buy mesh than setup those wifi extenders. I have Airport Time Capsule in living room and Airport Extreme in the bed room, same SSID. And it works very stable. No mess with wifi names etc.

Thanks for the clear tutorial on Wifi Extender. To your last example while you are in the garden you can still receive 16% Mbps. What happens when I place the Extender in the Router Room itself? What %?

If use multiple wifi boosters can you improve signal all around the house?

That was an excellent explanation of a confusing subject - one that’s far too confusing for most of us to get our heads around. But I’m left wondering what’s the point of a wifi extender in the first place?

Which one do you recommend

If your extender and wifi router supports both 2.4ghz and 5ghz, and you want range, often you are better bridging with 5 ghz, and using 2.4ghz to give you the additional range, rather than bridging with 2.4ghz. 5 ghz between gives you a bigger pipe in between to support more devices, and 2.4ghz connected devices give you more range and ability to pass thru obstacles; even more true if you have 2.4ghz only devices that are on the perimeters.. With an extender: why bridge with 5ghz ; simply - the desire for range that 2.4 gives you on the outer edges. Why bridge with 2.4ghz; you have lots of devices in the same general area that support 5ghz (because 5ghz is better with that sort of interference ), but are less concerned with range. As far as placement, I'd start by splitting the dwelling into 4, roughly diagonally. At the 1/4 mark and 3/4 mark, roughly, place your extender and router to optimize range and bandwidth.. It's not an absolute, just a good starting point.. Height also matters in the equation; try to keep the router and extender at or above head height, and higher than most or out of the path of large obstacles, like brick, steel doors, filled bookshelves, TV's,and other electronic items - assuming a one floor layout.. If you have wooden studs, and the antennas can "span" the stud, center your device on the stud.. it's less interference for the antennas.. This is NOT an absolute; move your equipment around where you can visualize your path between the components, and try to get close to your target.. It's not rocket science; it's not about whipping out a tape measure either. Often times, moving the router 5 to 10 feet one way or another helps solve a dead spot immensely. So, no absolutes.. Often, however, you can avoid the extender by upgrading to a better wifi router, and placing the router as close to the center as possible.Not always possible to hit 1/2, but try to get as close as possible, with emphasis on the most used portions of the home.. If your router is over 2 or 3 years old, consider upgrading.. If your equipment does not support both bands, well, honestly, it's time to upgrade your equipment. If you doubled the amount of gear on your network since it was bought, it might be also time to look at upgrading.. Don't skimp by getting the cheapest router either; consider what you pay for a years worth of service and consider heavily towards something in the range of what it costs for 3 to 4 months worth of service. Research is your friend and will save you time, money and frustration in the end. For an extender, I'd go with about 1/3rd the price of the router as a starting point. I've been using extenders for years; many extenders can also be used as a desktop switch to put a non-wireless desktop onto a wireless network, while also serving as an extender. The latest wifi router I purchased allowed me to eliminate the extender, but I'll still find use for it. It's a number of years old, but is still sold new today.. The tp-link router rocks however.