Considering the fact that almost all the people have several devices that connect to the internet in one house or apartment, it has become a norm to have a wireless router that will allow the household members to use smartphones, tablets, laptops and any other Wi-Fi device in a convenient wireless network. However, people who have larger houses or apartments, and even thicker walls that separate rooms, might be having some difficulties with having a good Wi-Fi reach and a clear signal in all the corners of the house. If you want wireless, you will want it everywhere you sit down in the house and that is logical because you have a wireless router. However, not even the most high end routers will be able to give out a perfectly clear signal in every nook and cranny of your home, no matter how good the range is.
There are other limitations that may impede with the signal, and even if the range is the primary issue, you will need to consider either purchasing a Wi-Fi signal booster or extender, or decide to use the internet in one small space where the signal is perfect. Of course, the other option is not so appealing. A simple solution is, as mentioned, a Wi-Fi booster, also known as a Wi-Fi enhancer or a Wi-Fi repeater. The way these devices work is that they connect to your wireless network, and then repeat your signal, which in turn expands your signal range considerably. This is practical in the sense that you won’t have any problems with your Wi-Fi signal reach and strength.
We have gotten our hands on 15 different Wi-Fi enhancers and tested by means of testing out the signal strength and reach, and also by using them in different settings – our homes and our office. Now, you have to keep one thing in mind and that is that there are not too many manufacturers that produce Wi-Fi repeaters, and the ones that do usually have only one or two models. This literally means that we have tested devices produced by many different manufacturing companies, and basically felt the difference between one manufacturer and the other. We have narrowed the selection down to 4 Wi-Fi enhancers/boosters in order to enable you to make an informed decision. However, keep in mind that you need to think about several things before deciding on buying a certain wireless enhancer.
Some features to look for in a Wi-Fi enhancer:
- Range increase – if you want internet in your yard, you will want a Wi-Fi extender that adds several hundred feet to your range.
- Data range
- Number of Ethernet ports
- Number of antennas
- Ease of setup and use
- Price
Table of Contents
Best wifi range extender – Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater
Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater is the best Wi-Fi range booster we have tested and is preferred by people who want to extend their signal reach considerably. Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater offers the most in that respect, and it is enough to set this device at the edge of your router’s signal, and let it do its magic. Hawking will boost your signal’s range and you will probably be happy with your range as you will be able to connect to your internet from quite a distance.
PROS:
One reason why Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater is so impressive is because it extends the signal range of your router for another 450 feet, which is quite a feat. No pun intended. It is easy to set up, and all you need to do is to place it at the edge of your router’s signal, set it up, and then the Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater will do its magic by making your signal taunt not only your first neighbor, but probably the entire building. It has three antennas, one for receiving your router’s signal and the other two to send it out throughout your house, office or property. It also has 5 Ethernet ports, and its wireless data range is up to 300Mbps. Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater is an excellent choice of a wireless repeater which will eliminate all your wireless dead spots.
CONS:
The only reason why Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater may not seem like a good option for some is because it is a bit pricey when it comes to wireless repeaters. However, it is only logical that it will be more expensive than other Wi-Fi enhancers simply because it is considerably better.
To conclude, when it comes to the Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater, the device passed our testing stages with flying colors because of the signal range extension, and the clarity and strength of the repeated signal. It eliminated all dead connection spots, and also our doubts whether we should give it our seal of the “best product” among the rest of these devices.
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Best Buy wifi range extender – Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point
Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point is our bestbuy choice because it is only slightly inferior to the Hawking Technology Repeater and its costs proportionately less, which makes it a fair offer. This is especially the case if you do not really feel the need to extend your Wi-Fi range for the additional 450 feet that the Hawking Technology Repeater will do. Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point is still an excellent repeater that does its job perfectly and you will be very satisfied with it.
PROS:
Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point will extend your wireless range for the additional 300 feet and thus improve your Wi-Fi signal considerably. 300 feet is the norm and it makes for about 5000 square feet, which should be more than enough to cover all the grounds you need covered and eliminate all dead spots. Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point has 4 Ethernet ports with Power-over-Ethernet technology. It is very easy to set up and use as it does not need set up at all – Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point is basically a plug and play device requiring minimal tampering on your side.
CONS:
The most obvious negative would be the fact that it has 4 PoE ports, but no Ethernet cable included. It is a bit less reliable than the Hawking Technology Repeater, but then again it cost less so it pretty much evens out.
To summarize, there is not much bad to be said about the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point. It does its job of extending your wireless reach considerably, eliminating the Wi-Fi dead spots and has the neat 4 PoE ports to spice up the offer. It also costs about 30 bucks less than Hawking Technology Repeater HW2R1.
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Bestseller wifi range extender – Securifi Almond Touchscreen Wireless Router / Range Extender
Securifi Almond Touchscreen Wireless Router / Range Extender is the bestseller on this list, as it has been bought and used by many satisfied customers. This device has two functionalities, as it can be used as your primary wireless router and as a range extender that will boost the wireless signal from another router. Securifi Almond Touchscreen also has, as the name suggests, a touchscreen interface that excludes the need of accessing this device via your operative system or the use of setup installation disk. Although it does not feature some of the things mentioned for our best and bestbuy choice, this device is still an excellent product. Securifi Almond Touchscreen Wireless Router / Range Extender
PROS:
The biggest pro for this product would be the touchscreen interface feature, which is accessible by just a touch of your hand and allows you to easily set up the device. Securifi Almond Touchscreen can also act as your primary wireless router and, if you have a standard wireless router, it can boost the signal for up to 300 feet. It is compatible with almost any kind of device, and the great thing about this product is that it can include your older Ethernet-only based devices to a wireless network, enabling you to expand it even further. The ease of setup and automatic compatibility of Securifi Almond Touchscreen make it a firm crow favorite and steps up on a whole another level when it comes to wireless range extenders. Securifi Almond Touchscreen Wireless Router / Range Extender
CONS:
There are two disadvantage points of Securifi Almond Touchscreen compared to Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point and Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater. The first one would be the range of 300 feet, which is lower than in the Hawking Technology Dual Radio Smart Repeater. The second one would be that it does not include the 4 PoE ports that the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access point has, nor has it got the number of connections that are available on this device.
To sum it all up, Securifi Almond Touchscreen Wireless Router / Range Extender is a great device that comes with handy features. Considering that it is in the price range of the bestbuy product it is definitely worth the money, as it features the ability to improve your wireless signal and it comes with a touchscreen that will make your life easier when setting this device up, and with so many people jumping on the Securifi Almond Touchscreen bandwagon, it is a definite bestseller product.
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Cheapest wifi range extender – ZyXEL Wireless N Access Point with Ethernet Client
Zyxel Universal Repeater is the cheapest repeater at 48 $ and is pretty good which is exactly why it made our top 4. It is not inferior to the repeaters we have listed above, but it does not have the additional features that these offer which is most likely the sole reason for the reduced price. Zyxel is an excellent router and wireless router manufacturer, and it does not disappoint with the Zyxel Universal Repeater either.
PROS:
The first obvious reason why you would buy the Zyxel Universal Repeater is its price which is considerably lower than the price of most other repeaters and range enhancers. It extends your Wi-Fi range for 300 feet, and that is more than enough for most. It has two 5 dBi antennas which make the signal more stable for data transmission, and its data range is 300 Mbps. The Zyxel Universal Repeater is pretty easy to set up too.
CONS:
You may not decide to buy the Zyxel Universal Repeater because of its lack of some additional features the other repeaters offer such as advanced settings, touchscreen, PoE, and so on. Some of the most common complaints about the product include people having issues with the setup, which contradicts our experience as we have found the setup to be a breeze. Regardless of this, people who are generally satisfied with Zyxel will probably trust the company because of its stellar reputation and excellent customer support.
To summarize, Zyxel Universal Repeater is a bit inferior to the rest of the enhancers we reviewed here, but it is also considerably cheaper and is perhaps the only repeater on this list we can freely claim is inexpensive.
Conclusion
Improving your Wi-Fi range is not as hard as it may seem, but you will have to buy a good signal repeater, which is a device known by many names except for that one: a Wi-Fi enhancer, Wi-Fi Booster, Wi-Fi extender etc. The basic principle under which these handy devices operate is that they connect to your pre-existing wireless network and repeat the signal, enhancing it and sending it further. The best way to enhance your signal would be to set the repeater at the very edge of your existing signal, and the repeater will then extend your range and cover all the dead signal spots. That said, our review has been narrowed down to only the top 4, and the crown went to the Hawking Technologies Repeater which has the best range out of all the repeaters we tested.
A little cheaper option was the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point, which extends the signal for 300 feet and has 4 PoE ports, which is a major selling point. However, the Hawking Technologies is still better because its range is 450 feet, and it has 5 Ethernet ports. The last two on the list were our bestseller, the Securifi Almond which has a 300 feet range as well, but also a cool touchscreen display and controls system that is pretty neat. Zyxel was the cheapest choice, but even this repeater is pretty reliable and people who have Zyxel routers will probably trust this manufacturer to buy their repeater, even if it is slightly inferior.
