PSA for WiFi extenders

[Briar Lee]

I don’t know if the brand matters but the el cheap o generic $15 WiFi extender I bought for our garage works better than I could imagine.

We get one or two bars signal in our garage but with this gizmo plugged in, we get wall to wall five bars and full broadband speeds.

Easy to install and hook up, even a geezer like me had no trouble.



I could kick myself for not buying one years ago.

Now for some Bouy Gold in a Marxman to reward myself.

 

[drrock]

Which Brand/Model did you buy?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Similar, but not quite the same.

DGOO 1200mbps WiFi Extender Signal Booster,The Newest Generation, Wireless Internet Repeater, Long Range Amplifier With Ethernet Port, Access Point - Walmart.com - https://www.walmart.com/ip/DGOO-1200mbps-WiFi-Extender-Signal-Booster-The-Newest-Generation-Wireless-Internet-Repeater-Long-Range-Amplifier-With-Ethernet-Port-Access-Point/5579800031

 

[GardenStateoftheArtBriar]

those things are hit or miss depending on your environment

 

[shanez]

I use a mesh system which works beautifully. Probably a bit more expensive though.

 

[jpmcwjr]

In my previous home I used an apple extender, which I think may have been discontinued. No matter, when I moved to my duplex condo, I have great reception in all rooms and the deck, one Comcast ordinary router.

Secret?! No metal except what's used to keep wallboard in place.,

 

[bullet08]

Have enough of 'em to cover the whole house. Becoming a slave to the technology.

 

[woodsroad]

I have the Netgear Orbi mesh system. This model is a few years old now and out of production, replaced by even better versions, but it’s been flawless. We live in an old house with thick, dense walls and floors and an attached, but separate garage. It’s impossible to cover with even three access points, I’ve tried. The Orbi gives full power, everywhere, with a base unit and two satellites. This version of the system is now pretty cheap on eBay, although the single satellites are starting to get pricey. I recently bought one to cover the woodlot security camera.

 

[Sigmund]

I realize it doesnt make a difference if you have no signal but has anyone ran speedtest to see how much is lost with one of these? I have some areas of my house that are not covered well. In France everything including my internal walls is either concrete, brick or block under plaster. It wears pretty hard on wifi strength.

 

[woodsroad]

I realize it doesnt make a difference if you have no signal but has anyone ran speedtest to see how much is lost with one of these? I have some areas of my house that are not covered well. In France everything including my internal walls is either concrete, brick or block under plaster. It wears pretty hard on wifi strength.

It's all dependent on what's in the walls and the quality of the extender/mesh unit. Expanded metal lath acts like a Faraday Cage, especially if it's grounded, so that may be a tough one to conquer. Repeaters can really suck, or they can be almost transparently free-flowing. The Orbi mesh system, for me, is almost as fast as right out of the router. My wife runs her work on a laptop using the Orbi and has no complaints. I stream music in the garage with it, and movies/youtube to my iPad. I don't have any numbers for you off the top of my head, but if you wish, I can check it for you. The current version of the Netgear Orbi mesh is wicked fast with Wifi 7, but it's $$$. As with all tech, your best ROI is to stay just under the curve and buy last year's gear.

 

[Sigmund]

Thanks. I have to figure out how much we will actually use it.

 

[woodsroad]

Thanks. I have to figure out how much we will actually use it.

It’s nice having seamless coverage that you don’t have to think about or fiddle with.

 

[Briar Lee]

The genius of who ever was in charge of the development team of thd Wifi repeater is amazing.

The technology allows that little plastic box to if, it can catch one little whiff of a signal, repeat and boost that signal again.

Combined with other miracles such as the modern smart phone, last night I was able to use another modern miracle. wireless earbuds, to sit out in a chair in my back yard and hear Terri Clark sing the Kitty Wells classic It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels, in front of my Chrysler Hemi 300S that would chew up and swallow every sixties muscle car that rumbled up the streets of Humansville fifty years ago, including Robert Pierce’s 396 Chevelle.

The Half and Half in my corn cob hasn’t changed one bit either, in fifty hears.

These are, the good old days, right now.

Microchips help, you know?

 

[woodsroad]

Repeaters have been around almost as long as radio itself.

 

[Briar Lee]

Repeaters have been around almost as long as radio itself.

But they didn’t sell for $15 free shipping on eBay, and plug in and set up intuitively.

If I was the King of the World every electronic gadget that uses Wi-Fi, such as smart TVs, soundbars, etc, would be required to have a built in repeater or there’d be a $15 fine.

My wife and I put up with bad WiFi signals in our finshed garage (where I can smoke) for as long as we’ve had WiFi in our home, ten or fifteen or more years.

Our new 50” UHD 4K television only cost $125 open box.

It took a $15 gadget to make it work well.

 

[shanez]

Had to look up wifi 7 prices. Ouch!

My TP Link Deco M5 mesh system is a few years old now and still covers my 3000 SF house, garage, front yard, and back yard very well.

When we have pool parties we have simultaneously 2-3 TVs streaming Disney+, a couple of tablets, and +/- 10 phones on our wifi without issue plus 2 wireless thermostats, doorbell, 8 camera wireless surveillance system, 3 fireplaces, pool timer, and probably a few things I forgot. No issues. (A 1Gig internet connection is nice too.) Plus the app is just fantastic.

If I were purchasing today I'd probably spend $40 more for the Deco mesh WiFi 6 system. Alternatively I could save $40 with a renewed Deco S4 mesh system.

I know my friends have arrived before they get to my front door because my app tells me their phones have joined my system the moment they're getting out of their vehicles (if they've used my WiFi previously).

 

[woodsroad]

Yeah, I have no need to upgrade my Orbi mesh. I don’t care to rely quite so much on connecting everything to the interwebs, there’s comfort for me knowing that most of our house is off the network, safe from failures beyond my control, hacking and snooping, but as time goes by, that may change. I can monitor and alter every parameter of our generator from my phone, for instance. The unit is 150’ from the house, so that’s pretty handy,