When your WiFi isn’t performing like you know it can – slow speeds, dropped connection, dead spots with no connection, etc. – then it is time to look into improving your home WiFi. We have some quick tips you can follow to improve your WiFi, which includes relying on WiFi boosters.
There are a handful of types of WiFi boosters on the market. Here, we are comparing Mesh WiFi and WiFi repeaters (also called WiFi range extenders).
Mesh WiFi and WiFi repeaters are both forms of WiFi boosters. One works as a system throughout your entire home, while the other is a device that works with your router to extend the WiFi signal. Mesh WiFi is the whole-home system, including a mesh router and nodes placed throughout all rooms in your home. A WiFi repeater is a hardware device that sits between your traditional router and the hard to reach spot.
Mesh WiFi pros & cons
Pros:
- Better coverage over your entire home with a WiFi signal to get rid of any dead spots.
- Multi-point access so if one node goes down, another can pick up seamlessly.
- A single network compared to a repeater which creates a separate network.
- A mesh network can be as big or small as you need.
Cons:
- Mesh WiFi can be expensive.
- Requires specific hardware devices that won’t work with traditional devices
- Each node’s range is less than you would get from a router or an extender, so you will need a number of nodes to cover your home.
- Still vulnerable to slow speeds from points that are far away from the router.
Wi-Fi Repeater pros & cons
Pros:
- A more cost-effective solution.
- Ability to select a better channel to get better speeds.
- Sits between your router and the dead spot to eliminate the WiFi dead zone.
- Great for smaller homes.
Cons:
- Creates a separate network, so you have to manually switch your device over to the second network.
- Depending on your router, you could face compatibility issues. Whereas, mesh WiFi devices are designed to work together seamlessly.
- Not the best solution for large, multi-floor homes.
The answer to which is better really comes down to your living situation, your budget and your home network preferences. Whichever you choose, you can find a solution for your slow WiFi network.
If you are in the market for WiFi repeaters or range extenders, Hitron’s offerings of WiFi Boosters are easy to use to eliminate dead spots inside and outside of your home. They are flexible solutions to getting the fast and high-performing network you want. It doesn’t matter if you are on Ethernet, MoCA, or WiFi. Ask your Internet service provider about Hitron’s WiFi boosters today.
Want more like this? Check out Hitron’s Learn Page.