How to Extend WiFi Range for Your Network [Update]

UPDATED: APR 14, 2023

How to Extend WiFi Range

Whether you are fast switching web pages for finding the most useful methods of extending WiFi range for you network? Here you come the right place!

If you're like most people, you rely on your home WiFi network for many things. A strong and reliable WiFi connection is essential, from streaming movies to working from home. 

Unfortunately, the further away you are from your router, the weaker your signal becomes. That's why it's important to know how to extend your WiFi range and get the most out of your home network. In this article, we'll show you a few simple tips to help improve your WiFi signal and keep you connected.

Don't be desperate if you are suffering from limited WiFi range right now. Here we list 4 easiest steps you can follow to extend your WiFi range and get back to enjoying a seamless connection. 

Take a quik look:

● Set Up a WiFi Range Extender

● Add a WiFi Router

● Replace Your Router in a Perfect Location

● Install a Home Mesh Network

Now let me walk you through these ways in detail to improve your WiFi network.

Set Up a WiFi Range Extender

A WiFi range extender can dramatically extend the WiFi range. It collects signals from WiFi routers more and extends the WiFi range to more extensive coverage. In addition, the WiFi extender is a good helper in reducing dead spots and dropouts. With more WiFi signal covers, faster WiFi speed you can have. Hence, once you find your WiFi signal lousy and watch Netflix movies or play games unsmooth, consider setting up a WiFi range extender to boost your network connection.

Add a WiFi Router

Adding a WiFi router is another way to extend the WiFi range. Usually, WiFi signals are emitted from the WiFi router, and the WiFi router functions differently in terms of its performance and quality. Your home's WiFi router may work with low efficiency, emitting a few signals that make your network experience unpleasant. By this time, adding another WiFi router means transmitting more signals. But I have to say, before purchasing another WiFi router, you'd better check whether your old WiFi router is too out of the update to work well. On some occasions, updating the WiFi router can improve your WiFi network more.

Replace Your Router in a Perfect Location

Sometimes, your router has no problems but is in the wrong place. You can now check whether your router is placed at a closed location or a distant corner. Network signals can be weakened more or less when passing through objects, especially passing through thick walls or metals, even though wood-like closets. Replace the WiFi router in an open area without big objects staying close to it. You can adjust the location where the WiFi signal is utmost, testing WiFi speed can be more accurate in helping you extend the WiFi range, and you can know where the WiFi speed is fastest and slowest.

Install a Home Mesh Network

Installing a home mesh network is another way to increase the WiFi coverage in your home. A mesh network is a local area network topology in which the infrastructure nodes (i.e., bridges, switches, and other infrastructure devices) connect directly, dynamically, and non-hierarchically to as many other nodes as possible and cooperate to route data to and from clients efficiently. Mesh network still has more merits; it's smaller than traditional network devices like WiFi extenders, and more importantly, a mesh network is less conspicuous if you care about network security much. 

Every coin has two sides; however, a mesh network costs more than other WiFi range extenders.

You can try some of the above methods to boost your WiFi speed and range, but you'd better test WiFi speed before making any adjustments.

A Home Mesh Network

How to Test WiFi Speed?

When you find your WiFi signal slow and lousy, don't hurry to buy a WiFi extender immediately, you should test your WiFi speed first and think about a proper plan according to your WiFi speed and your demand for using WiFi signal.

There are a few things you can do to test WiFi speed. 

One is to use a speed test website such as SPEEDTEST and go to the website, select a server, and click the "Begin Test" button. The website will then test your download and upload speeds.

Another way to test your WiFi speed is to use a tool like inSSIDer. This tool will show you all the networks in your area and their signal strength. The greater the signal, the faster the speed.

You can also use a tool like NetSpot to see what channels are being used by the networks around you. If there are a lot of networks using the same channel, it can slow down your speed. So, if you see that many networks are using the same channel, you can try changing the channel on your router to see if that speeds things up.

How to Test WiFi Speed

Final Say

Everyone has different demands for WiFi signal; there are many conditions you need to consider when extending WiFi range, such as the purposes you use WiFi, for browsing the internet or online gaming; and the device number that needs connecting. Hopefully, this blog makes some sense to you.

Lonny Norris
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Written By: Lonny Norris

Lonny is head of Network & Communications technology at WebEx. His experience spans over 18 years and he has worked as an advisor for major telecommunications companies across the United States.