WIFI extender recommendation

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CapeTownchic86

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Hi

Can someone recommend a good but not too expensive wifi extender please. There are too many on takealot so I'm not sure which one to go for.

We are with openserve. Our house isnt extremely huge, so the wifi router is near the back of the house and in the front of the house signal is weak in certain spots only.

So I want to get a strong signal throughout the house.

We have 2 router box things - one is nokia and the other box is a mweb fibre wr7010
 
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CapeTownchic86 said:
Hi

Can someone recommend a good but not too expensive wifi extender please. There are too many on takealot so I'm not sure which one to go for.

We are with openserve. Our house isnt extremely huge, so the wifi router is near the back of the house and in the front of the house signal is weak in certain spots only.

So I want to get a strong signal throughout the house.
Click to expand...
If your budget permits, get a mesh instead... Look at the Decos from TP-Link

Extenders are garbage IMO.
 
CapeTownchic86 said:
@greg0205 thanks for the reply. Could you just explain what decos are? I've never heard of it and what they do compared to wifi extender please
Click to expand...
Sure.

Think of Decos as a network of access points around your house. There's one, unified, wifi network. You connect to the node closest to you, and the nodes hand you off to different nodes as you move around the house... You can extend your network by adding additional nodes.

The nodes can be connected to each other via cable, or if that's not an option, they connect to each other wirelessly.

Your speed should be pretty good wherever you are around the house.

Plug and play.

Extenders connect wirelessly to your router, then broadcast their own ssid, You switch networks from the router to the extender as you move... I've always found them to be spotty at best, but terrible generally.
 
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I would only use an extender if there was absolutely no possible way to install a network cable for an additional access point.

And even then I would make it very clear these extenders are temperamental.
 
CapeTownchic86 said:
@greg0205 thanks for the reply. Could you just explain what decos are? I've never heard of it and what they do compared to wifi extender please
Click to expand...
If the mesh system is out of your budget, you can just get a cheap wifi router and use it as an access point. You will need a network cable from your main router to this one, and then set it to AP mode. Then you can set the wifi to use the same settings as your main wifi network (but on a different channel).

I have used some of these to increase coverage. Much cheaper than a mesh system. Works great if you don't need high wifi speeds (just normal streaming/browsing, not sure how fast these will go).
scoop.co.za

Tenda 2.4GHz 5dBi 4 Port Fast Ethernet Router and Repeater | F3

Tenda's W-F3 offers 802.11n 300Mbps WiFi capabilities and is specifically designed for a small to medium offices and homes. It features bandwidth control functionality, quick effortless set-up and x3 5dBi high-gain, omni-directional antennas to ensure max
scoop.co.za scoop.co.za
 
OCP said:
Had a guest house with walls so dense there was ZERO signal penetration.
Interference from nearby building (eg. blocks of flats) is also an issue.

sometimes cabling is the only option ;-)
Click to expand...
Yes, cabling is always the best option. But if you're cabling you might as well cable to a node rather than an extender.
 
furpile said:
If the mesh system is out of your budget, you can just get a cheap wifi router and use it as an access point. You will need a network cable from your main router to this one, and then set it to AP mode. Then you can set the wifi to use the same settings as your main wifi network (but on a different channel).

I have used some of these to increase coverage. Much cheaper than a mesh system. Works great if you don't need high wifi speeds (just normal streaming/browsing, not sure how fast these will go).
scoop.co.za

Tenda 2.4GHz 5dBi 4 Port Fast Ethernet Router and Repeater | F3

Tenda's W-F3 offers 802.11n 300Mbps WiFi capabilities and is specifically designed for a small to medium offices and homes. It features bandwidth control functionality, quick effortless set-up and x3 5dBi high-gain, omni-directional antennas to ensure max
scoop.co.za scoop.co.za
Click to expand...

I know why you posted that but jirre....

That's not a solution that's friendly for non techies
 
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