Can I Use a Router as an Wi-Fi Extender for My Home?

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If you have a Wi-Fi router in your home, but you still can’t get a good signal. In some parts of the house, using your router as an extender might be able to help. An extender extends the range of your router. So that you can get connected and get faster Internet speeds even in those hard-to-reach areas of your home. Improved Wi-Fi coverage is important not only because it helps avoid dropped calls and lagging video. But also because it lets you stream videos on more devices without running into data cap roadblocks.

A WiFi extender is a secondary router that connects to your primary one for extending its range. There are two types of extenders — wired and wireless ones. In this article, we will focus on the benefits of using a router as an extender, how to use it as one, and what are the best routers as extENDERs.

What is a WiFi Extender?

A WiFi extender (also known as a range extender) is a device that receives your router’s signal and rebroadcasts it, extending the coverage of your existing Wi-Fi network. There are two types of extenders — wired and wireless ones. While wired extenders are connected to your router with a cable, wireless extenders connect to the router wirelessly.

A wireless extender can be powered with electricity or, in some cases, you can buy a model that runs with batteries. Another difference between wired and wireless extenders is that the latter is often easier to set up. Wired extenders, on the other hand, are harder to install, but they’re also usually more reliable and offer more protection from cyber threats.

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Why You Should Use a Router as an Extender

There are many benefits to using a router as an extender. But, the main one is that an extender can help expand your home Wi-Fi network without having to buy a separate device. Plus, it’s often cheaper to use one of your old routers as an extender instead of buying a new one. Depending on the type of extender you have, an old router can help you add coverage to one or multiple rooms.

This can be especially useful in large homes, where your Wi-Fi signal might not reach. If you have a single-floor house, and you’re happy with your Internet speed, you could still benefit from using your router as an extender — especially if you have multiple devices that need to be connected to the Internet.

How to Use Your Router as an Extender

The first thing you need to do to use your router as an extender is turn off its Wi-Fi network. Then, connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the WAN port of your router, and the other to the LAN port of the extender. Turn on the extender and let it boot up. Then, turn on your router and connect to the extender’s network, not your router’s. You will now have two networks — your primary router’s network and the extender’s network.

To connect your devices to the extender’s network, you will need to change their Wi-Fi settings. But, you also need to make sure that your primary router’s network isn’t disabled. For example, if you’re using a Netgear router, you can turn off the Internet on your main router (by disabling “Internet”) but turn it back on when you’ve finished setting up the extender.

What’s the Best Router to Use as an Extender?

The best router to use as an extender will vary depending on your specific needs and the extender you choose. That said, there are a few routers that are particularly well-suited for this task. – Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 – This router is especially great for extending your network because it has Beamforming technology, which helps direct the signal to where it needs to go.

– Linksys AC1900 – This router is another good option if you don’t mind spending a bit more money. – TP-Link AC1900 – This is a great budget option, and it comes with two external antennas. – Asus RT-AC86U – This router is fast, reliable, and comes with a ton of features, including MU-MIMO technology. – Google WiFi – Google WiFi isn’t a traditional router — it’s a mesh network. This means it’s designed to cover every inch of your home with Wi-Fi.

Wifi Problems

Wi-Fi problems seem to be plaguing people with home networks as of late. It’s not just the connection speeds slowing to a crawl, or devices taking forever to connect, either. It’s all around speed, range, coverage, and reliability, and there’s a solution, even if you don’t have $500 to drop on it.
Many folks simply use an old router as a Wi-Fi extender for their home network, connecting a Wi-Fi extender from your ISP to the main router, so that your family devices can actually get a connection and, in theory, function just like they did when your home network was simply a single access point for your entire house.
But does that really work? Sure, the manufacturer’s claim may be true—it can work if you plug that router into a router, your main router (if you don’t have mesh Wi-Fi) to extend the range and to get you a little more speed, or to solve a signal drop when you have more than one device connecting to the internet. But if you’re able to buy a “regular” router and try to use it as an extender, it won’t work.

Specifications

Some routers come with a tri-band option, where the main router has a 2.4GHz and a 5GHz Wi-Fi band. When you plug in a router that has a band that is used for all three of those bands, it can increase the range, giving your devices a better connection with your primary router. That’s a good idea, assuming you’ve got a spare networking adapter laying around that’s compatible with it, too. But that requires just plugging the adapter into the router because it needs power. You can also get extenders that work with multiple router bands and bands from different companies. But that’s all quite expensive, not to mention another issue, as you can see in the images below.
If you’re not in a rush, there are extenders that come with a tri-band functionality already installed, as shown below. If you’re like me, you’ll need to buy a new router and purchase a new adapter to use it as an extender. Because my router does not come with a tri-band functionality. So if you’re in the market for a new router. Your best bet might be to look for one that supports tri-band, and a tri-band extender.

Conclusion

While it’s possible to use a router as an extender. We’d recommend using a dedicated extender for better performance and convenience. That said if you don’t have any other Wi-Fi coverage options. It using your router as an extender is the next best thing. Keep in mind, that you should always make sure that.  Your primary router is in a central location in your house. This will maximize its reach. And if you’re looking for a new router, it’s worth investing in one with MU-MIMO technology. To ensure smooth coverage across multiple devices. I hope this article gives you better information.

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