Buying a Wifi range Extender is not a five-finger exercise. You must consider every aspect because the investment can make a big hole in your pocket. There are lots of extenders available in the market and choosing the best one from them is like finding a needle in a haystack. Sensing this need, we have come up with our WiFi extender buying guide which will solve almost all of your doubts regarding what to consider when buying an extender. We bet that you will be having a netgear new extender setup after reading this post thoroughly.
As said, WiFi range extenders are an investment hence paying a little more for something that you are going to use for a lifetime is the right step. In case you are too new to WiFi extenders, it is very easy to fall into the trap. Therefore, ensure to make a good research about the range and buy the product that matches your requirement.
In case you are unsure about which brand to go for, it is recommended to play safe and pick the universally popular brand namely Netgear. It is a reliable name in the industry of wireless range extenders.
Wish to be more particular? Have a look at the below-given points before shelling out some dough on a Netgear extender.
- WiFi Standard
First of all, you have to consider the WiFi standards supported by the extender. These include 802.11n, 802.11ac and 802.11a/g. Within them, the latest one is 802.11ac. It delivers wireless speeds up to 2.8 times faster than that of wireless N standard. With this, you can play web games and stream HD-quality videos with no lag. And if your WiFi router doesn’t provide support for 802.11ac, no need to concern over it. 802.11ac device will be compatible with your existing router. You can use mywifiext net new extender setup to determine what is the WiFi standard that your extender supports.
- Dual Band
Netgear extenders provide you with dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios. The first band is crowded with multiple WiFi devices together with other wireless devices such as baby monitors, cordless phones and even microwaves. On the other hand, the 5GHz band is less crowded and cleaner. If you are streaming videos in the home theater then it is recommended to use 5GHz, otherwise use 2.4GHz for regular web browsing via your smart devices. A dual-band extender will provide you with the most options to configure your network for the smoothest wireless experience ever. While accessing www.mywifiext.net webpage, you should be connected to less crowded band.
- Speed Ratings
Wireless extenders generally broadcast their speed in Mbps. Previous models provide up to 11Mbps, mid-range 802.11g extenders operate at 54Mbps while 802.11n and 802.11ac devices come with the speed between 150Mbps and 600Mbps and above 1Gbps respectively. When you are on Netgear genie setup page, your device must function at higher speeds.
- USB Ports
Some extenders possess USB ports to connect external hard drives and printers to share on network.
- WiFi Data Security
In general, WiFi networks are not secure. If you don’t take any steps to safeguard your network, anyone can access your files and keep a track of your online activities. So you must consider the extender which provides support for WPA2 security method. If you have an old device, set up an encryption technique by navigating to mywifiext Login page and select WPA2 security option. Keep in mind that do not depend on WEP because it can be easily cracked by others.
- External Antennas
Some extenders incorporate external antennas to provide better coverage and range. When you put the antennas, open a web browser and navigate to 192.168.1.250 IP address and see if the connectivity improves or not.
So these were some of the important factors to consider while buying an extender. What do you generally look for in an extender? Share your opinion with us via the comments below.
