You almost certainly know the places in your home where your Wi-Fi is patchy. Do you suffer from terrible buffering when trying to stream Netflix in the bathroom, or have a weak signal in the kitchen? Mesh networks can help, but they can also be expensive. A Wi-Fi extender may be all you need to fix your patchy Wi-Fi.
These clever gadgets can boost the signal around your home, ensuring that your dead spots are eliminated and that you get a fast Wi-Fi connection throughout your home. If you’re ready to have fast Wi-Fi no matter which room you’re in, then check out this list of some of the best Wi-Fi extenders or boosters you can get your hands on right now.
Our top picks for the best Wi-Fi extenders or boosters
TP-Link
TP-Link AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender RE715X
1. Best Wi-Fi extender overall
Blazing fast speeds and mesh capabilities
$105 $120 Save $15
The TP-Link AX30000 (RE715X) is a Wi-Fi 6 extender that can offer speeds of up to 3Gbps, which is more than enough for the needs of most households. It can also create a mesh with compatible routers and extenders.
- Fast speeds
- Wi-Fi 6
- External antennas
The TP-Link RE715X offers speeds of up to 3Gbps, with 2402Mbps on the 5GHz band, and 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. That’s more than enough speed to meet most needs. It supports Wi-Fi 6, so you should see better performance if you have a lot of connected devices on your network when compared with a Wi-Fi 5 extender, although you’ll need a Wi-Fi 6 router to get the full benefits.
Combined with compatible routers and other extenders, this Wi-Fi extender can also be used to create a mesh network. The RE715X model comes with external antennas for optimum signal reception, but you can also get the RE700X model, which offers the same features but has built-in antennas, and is a little cheaper. Both models have a single Gigabit Ethernet port.
Netgear
Netgear Nighthawk Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Range Extender EAX80
2. Best Wi-Fi extender for speed
A Wi-Fi 6 range extender that can offer astonishing speeds
$220 $250 Save $30
If you need blazing speed, then this Netgear Wi-Fi 6 extender can offer up to 6Gbps, with speeds of up to 1.2Gbps even on the slower but further-reaching 2.4GHz channel. There are four Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connections.
- Blazing fast speeds
- Eight streams
- Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
If you feel the need, the need for speed, then the Netgear Nighthawk EAX80 can be your wingman any time. It’s a Wi-Fi 6 range extender that offers incredible speeds of up to 6Gbps, with four streams running at up to 1.2Gbps on the 2.4GHz channel, and four streams running at up to 4.8Gbps on the 5GHz channel.
This isn’t the cheapest Wi-Fi extender on the market, and it may be overkill for many households, but if you have a super-fast broadband connection, and want to get as much speed as you can out of it, then the EAX80 can connect more than 30 devices. There are also four Gigabit Ethernet ports for those devices that you want to get the maximum speed possible.
TP-Link
TP-Link AC2600
3. Best Wi-Fi extender for coverage
An excellent Wi-Fi 5 extender with great coverage
$100 $150 Save $50
The four antennas on this Wi-Fi 5 extender provide great coverage. Using beamforming tech, the extender can target specific devices for even stronger connections. It offers speeds up to 2600Mpbs.
- Four antennas
- Beamforming to target devices
- Quirky design
The TP-Link E650 may look like a robot rabbit, but don’t be fooled by its looks. This Wi-Fi extender can offer some serious speeds, giving data transfer rates of up to 2600Mbps, with 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and 1733Mbps on the 5GHz band. The quad-antenna design aims to eliminate any dead spots around your home, using beamforming tech to send targeted signals to specific devices.
It’s not a Wi-Fi 6 extender, but it will still work with Wi-Fi 6 routers. However, you won’t be able to take advantage of the full benefits that Wi-Fi 6 can offer. There’s a single Gigabit Ethernet port if you need to plug in directly.
Linksys
Linksys Max-Stream AC1900+
4. Best Wi-Fi extender for dead spots
A Wi-Fi 5 extender that’s great over shorter distances
$89 $100 Save $11
This Linksys Wi-Fi 5 extender can give speeds up to 1900Mbps, with a Gigabit Ethernet port to boot. It’s fantastic at boosting connection to devices in reasonable proximity, so it’s ideal if you have a particular dead spot in your home.
- Excellent over shorter distances
- Good roaming
- Useful ‘Spot Finder’ feature
The Linksys RE7000 is another Wi-Fi 5 extender that’s great for eliminating dead spots. It offers speeds of up to 1900Mbps, with up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and up to 1733Mbps on the 5GHz band. There’s also a single Gigabit Ethernet port for wired connections. It works really well over shorter distances, so its ideal for eliminating specific dead spots in your home.
The RE7000 uses roaming tech to automatically connect your devices to whichever of your router or extender has the strongest signal as you move around the house. There’s also a clever Spot Finder feature that helps you find the optimum location for your Wi-Fi extender so that you can get the best signal throughout your home.
D-Link
D-Link E15 Eagle Pro AI Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender
5. Best Wi-Fi extender for convenience
A Wi-Fi 6 extender that won’t hog your power outlet
This Wi-Fi 6 extender is a plug-in option that unlike many of its competitors, won’t take your other outlets out of action. The compact design still packs a lot of power, with speeds up to 1500Mbps.
- Wi-Fi 6
- AI smarts to optimize performance
- Won’t block other outlets
- Not as fast as some options
The D-Link E15 Eagle Pro is a Wi-Fi 6 extender that plugs directly into the socket. Unlike many other plug-in extenders, however, it’s usually possible to get another plug into a dual outlet with the D-Link Eagle Pro in place. Many similar products are too bulky to allow another device to be plugged in, so you lose access to one of your power sockets.
The D-Link E15 Eagle Pro offers speeds of up to 1500Mbps, with 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1201Mbps on the 5Ghz band. It uses built-in AI smarts to optimise the Wi-Fi performance of your home, and the high-gain antennas can help to eliminate dead spots.
TP-Link
TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender RE330
6. Best value Wi-Fi extender
A low-cost Wi-Fi extender that can still offer great speeds
$40 $45 Save $5
Having fast Wi-Fi all around your home doesn’t have to cost the earth. This low-cost Wi-Fi 5 extender can still offer speeds of up to 1200Mbps, and has a High Speed mode for gaming and streaming.
- Great price
- Decent speeds
- High-Speed mode
- Ethernet port is only 100Mbps
- Wi-Fi 5
If you’re looking for a low-cost Wi-Fi extender, then the TP-Link RE330 is worth a look. It’s a Wi-Fi 5 extender that can offer speeds up to 1200Mbps, with up to 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and up to 867Mbps on the 5GHz band. There’s a single Ethernet port, but it only offers up to 100Mbps.
If you’re doing something that requires a fast connection, such as HD streaming or gaming, you can turn on the ‘High-Speed’ mode that uses one band for communication between your extender and your router, leaving the other band free to provide a fast connection for your devices. This is another plug-in extender, but you’ll struggle to fit another plug into your outlet at the same time.
The bottom line: What are the best Wi-Fi extenders or boosters?
If you’re looking for a Wi-Fi extender that can give you fast speeds all around your home, then you can’t go far wrong with the TP-Link AX30000 (RE715X). It supports Wi-Fi 6, so it can handle more connected devices, offers speeds of up to 3Gbps, and has external antennas for optimum signal, along with a Gigabit Ethernet port. If you’re looking to boost your Wi-Fi signal in your home without spending too much, then the TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender RE330 is a low-cost alternative.
TP-Link
TP-Link AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender RE715X
Editor’s Choice
$105 $120 Save $15
How did I choose the best Wi-Fi extenders?
When choosing the best Wi-Fi extenders, I wanted to ensure I chose a range of options, including both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 extenders. I also wanted to include a range of speeds, from extenders that are for slower connections, to those that will work with fast broadband. Finally, I tried to include a mix of price points so that there were options to suit different budgets.
What’s our advice for choosing a Wi-Fi extender or booster?
If you’re looking for a Wi-Fi extender or booster, there are some questions you should ask in order to narrow down your decision. The answers to these questions will help you find a Wi-Fi extender that’s suited to your needs.
Do I need Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 doesn’t necessarily offer faster speeds than Wi-Fi 5. If you connect to a single device, you might not notice a huge difference. However, where Wi-Fi 6 comes into its own is when you have a lot of connected devices. Wi-Fi 6 enables devices to keep high data transfer speeds even when there are a lot of other devices online. If you have a large household with a lot of connected devices, a Wi-Fi 6 extender can keep all of your devices running at decent speeds without things slowing down as much. In order to get the full benefits of Wi-Fi 6, however, you’ll need a Wi-Fi 6 router.
What data transfer rate do I need?
It’s important to understand that a Wi-Fi extender can’t make your Wi-Fi any faster; it can only improve your Wi-Fi signal. If your ISP offers 50Mbps broadband, a 6Gbps Wi-Fi extender won’t be able to give you anything faster than 50Mbps. The ratings for Wi-Fi extenders are also the theoretical maximums; the speeds you actually see may be lower.
That said, a Wi-Fi extender can help you to get a faster Wi-Fi connection than you would directly from your router, by boosting the signal so that you get more of your 50Mpbs speed than you would without it.
Long story short, you should consider the speed of your internet connection when deciding how fast your Wi-Fi extender needs to be, although it’s important to keep in mind that you may decide to upgrade your broadband speed further down the line.
Do I need Ethernet ports?
Wireless connections can be extremely fast, but the further away you get, the weaker the signal becomes. Ethernet cables don’t have the same problem; a wired connection will give you the same speed whether you’re right next to your router or in another part of the house. A direct wired connection is usually faster than a Wi-Fi connection, too.
If there are devices you want to have a consistently fast signal, such as a 4K streaming box or a games console, for example, then a wired connection might be beneficial. If so, an Ethernet port on your Wi-Fi extender can make it easier to get a wired connection when you’re not close to your router. You should ensure you check the speed of the Ethernet port, as some are much faster than others.
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