A mesh WiFi network and a WiFi range extender are both solutions to improve your WiFi coverage, but they work in different ways.
WiFi range extenders have a few limitations that you should be aware of:
1. Reduced network speed: When using a WiFi range extender, the extended network may experience a decrease in network speed. This is because the extender has to receive the original signal from the router and then rebroadcast it, which adds some latency and potential signal degradation.
2. Separate network name: Range extenders often create a separate network name (SSID) from the original router, which means you may have to manually switch between networks as you move around your home or office. This can be inconvenient and may interrupt your online activities.
3. Signal degradation: The further you are from the range extender, the weaker the signal can become. Walls, furniture, and other physical obstacles can also interfere with the signal, leading to decreased performance and coverage.
4. Limited coverage area: WiFi range extenders typically have a limited coverage range. If you have a large home or office space, you may need multiple extenders to ensure consistent coverage throughout, which can be expensive and complex to set up.
5. Compatibility issues: WiFi range extenders may not work well with all types of routers or WiFi systems. It’s important to check compatibility before purchasing an extender to ensure it will work seamlessly with your existing network.
Considering these limitations, if you require a more robust and seamless WiFi experience with extended coverage, a mesh WiFi network may be a better solution.
A mesh WiFi network consists of multiple interconnected devices, called nodes or access points, that work together to create a single, seamless WiFi network. These nodes communicate with each other, extending the coverage throughout your home or office. Mesh networks provide consistent signal strength and seamless roaming as you move around, as devices automatically connect to the closest node with the strongest signal. They often come with advanced features like self-healing and self-optimization.
On the other hand, a WiFi range extender, also known as a WiFi repeater or booster, amplifies the existing WiFi signal from your router and rebroadcasts it to extend the coverage area. It works by capturing the WiFi signal and then transmitting it to areas where the signal is weak. However, the repeated signal is usually separate from the original network, resulting in a potential decrease in network speed and a less seamless experience when moving between the original router and the extender.
In summary, mesh WiFi networks provide a more robust and seamless WiFi experience by creating a unified network with multiple access points, while WiFi range extenders simply amplify and rebroadcast the existing WiFi signal, which can lead to some limitations.
We explain the differences, and why you should not leave every job up to a single router.
Wireless access points (WAPs), and extenders/repeaters are often confused. Both are hardware designed to increase WiFi range and signal, but work in very different ways with different results.
Wireless Access Points (WAPs)
A Wireless Access Point (WAP) connects to your modem/router (sometimes through a switch) using an Ethernet cable connection (hardwired connection). WAPs transmit/receive signals using built-in radios and each radio can talk to one smart device at a time. The more radios, the more devices that can talk to the Internet at the same time. Enterprise grade WAPs (including all Ruckus Wireless products) have multiple radios built into each WAP. Most any “WiFi router” that consumers buy at big box stores or online can only talk to one smart device at a time because they only have one radio.
The key to preventing buffering in your home is to make sure that everything can see and access the Internet as quickly as possible. To do this you need WiFi coverage throughout your home, enough radios to talk to everything at the same time, and WAPs that have multiple radios per WAP to talk to all of your smart devices.
By installing multiple enterprise grade WAPs (i.e. Ruckus Wireless Access Points), you create a WiFi “dome” over your entire home. Regardless of where you are under the dome you connect to the closest WAP with an available radio, and that information gets transmitted from the WAP over a hardwired connection to your modem (from your service provider) and out to the Internet. This is the BEST way to create a whole house WiFi system that is ready to talk to all of your smart devices at the same time.
Additionally with a whole house WiFi system using multiple WAPs, your smart devices are connecting to a single network, minimizing drop outs, non-connectivity or loss of performance.
Range Extenders/Repeaters/Boosters
A repeater/extender’s job is to simply extend the existing WiFi signal coverage over a larger area by taking in the WiFi signal that it sees and repeating it out. The main issue here is that you run into a “Garbage In/Garbage Out” situation. If a repeater/extender is placed too far from the main WiFi router in a home, and it is getting a weak WiFi signal, all it will do is take the weak WiFi signal and extend it further into the home. The user may see full bars of service BUT might have trouble actually connecting to the internet because they are just seeing a “louder” weak signal. Additionally many of these repeaters/extenders will a separate WiFi network (i.e. “Smith Family WiFi Up” and “Smith Family WiFi Down”). Now your smart device needs to figure out which network it wants to join and then actively try and drop off of one network and onto the other each time it is closer to the “Up” or “Down” network. Drops offs like this cause stuttering audio/video, slow load times on webpages, etc.
A repeater/extender installation doesn’t require cables to be run around the home offering a little more simple installation, therefore providing for a cheaper but limited alternative. The main downside is that the repeaters/extenders have to talk in two directions, receiving information from the smart device, then sending that information wirelessly again over a weak signal to the modem/router. Then the modem/router has to send information back over that same weak WiFi signal to the repeater/extender, then to the smart device. All of these “hops” just delays the communication between the smart device and the Internet.
If you are already limited in download speeds this can cause buffering and signal drops, also if you place your repeater/extender too far from the modem/router it can lose even more performance. Unfortunately, the user will see a strong signal while connected to a repeater but without a strong WiFi Internet connection the performance is limited.
Conclusion
Wireless repeaters/extenders are an inexpensive option that really just give the appearance of stronger WiFi without adding any real performance increase, and in many cases decrease WiFi performance. Wireless Access Points (WAPs) prevent these problems when installed correctly. WAPs require hardwired connections to each location but provide your household with the infrastructure necessary to utilize current and future wireless technology. In today’s world we have seen an exponential increase in WiFi usage and need. WAPs provide the best solution to adapt to these ever-changing needs. Your WiFi network is the backbone for all of your smart devices. Allowing experts to properly design and implement the correct infrastructure will insure all devices get online all of the time at the speeds required to perform to their ultimate capabilities