A wireless range extender/repeater enhances the range of a wireless network. It requires a pre-existing wireless network. With a repeater, the same name for the network is kept (setting up a second access point would create a second WiFi network). All a repeater does is refresh the signals it obtains from the main router. In this manner it is able to relay the signals to parts of a house or office that receive little or no signal from the base router. This is all done wirelessly, with the repeater only needing a power outlet and a good location to function.

Normally, a single wireless device has lots of modes – wireless repeating being just one of them. These modes are often wireless access point, wireless bridge or wireless repeater. There are, however, a good number of good products available that are committed repeaters. These are often extremely easy to set up (versus a multi-mode device that likely needs more in-depth set-up work). They are also usually a lot more compact than the multi-mode devices, and can be directly plugged into a power source (with no wires needed).

Are some devices in your home or workspace too far away from your wireless router to link up to the internet? You might solve your problem with a wireless repeater. It is common to have poor network coverage in a basement or in the yard in a household with one wireless access point located in the office, for instance. This all depends on distances and wall thicknesses, naturally – sometimes the signal can have a hard time covering any more than one level. In such circumstances a wireless repeater provides a straightforward solution. The low-coverage area can be connected to the network by setting up a repeater at some point in between the main router and the area where coverage is needed.

Some crucial features you would want to look out for when looking for a wireless repeater are compatibility, range and ease of setup. The next level in high-speed wireless connection is Wireless-N. This technology has the range and capacity to handle the high bandwidth usage of game consoles and streaming high-definition video. some wireless-ready devices are not Wireless-N compatible, however; especially older devices will only work with a repeater compatible with the older B and G bands. It’s a good idea, then to buy backwards-compatible repeater devices to cover all bases (almost all of them are, but there are always exceptions).

While shopping for a repeater, knowing the extent of the boost necessary is important. For a small signal boost (for example, in cases where the signal gets to the area in question but is a bit weak) this wouldn’t matter much, but for bigger boosts to the signal being necessary a higher-quality repeater with a high maximum reach would be in order. The best measure for this is likely to be reading user reviews to get an idea what other owners of the device have managed to do with a given device.

And last, it’s advisable to get a repeater with fairly simple set-up procedures if possible. Often the documentation can be slim, and if you don’t have much knowledge in the area you might run into trouble. Once more, this is a case where customer reviews are a valuable source of information; additionally, sometimes searching for help on the internet will get you a good detailed set of instructions to initialize your device if you’re having difficulties.