CNET
Mesh Wi-Fi vs. range extenders: The best option for your home
Do you need a new mesh system, or will a range extender suffice? We take a look at both options to find the right fit for your home. We also discuss the best placement for fixing dead zones and talk through specific recommendations, including models from Nest, Netgear, TP-Link and more. You can buy the…
Akshaj Hui
May 26, 2021 at 12:12 pm
👍
Nqobile Buthelezi
May 26, 2021 at 12:15 pm
Is this an ad?
Nonyo Bizness
May 26, 2021 at 12:16 pm
If only AT&T would provide reliable home Internet I’d invest in extending the range
AirJordan23 DCH
May 26, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Why didn’t you mention or say anything about Ethernet backhaul on mesh routers it’s 1000 times better than wireless backhaul always check if the mesh router your buying has that feature
Ari Bloch
May 26, 2021 at 1:47 pm
Most people aren’t set up to use Ethernet backhaul
Zionfarm
May 26, 2021 at 2:41 pm
Is there were you plug in the extender into the wall via coax or Ethernet connection? Reason I am asking is I had my home upgraded to CAT6 in certain spots.
Ari Bloch
May 26, 2021 at 2:52 pm
@Zionfarm Are you asking if it is possible to use an extender with ethernet? I would still strongly suggest a mesh system with wired backhaul, or simple access points.
Michael Hughes
May 26, 2021 at 8:46 pm
@Ari Bloch that’s ok. It’s just another option that he should have mentioned though.
Marush Denchev
May 26, 2021 at 12:32 pm
I am using a TP-Link extender but I hate that it doesn’t keep the Wi-Fi session. It drops me from conversations when I switch to the _ext network.
Rogerio Pereira da Silva
May 26, 2021 at 6:48 pm
That’s one of the biggest downsides of using cheap extenders compared to mesh networks. Extenders have a separate SSID for themselves – typically something ending with ‘_ext’ by default as pointed out in the video – which is for all practical intents and purposes a separate wireless network than that of your main router. With mesh networks, you can move throughout your house and the connections will be transferred seamlessly between each node of the mesh. Moreover extenders, at least the cheaper ones like the no-name Chinese brand I have here, also cap out at pretty low transfer speeds so I wouldn’t recommend them if you’re planning to use it for something network-intensive or low-latency such as gaming and 4K video streaming, for example. Think of it as a low-cost investment to cover that odd one-out dead zone in your house and that’s about it.
EverythingEvo
May 26, 2021 at 12:37 pm
Extenders are horrible, period.
Ari Bloch
May 26, 2021 at 1:49 pm
I forgot how bad extenders were until I used one for a few days. Walking around a house and holding on to the weaker signal is so annoying. Mesh is 1000x better
TechVamp
May 26, 2021 at 12:51 pm
Mesh extenders dude, which do NOT come up as a separate name, also you haven’t tried the speed of the AX11000 from Asus
Redmist 78
May 26, 2021 at 1:04 pm
My house is like 700 sq foot and i have dead zones, so I had to get an extender. Thanks Concast.
tarq171
May 26, 2021 at 1:26 pm
Extenders are useless 70% of the time
Christopher Alden
May 26, 2021 at 1:38 pm
I put an Orbi in our office. I hate it. There’s no web interface, only a phone app. I made the assumption it would work like ALL the other network devices in the world. Instead I get ads on my phone that I can’t turn off.
noupot
May 26, 2021 at 2:01 pm
With extenders, you have to manage several SSIDs which is very painful.
Jean Alexander
May 26, 2021 at 2:33 pm
That router is looks good like an empire ship
Julien Uppiah
May 26, 2021 at 3:10 pm
The best is actually Mesh Wi-Fi router coupled with CPL (powerline) as optional backhaul, like Deco P7 from TP-Link
elmin
May 27, 2021 at 10:50 am
No best is unify AP way better
Igor Marcos
May 26, 2021 at 3:16 pm
there are some from huawei that mix powerline with mesh and wifi6, so they talk to each other using wifi6 and your power outlets at the same time to create a better mesh that it would be by using just one or another, but yall americans so good luck hahaha
Matt Boynton
May 26, 2021 at 3:20 pm
WiFi extenders are the worst, just setup a UniFi network and be done with it
Donny Chau
May 26, 2021 at 4:22 pm
I thought we should not be using WPS as it’s easily hacked.
Biochemistry by Bassil Aljallah
May 26, 2021 at 4:26 pm
👍
Noor Hussain
May 26, 2021 at 5:18 pm
Home network videos are so fun to watch.
JoystickJester
May 26, 2021 at 7:36 pm
I bought the Orbi RBK753S six months ago and it’s an upgrade from what I had before but as for WiFi speeds I wish they were faster. I currently have xfinity with speeds of 1.2 gb and wifi only get around 600 Mbps. I understand direct connection would be faster but when plugged in I only get 900 Mbps. Still getting fast speeds either way but would like to get speeds that I pay for.
_W_
May 26, 2021 at 7:42 pm
I think companies like AT&T and Comcast are in cahoots with the WiFi industry. If only both of their common gateways do better, most of us won’t need extenders. It’s shocking that a $30 cheap router can provide better range than the AT&T and Comcast gateways. They intentionally generate demand for these extenders by lowing the WiFi performance. I am surprised “green” organizations have not gone after them… The extra power needed to run a collection of extenders is just so unnecessary. Plus, the standard extenders use WiFi as backhaul, generating extra traffic on already very crowded RF airwaves.
jimmyohdez
May 26, 2021 at 11:34 pm
4:10 I was NOT ready for the price..
David Jamgochian
May 27, 2021 at 12:01 am
Chef Cnet
dvxAznxvb
May 27, 2021 at 5:46 am
It seems like this guy, “Dong Ngo” anything
Temmie Picks
May 27, 2021 at 8:15 am
For only spanish speaker, que pasa cuando mueres ya esta en mi canal afirmado
Kurt Wassabi
May 27, 2021 at 9:33 am
Engenius brand is still the best.
Guy Katz
May 27, 2021 at 12:44 pm
no, for best result connect a LAN cable between the router and the extender or between mest units…
Sanjay Nyelam
May 27, 2021 at 7:45 pm
Range extenders are the worst i have ever used..
From ground floor to first floor there won’t be any 5ghz band you going to get, they only provide 2ghz.
Simon Harton
May 27, 2021 at 8:15 pm
Very good, I was surprised you left out some of the main limitations of extenders that is, 1 you need to reconnect all of your wireless devices to a new wireless network 2 your devices will stick to the networks when moving throughout your home and 3 powerline extenders suffer from interference on your home power lines.
B Davali
May 27, 2021 at 8:43 pm
I saw the 3-piece Netgear Orbi at Costco yesterday for $399! I paid $429 three months ago! Very satisfied with whole-house 2-story coverage with just the main router and 1 satellite. Have the second one running toward the front of the house to improve signal strength for Ring Doorbell and Ring floodlight camera over driveway.
BBBT
May 28, 2021 at 4:29 am
Great info
Roberto Diaz
May 29, 2021 at 2:15 am
Pongan subtitulo en español amigos
FhargaZ
May 29, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Range extenders that sell here are really crappy, or your smartv can’t connect to them, the firestick or chromecast has issues or even your cellphone will have issues.