Installing a repeater at home to improve the Wi-Fi network is very common. It is an option that is usually cheap, easy and we can see a significant improvement. But this is not always the case. There are many repeaters that do not directly improve coverage or speed. Therefore, in this article we are going to talk about the fine print that you should look at when you go to buy a Wi-Fi repeater.
Fine print on wireless repeaters
Many people have coverage problems at home, for example in a room where Wi-Fi is weak, and they buy a repeater. They expect to receive a good signal, but in practice they find that nothing has really improved. They have continuous cuts, the speed is not good and they cannot even connect several devices. This happens by buying a repeater that is not of quality and not looking closely at the specifications or not taking into account what this device can really do.
You will not have the contracted speed
The first thing you should know is that you are not going to have maximum speed when using a repeater. If you have problems when you connect via Wi-Fi and you do not get the 500 Mbps of fiber you have contracted, for example, using a repeater will not improve that. It is true that you will be able to expand the coverage and have more speed than if you connect to the router from afar, but that does not mean that everything you have contracted will reach you.
Therefore, if you need to have the maximum speed and take advantage of what you have contracted, it is best that you use another alternative. For example, installing an access point in the area where you want to connect, using PLC devices that are more stable or a Wi-Fi Mesh system that better connects to other areas.
Doesn’t work miracles with Wi-Fi distance
You should also keep in mind that a Wi-Fi repeater does not work miracles so that you can connect from far away. It is true that it allows you to amplify the signal and better reach a certain area of ​​the house, but you will not be able to connect from places that are too far from the router.
Think that the repeater has to receive signal first from the router and from there it distributes it to other devices. If it is very far, that signal it receives will be very weak and you will have problems connecting other devices.
Take a good look at the number of devices it supports
This is something that in many cases we do not take into account and we can get an unpleasant surprise. Perhaps you need to connect several devices to the Internet, such as a television, mobile phone, computer, etc. If you use a repeater that doesn’t support multiple connected devices, you’re going to have problems.
There are some models that start to work really badly as soon as we connect more than 2 or 3 devices. You will notice that the speed plummets, that there is instability and problems. Therefore, take a good look at the number of devices it supports.
Beware of Ethernet ports
Having Ethernet ports is interesting for connecting wired devices. For example, you will be able to connect the television to the repeater by cable instead of Wi-Fi and thus have greater stability. It is common for them to have an Internet port available, but be careful because not all of them are the same.
You need to make sure it is Gigabit Ethernet. Otherwise, you would be limited to Fast Ethernet and that means that the speed will not exceed 100 Mbps. If it is Gigabit you could have up to 1 Gbps, although that figure is really difficult to reach.
Therefore, as you can see, you must look very carefully at the fine print of using a Wi-Fi repeater. It is important that you do not get surprises and this type of device really helps you improve the wireless network at home.
