Wi-Fi repeaters are a very interesting complement to extend Wi-Fi coverage in our home easily. If with our main Wi-Fi router it is not enough to have coverage throughout our home, Wi-Fi amplifiers are the cheapest and most effective device you can buy to complement it with your router. There are a large number of Wi-Fi repeater models with different technical characteristics, the main manufacturers of Wi-Fi amplifiers are D-Link, NETGEAR, AVM FRITZ !, ASUS, TP-Link among other manufacturers.
To choose a good Wi-Fi repeater or amplifier, we must look at several very important aspects:
- Wi-Fi version and Wi-Fi class : To have the best wireless performance, you need to have a current Wi-Fi standard, the latest wireless standard is Wi-Fi 6 (also known as Wi-Fi AX), However, today there are very few Wi-Fi repeaters with the latest standard, so the most normal thing is to find amplifiers with Wi-Fi 5, in addition, these equipment are cheaper than the newer ones. The most important thing is the kind of Wi-Fi that a Wi-Fi repeater has, that is, the combined speed of the different Wi-Fi frequency bands. The higher the Wi-Fi class number (for example, AC3000), the higher overall performance we will get on the Wi-Fi network.
- Dedicated trunk link : Wi-Fi repeaters that are simultaneous triple band, allow configuring a 5GHz frequency band specifically for interconnection with the router. This is essential to achieve the best wireless performance, and also wired, since the dedicated frequency band is not shared with customers and we will achieve higher Wi-Fi speeds.
- Roaming Wi-Fi and band steering : Currently there are Wi-Fi repeaters that integrate perfectly with routers from the same manufacturer, to have Wi-Fi roaming and band steering, as if it were a complete Wi-Fi Mesh system. D-Link, ASUS and AVM FRITZ! They just have repeaters with this feature, then we have NETGEAR that has the 802.11k standard and it does not matter what router you use.
- Ethernet ports : if the Wi-Fi repeaters incorporate one or more Gigabit Ethernet ports, it means that their firmware allows them to also be used as APs, and even connect it to the main router via cable to have Wi-Fi roaming and band-steering with better performance wireless Wi-Fi. High-end Wi-Fi repeaters typically incorporate 2 or more Gigabit Ethernet ports.
- Firmware : Firmware is always the brain of the Wi-Fi repeater, having optimized firmware on a Wi-Fi amplifier is essential, but it is also very important that they have a large number of configuration options. For example, we can configure the trunks specifically, activate the Cross-band to get more Wi-Fi performance in certain scenarios, and even activate the Wi-Fi networks of guests, Wi-Fi programmer and many other configuration options that we can perform. . The most important thing currently for repeater firmwares is whether they allow Wi-Fi roaming and band-steering.
On this page you have a compilation of the best routers that currently exist, you can enter each of the analyzes where you can see in detail what they are capable of.
FRITZ!Repeater 3000
The best
- Simultaneous triple band hardware features (dedicated trunk link)
- Excellent Wi-Fi performance and coverage
- Experience with Wi-Fi Mesh (Wi-Fi roaming and band steering)
- Seamless integration into FRITZ! Box routers
- Very complete firmware with many configuration options
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports for Wi-Fi or AP client
- Outstanding value for money
Worst
- Some menus are in German.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.7
If you have an AVM FRITZ! Box router, this Wi-Fi repeater is simply the best you can buy to expand your home Wi-Fi network at high speed, since it is simultaneous triple band, dedicating a frequency band specifically for the trunk link. This equipment integrates perfectly into the FRITZ! Box network and we can have Wi-Fi roaming and band steering, and all this from centralized management from the FRITZ! Box router itself. In addition, it has two Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN, which can be used as a dedicated trunk link, to connect wired devices or use this equipment as an AP.
NETGEAR EX8000 Nighthawk X6S
The best
- Simultaneous triple band hardware features (dedicated trunk link)
- Excellent Wi-Fi performance in speed and coverage
- Experience with Wi-Fi Mesh (Wi-Fi roaming and band steering)
- Firmware with advanced configuration options
- Incorporates a USB 2.0 port with outstanding performance
- Remarkable value for money
Worst
- It has no guest Wi-Fi or proxy Wi-Fi
OVERALL SCORE: 9.6
This high-performance Wi-Fi repeater is ideal to extend the coverage of our main router, regardless of the router model we have. We can have Wi-Fi roaming thanks to the 802.11k standard, although the router does not support it, in addition, we can also have band steering. The Wi-Fi wireless performance in terms of coverage and speed is excellent, it is one of the fastest computers available today. Finally, the incorporation of four Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB 2.0 port is a very favorable point.
D-Link DAP-1620 B1
The best
- Excellent performance in Wi-Fi repeater mode
- Excellent performance in AP mode
- Fully transparent Wi-Fi Mesh with D-Link routers
- Excellent value for money: only 40 euros
Worst
- It is not real simultaneous dual band
- Wi-Fi Mesh only works with compatible D-Link routers
OVERALL SCORE: 9.6
If you have a router other than D-Link, this Wi-Fi repeater is highly recommended due to its great wireless performance and the price it has. If you have a D-Link router compatible with Mesh, this Wi-Fi repeater is the best way to expand the signal of your home, since we will have Wi-Fi roaming and also band steering, and all this with a price of around 40 euros, so it is really cheap and will allow you to cover your entire home with Wi-Fi very easily.
NETGEAR WAC564 AC3000
The best
- Wi-Fi performance in AP and repeater mode
- Wi-Fi Mesh with Wi-Fi roaming
- Ease and configurations with Insight
Worst
- We don’t have RADIUS in Cloud
- Does not differentiate between 5GHz bands
OVERALL SCORE: 9.3
If you have a professional network with NETGEAR Insight and indoor Wi-Fi access points, this model will allow you to amplify the wireless signal without the need to wire. Thanks to the fact that it connects via Wi-Fi at 5GHz-2, we will be able to obtain great wireless and wired performance, since we have a total of four Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN. By installing it with NETGEAR Insight this AP is able to import all the SSID, security, configured VLANs etc settings, so the integration is perfect.
FRITZ!Repeater 1200
The best
- Wi-Fi coverage and speed
- Wi-Fi Mesh if you use FRITZ! Box
- Gigabit Ethernet port for return network
Worst
- The trunk frequency band is shared with clients
- We only have one Gigabit Ethernet port
OVERALL SCORE: 9.3
If you have an AVM FRITZ! Box router, this new Wi-Fi repeater is ideal for amplifying the Wi-Fi wireless signal in your home. Due to its price and features, this equipment is highly recommended because it integrates perfectly into the FRITZ! Box network and we can have Wi-Fi roaming and band steering, and all this from centralized management from the FRITZ! Box router itself.
NETGEAR EX7500 Nighthawk X4S
The best
- Simultaneous triple band hardware features (dedicated trunk link)
- Wireless Wi-Fi performance on clients and trunk
- Very complete firmware configuration options
- Remarkable value for money
Worst
- Does not have an Ethernet port
- No guest Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi Mesh experience is upgradeable
OVERALL SCORE: 9
This NETGEAR Wi-Fi repeater has wireless performance and excellent Wi-Fi coverage. A positive point is the incorporation of the 802.11k standard to facilitate Wi-Fi roaming, but it is possible that some wireless devices may have cuts when going from one AP to another, if the main router does not support this standard. Another negative point is that it does not have an Ethernet port, only simultaneous triple band Wi-Fi. If you are looking for a Wi-Fi repeater with great performance, you do not need an Ethernet port, and you do not want to spend too much money, this model is a good option because it has very configurable firmware.
FRITZ!WLAN Repeater 1160
The best
- Remarkable Wi-Fi wireless performance
- Very good coverage
- Experience with Wi-Fi Mesh (Wi-Fi roaming and band steering)
- Multiple configuration options in repeater mode
- Quick and easy installation and commissioning
- Remarkable value for money
Worst
- Does not have an Ethernet port
- Wi-Fi Mesh only works with FRITZ! Box routers
OVERALL SCORE: 8.6
If you have an AVM FRITZ! Box router, this new Wi-Fi repeater is a good option to amplify the Wi-Fi wireless signal in your home. This equipment integrates perfectly into the FRITZ! Box network and we can have Wi-Fi roaming and band steering, and all this from centralized management from the FRITZ! Box router itself. The performance achieved is remarkable, however, considering the price, it is a better option to buy the FRITZ! Repeater 1200 that has been recently new, since it has a Gigabit Ethernet port for the LAN.
FRITZ!Repeater 600
The best
- 2.4GHz coverage
- Wi-Fi Mesh if you use FRITZ! Box
- FRITZ! OS configuration options
Worst
- The speed will be around 80-100Mbps
- Does not have an Ethernet port
OVERALL SCORE: 8.1
If you have an AVM FRITZ! Box router, this new Wi-Fi repeater is ideal for amplifying the Wi-Fi wireless signal in your home, but only in the 2.4GHz band, you should take this into account. Due to its price and features, this equipment is only recommended if you intend to connect devices that consume little bandwidth via Wi-Fi, since it only uses the 2.4GHz band and is not simultaneous dual band. This equipment integrates perfectly into the FRITZ! Box network and we can have Wi-Fi roaming and band steering, and all this from centralized management from the FRITZ! Box router itself.
Xiaomi Mi WiFi Repeater 2
The best
- Remarkable Wi-Fi performance and coverage
- Price: 8 euros
Worst
- We will not have more speed of 100Mbps
- Installation and commissioning complicated
OVERALL SCORE: 8
If you are looking for the cheapest Wi-Fi repeater on the market, this Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2 is the best option, yes, do not expect to get great coverage and Wi-Fi speed. If you are looking for a Wi-Fi repeater that provides approximately 60Mbps real, this equipment is ideal for you.
