Using a Wi-Fi repeater is a good option to have a better wireless connection at home. If you see that the coverage does not reach a specific area or you have poor speed, it may be a good idea. Now, it is necessary that you buy a device that really improves what you already have and helps you have better Internet. Therefore, in this article we are going to tell you some keys that you must take into account so that you are not deceived when buying a device of this type.
Characteristics that a Wi-Fi repeater must have
Sometimes we can find a good offer for a Wi-Fi repeater that promises to bring coverage to other places and we decide to buy it. We have problems in an area of the house and we trust that you can help us. The problem is that we don’t see its characteristics well and what we are buying is not going to help us as we think.
Dual band, basic
Something fundamental is that this Wi-Fi repeater is dual band. It is important that you can connect to both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages, so sometimes it will be better to connect to one and, other times, to the other option.
The 2.4 GHz band is the one that offers the greatest distance, so you can connect from further away without problems. It is, however, slower. On the other hand, the 5 GHz band is the fastest, but the range it has is much more limited and indoors it does not usually work well from 15 meters.
Wi-Fi 6, the latest protocol
Wireless networks have improved a lot in recent times thanks to improved protocols. A clear example is the Wi-Fi 6 protocol , which is the most current. It offers better coverage and of course higher speed. It is also advantageous in order to save battery on mobile phones or computers.
So, should you buy a wireless repeater that is Wi-Fi 6? Our advice is that, since you make the investment, buy a device that has this protocol. It is true that today there are still not many compatible devices, especially if you have an older mobile or PC, but little by little you will have more and you will be able to take advantage of it.
Connected device capacity
A very important factor is the ability of the Wi-Fi repeater to be able to connect more or fewer devices. There are models that start to malfunction as soon as you connect 3 or 4 devices. They are more limited and you are going to have problems in this regard.
Therefore, our advice is to buy one that can support quite a few connected devices at the same time. Especially if you are going to connect many home automation devices, such as light bulbs or smart plugs, a good repeater should be used to support it without problems. Sometimes the repeater network may not appear and one of the reasons is that it is saturated.
Gigabit port
Are you going to connect wired devices? Not all Wi-Fi repeaters have an Ethernet port. But beyond buying one that does have this port, ideally it should be Gigabit Ethernet . This means that you will be able to reach speeds of up to 1 Gbps, so you will be able to make better use of your fiber optics.
If you buy a repeater that doesn’t have a Gigabit port and is limited to Fast Ethernet, the speed will never exceed 100 Mbps. You’re going to be limited in that sense.
Maximum speed
One more factor that you should look at before buying a Wi-Fi repeater is the maximum speed it supports . Here you can also find important differences. Of course, it will also be linked to characteristics such as whether or not it has dual band or if it is compatible with Wi-Fi 6.
You will be able to look at this in the specifications of the Wi-Fi repeater. The higher top speed it allows, the better. It does not mean that you will get that speed, since it will depend on many factors, but at least you will have that capacity available.
In short, as you can see, buying a Wi-Fi repeater can help a lot to improve the quality of your wireless network. It is important that you choose very well which one to use and look at the features that we have shown so as not to have problems.
