WiFi Repeater

A WiFi repeater is always used if you want to increase the range of an existing WiFi network or prevent interference. WiFi repeaters provide a simple, fast, effective and cost-effective solution. In many cases, they can simply be plugged into the socket and also be used immediately through an automated installation and connection to the router. WiFi repeaters are already available from 20 euros, more expensive repeaters also offer many extra features.

Even high-performance wireless routers quickly reach their limits due to environmental factors such as thick walls, ceilings, furniture or metal interfering factors. If you want to surf the Internet on another floor or in the garden, you will be annoyed by a weak or unstable signal. Remedy can then create the wireless repeater, which is ideally installed halfway between the router and the device. Repeaters with an external power supply have the advantage that they can be positioned independently of the socket in the ideal place, for example on a piece of furniture. As a result, range increases of 100 meters and more are possible.

In order to fully exploit the advantages of a WiFi repeater, it should be placed halfway between the WiFi router and the device. For a three-storey house that would be the first floor, if the router is on the ground floor by default and you also want to go on the second floor with a good and secure connection to the Internet. In addition, you can connect to a repeater and other phones with different phone numbers, if you have VOIP numbers available. The variant with the repeater alone is clearly preferable to a cable installation throughout the house for reasons of expense. The ideal location can also be determined by measuring the radio waves. It is important that the repeater still has enough good reception to process the signal and pass it on safely.

Although you can usually double the range by using a WiFi repeater in the right place, you have to be aware that the transmission rates are halved because it can not transmit and receive on a frequency band at the same time. However, this problem can be avoided, for example, if routers and repeaters can both transmit to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, because both channels can be used simultaneously. Even in multi-family houses or in large cities, it may make sense to use the less frequented 5 GHz frequency band to achieve faster transfer rates.

If you want to optimize your WiFi Repeater, you can do without the automatic installation and do it manually instead. Although this takes a little longer, but ensures that you can also use all the features of the device well, because especially more expensive wireless repeaters can usually do more than just increase the range. For the installation, the IP address of the repeater is required first. This is either already assigned at the factory or is distributed by a DHCP server. The input in the browser then gives access to the repeater. It is particularly important that not only is there a secure encryption of the data between the router and the WiFi repeater, but that the WPA2 standard is also set for the connection between the repeater and the terminal. In addition, the SSID, ie the device identification should be replaced by a name of its own, since it is usually identical with the device number of the manufacturer. So hackers have easy game and can dial in via the WiFi Repeater in a network. The same applies of course to the wireless router. The new SSIDs of routers and repeaters should not be identical, as this may result in an inadvertent connection to the router instead of the repeater from the end device, which in turn causes the unwanted interference due to the weak signal.

Since there is a very large price range for WiFi repeaters, they also have different characteristics. For example, cheaper models usually do not have an external power supply because otherwise the manufacturing cost would increase. Who has no major disruptive factors in his house, but can confidently opt for the budget-priced variant that can easily be plugged into a free outlet. More expensive WiFi repeaters also have a digital display, which makes setting and configuration easier. If you do not need that, you can also make installation and other settings easily via the PC.

By the way: Almost all WiFi repeaters have the so-called RJ45 socket, over which one can integrate devices without WiFi function into the WiFi network via ethernet cable. If multiple devices can be connected through a switch, the repeater even acts as a WiFi bridge or bridge. The small wireless repeaters are true all-rounders. Which price class you ultimately choose is not only a question of the purse, but also of the requirements that both the user and the existing environmental conditions place on the device. Their purpose, namely to significantly extend the range of the WiFi network, but meet expensive as cheap wireless repeaters alike. The purchase is well worth it and can save a lot of frustration while relaxing surfing the Internet!