Extend Your Wi-Fi

There’s an easy and cheap way to kill dead spots in your home and office, and to bring wireless access to areas of your building that are otherwise unreachable. Darien Graham-Smith puts 13 contenders through their paces in a selection of real-world tests to discover which you should buy – and which to avoid.

Flaky Wi-Fi is one of those problems that just won’t go away. With modern routers, laptops and smartphones, you would hope that everything would work together swiftly and smoothly – but the stubborn realities of physics keep getting in the way.

Yet, it’s a problem that’s easily fixed. This month, we try out 13 Wi-Fi extenders that promise to wipe out the notspots in your nest. We’ve tested both wireless repeaters and powerline networking kits so there’s something for everyone – whether you’re looking for a simple solution for a small flat, or seeking to extend your network out to the farthest reaches of the estate. Prices start at just £22, and even this month’s most expensive extender is only £144, meaning it’s an affordable upgrade that will make a real impact on your quality of life.

In our buyer’s guide, we also address some tricky questions about the various technologies available, explain what sort of speeds you can expect and demystify dual-band networking – and if you’re wondering whether you should be shopping for a mesh system instead, you’ll find the answer on p91.

In short, this month’s Labs contains all the information you need to say goodbye to patchy signals. Turn the page and get ready to enjoy fast, seamless coverage.

7steps to the perfect extender

A WI-FI EXTENDER CAN SPEED UP YOUR DOWNLOADS AND CLEAR UP NOTSPOTS – HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Wireless extender technology sounds like magic – just plug a little box into the mains and, hey presto, you’ve got fast Wi-Fi all over the house. However, the reality can be disappointingly different if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Here’s our guide to help you choose the perfect extender.

1 REPEATER OR POWERLINE?