A wireless range expander, also known as a wireless range extender or wireless repeater enhances the range of a WiFi network. It needs an already existing wireless network. With a repeater, the same SSID for the network is kept (setting up a new router would create another wireless network). All this device does is refresh the signals it receives from the main access point. In this way it can relay the signals to areas of a home or workplace that get little or no signal from the main access point. This is all done wirelessly, with the device only needing a power source and a decent location to work.

Usually, a single wireless device has a variety of modes – wireless repeater being only one of them. These modes tend to be wireless access point, wireless bridge or wireless repeater. There are, however, a decent number of good devices on the market that are committed repeaters. These are often very simple to set up (in comparison with a multi-mode device that may require more detailed configuration). They are also usually much smaller than the multi-mode devices, and can be directly plugged into a power source (with no wires required).

Are some computers in your house or office way too far away from your main access point to access the internet? You might find a wireless repeater helpful. It is common for there to be poor WiFi availability in a basement or on a patio in a household with one wireless router located in the office, for instance. This all varies with distances and building materials, of course – sometimes the signal can have difficulty covering any more than one floor. In such a situation a wireless repeater provides a straightforward solution. The low-signal zone can be connected to the network by positioning a repeater somewhere in between the main access point and the area where coverage is needed. Read the rest of this entry »