10 Things to Know About WiFi Boosters and Extenders
How Do I Boost My WiFi Signal?
There are several ways to boost
your WiFi signal. From placing your router in a different area of
your house, to adding an antenna, to adding a whole new device, there are
several options to consider. The first thing to try is checking on the
placement of your router, as this is a key in getting a strong WiFi signal. Find
out which
direction the strongest signal is coming from and place the router
in that area of your house. Building
materials also play a big part in determining signal. If your router
is in the kitchen and your office is in the concrete basement, those walls will
impede the signal.
The second option is to look at your equipment and make sure it is built for
your needs. New technologies come on the market all the time and if your router
or antennas are older, you might want to check out what’s new. All routers are
not the same and some cannot handle the amount of signal you might need. Check
the settings on your router and internet to make sure they are optimized.
Rebooting your system clears information from the memory and gives it a fresh
start. Also, check out your antenna and see if it is optimal for your desired
signal and consider an upgrade to be able to receive more bandwidth from the
provider.
Here are some of our most popular, top-of-the-line cellular
routers:
Peplink Max BR1 Pro 5G
Peplink Max BR1 Mini
Most affordable LTE mobile router with up to 300G bps down.
A third option is to check out a booster or extender. Each of these devices
takes your existing signal and manipulates it for a different purpose. The
extender will rebroadcast the signal to dead areas of your home. The booster
can amplify the signal up to 32 times its strength. Depending on your needs,
one of these can make a big difference.
1. What is a WiFi Booster?
If you have a weak signal coming into your home
or business
that could use some improvement, a WiFi Booster plugged into a power source can
amplify that signal to make it more useful. Its function is to take the signal
received through your router, and actually creates a stronger one that can be
broadcast to a nearby area. You will be able to work in more areas of your
house with a stronger connection. It will allow more members of your household
to enjoy the signal as well.
2. Do WiFi Boosters Actually Work?
Yes! As long as you have a signal coming into your home, the booster will
amplify that signal up to 32 times. Many things block and weaken signals in
your home - walls, furniture, appliances - a booster creates a stronger signal
that will transmit through or around obstacles. WiFi boosters allow you to work
in areas of your house, building or yard that have dead
spots or are farther away from the router.
3. How Does a WiFi Booster Work?
WiFi boosters work by capturing a signal already received from a device such
as a router or hotspot and boosting or amplifying that signal to a wide area.
The booster broadcasts the signal often through a larger, more powerful antenna
as an additional wireless signal. Booster signals are generally stronger and
more reliable than that just broadcast from your regular router. The booster is
plugged into a power source in an optimal area of your home. The booster collects
the signal from the router. You then log into the booster from your device with
a password and you are ready to go. When doing your homework on which booster
to purchase, choose one that covers the square footage you need and is adequate
for your signal strength. Then choose an area of your home that captures and
broadcasts signals well and plug it in.
4. Are WiFi Boosters Secure?
A wireless connection does create some vulnerabilities to your network. Just
like routers and your home computer, keeping up on the latest security software
is important. Hackers are continually working to steal your information.
Upgrading software when it becomes available will keep you up to date on
protections. Some boosters have extra security features built in. Choose a secure
password and username. Boosters do have one thing going for them. As the signal
travels farther from the booster, it tends to get weaker. Boosters are designed
to cover a limited area. So, unless the hacker is really close to your house,
boosters will not add any more security risk than you already have.
5. Can WiFi Boosters Be Hacked?
Where there’s a connection and your data, there’s a hacker that probably
wants to get into it. WiFi has some vulnerabilities just like your wired
devices do. There are settings on your router to check and updates from your
software and hardware vendors that can keep you protected. Register your device
with the vendor after purchase and they will send you any patches, upgrades or
recommendations for enhanced protection.
There is more you can do. For example, using a private VPN or making sure
your firewall is set up will add extra protection. Check out the security
settings on each and every device using the booster. Choose a WiFi password
that is not easy to guess and change that password periodically. With a little
forethought, you can have a secure network in your home.
6. How Do I Set Up a WiFi Booster?
WiFi Boosters come with different components depending on the model you get.
Simple WiFi boosters plug into a power source in your home. Choose an area of
your home that has a strong signal and is able to broadcast to the dead zones
of your home. Find the area of your home where the signal becomes very weak and
where the signal from the router comes into your home, and place the booster
about halfway between those two spots. Turn on the WiFi settings on your
device, type in the password and you are connected.
7. Do WiFi Boosters Work With Hotspots?
A hotspot captures the signal from your nearest
cell phone tower and converts it to WiFi, which you can then use to
connect your devices. This can either be a specific mobile hotspot device or
your cell phone can act as a mobile hotspot. Unless you have a fantastic signal
coming from the tower, this signal could be rough. WiFi boosters extend the
coverage or range of WiFi hotspots. A hotspot
cell signal booster will amplify the signal coming into your hotspot
and allow your hotspot to work more efficiently. It’s a good option for
reaching areas of your home that the hotspot does not adequately cover.
8. Are WiFi Boosters Good For Gaming?
Boosters amplify your existing signal produced by your router. This gives
you access to faster and more reliable speeds. Since online video games require
decent upload and download speeds, amplifying the signal can significantly
reduce a player's ping. Ping is important in some real time, multiplayer games
as it is the time it takes data to be sent out and return a response. The lower
the ping time (or lag in the computer’s response), the better the gaming
experience. Things to look for in a WiFi booster designed for gaming are the
speed of the fast ethernet ports, the wireless speeds, the antenna design and
the ability to handle more than one device. Depending on your gaming needs, a
WiFi booster can make a big difference.
9. Do WiFi Booster Apps Really Work?
Booster
apps claim to combine signals and boost your connection with the tap
of a button. They might increase the performance of your device by clearing
some files and making it run more efficient, but they can’t take a signal that
is not there and make it stronger. They have some good features that can direct
you to the direction of the nearest cell tower. That may make a difference in
how strong a signal you can capture, but the general consensus is that they are
not helpful for much else. The good news is that there are plenty of free apps
out there and if you download one and it doesn’t work, you’ve only wasted a
little bit of time, you might have some other useful features and you’ve
learned a little bit more about signals in the process.
10. Do WiFi Boosters Increase Internet Speed?
WiFi boosters do not actually increase internet speed, as the signal that
comes from the tower is at a certain provided speed. But, if your provider says
that you are being provided 25 Mbps, this is the optimal speed under great
circumstances. It’s a good idea to do a speed
test to see what you are actually receiving. Depending on weather,
obstacles in the way or number of users on the network, you might not be able
to achieve that particular speed all the time.
With a WiFi booster, the signal is amplified and used more efficiently, so
it will seem like you have a higher speed. There are some other things you can
do to seem like you have more internet speed in addition to your booster.
Signals are strongest near the booster or router, so the closer you are, the
stronger the signal. The direction your device is pointed matters quite a bit
as well. With or without a booster, determine where the cell phone tower is and
point your devices in that direction. The number of users or devices using the
booster can make a difference as well as you are all sharing that same signal.
WiFi boosters definitely help make your connection more efficient.
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