Beat dead zones at home: 3 of the best Wi-Fi extenders to consider to boost your local network
You don't have to put up with signal drop-outs
There's nothing more frustrating than dead zones in your Wi-Fi network at home – or if not dead zones, at least very weak zones. You'll find your devices sputtering to a halt as they try and stream video, connect to gaming servers, or even just load up social media feeds.
It doesn't have to be this way: the best Wi-Fi extenders on the market can take the signal being broadcast from your main router and push it further, into an extra room or up to an additional floor, and you don't even need to setup another Wi-Fi network.
TP-Link is responsible for some of the most appealing and affordable Wi-Fi extenders currently available, combining competitive prices with simple setup and reliable performance. Here are three models I'd recommend putting on your shortlist.
Mercusys ME80X
Who said extending your Wi-Fi had to be expensive? This Mercusys ME80X extender can be yours for not much money at all. Setup couldn't be easier: you just plug it into a spare mains socket and connect it via the app. Alternatively, there's also WPS support, if you want to connect it with a couple of button pushes.
You get compatibility with the speedy Wi-Fi 6 standard, and dual-band speeds up to 3,000 Mbps are possible – that's 2,402 Mbps on the faster 5GHz band and 574 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, the latter offering longer range. You'll be able to get multiple devices hooked up without a problem.
There's even a Gigabit Ethernet Port, meaning you can either plug it into a device like a smart television or a games console, or connect it directly to your router and have it work as an access point with a stronger Wi-Fi signal.
TP-Link Deco BE25-Outdoor
This is a Wi-Fi extender that's a little bit different: It's intended to work with an existing TP-Link Deco mesh Wi-Fi system, should you need to get more range on the Deco units you've already got. It works with any of the Deco packs, and can be connected to the network you've already got in place via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable.
As you can probably guess from the name, TP-Link is positioning this as a way of getting your Wi-Fi working better outdoors – in the garden, on the patio, or maybe in the shed that you've converted into a study area. The unit can be mounted on poles or walls, and is waterproofed for protection against the elements.
The BE25-Outdoor supports speeds of up to 3,600 Mbps – 2,882 Mbps on the fastest 5GHz band and 688 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band – and there are also two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports for wired connections to laptops, consoles, streaming boxes, or whatever else. Your devices use the same Wi-Fi name and password so there's no cut in service.
TP-Link RE225BE
As Wi-Fi extenders go, they don't get much more powerful or feature-packed than the TP-Link RE225BE: there's future-proofed Wi-Fi 7 compatibility here, plus dual-band speeds up to 3,600 Mbps (2,882 Mbps on the5 GHz band 688 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band).
Plug this into a spare mains socket in your home and you can be extending your Wi-Fi into dead zones in just a few minutes – your devices won't need to connect to a new network or learn a new password. It all works seamlessly through either the associated TP-Link app on your phone or the dedicated WPS button on the extender.
A couple of bonuses are well worth knowing about too: if you've got an EasyMesh-compatible router, the RE225BE can become part of the mesh too; and there's also a Gigabit Ethernet port here for giving one of your devices a wired connection.
