Everywhere you look – you see the same feedback. “I’ve deployed a WiFi extender and it sucks”.
There is a simple explanation as to why WiFi extender typically suck.
Instead of doing as they say – extending your network – most WiFi extenders are simply creating entirely new networks that sit right next to, or overlap, your existing one from a spectrum or channel usage standpoint.
Let’s say your original network is called “Home” and you add a typical WiFi extender. When opening the WiFi settings on your phone, you’ll see “Home” and “Home_Ext”. This means you have to set up your phone and every other device to recognize and use your new network. However, just because you how have a new network in your home, does not mean your device will automatically switch to the best network as you move around.
As long as they’re getting some kind of signal, your device will typically stay connected to the weakest node in your home. You’ll either need to switch networks manually, or wait until your device loses signal to the router, forcing it to reconnect to another network.
This is why having a Carrier-Grade Mesh WiFi system with Node Steering features provides a much better experience.
With mention of a Carrier-Grade Mesh WiFi system, it is also important to remember that our WiFi environments are in a state of constant flux. For this reason, having great hardware is only one half of a great WiFi experience. You must also have a great support system backing it up. What happens when new interference is introduced, when the device count in the home doubles, or an addition to the home presents a WiFi nightmare?
Before we get too deep into the solution, let’s get back to the topic at hand and discuss a couple more problems that your average WiFi extender causes.
Extending the coverage can diminish the service
Today’s homes are getting bigger, and the further you move away from your router, the weaker your WiFi signal becomes – simply because the signal has to travel a longer distance. Additionally, WiFi signals can be susceptible to interference from all sorts of stuff – microwave ovens, garage door openers, baby monitors and a host of other devices.
When you add WiFi extenders to your home that create entirely new networks, you are creating more opportunities for interference and additional noise.
We’re all talking at the same time…
Are you the only one with WiFi devices in your home? Of course not! Every neighbor and business near you also has a pile of devices connecting to WiFi. And you may be surprised to learn that there are only so many WiFi channels to choose from. This requires neighboring networks to share the same unlicensed wireless spectrum.
When two access points are close to each other and on the same channel, they create interference. When interference is present, each device will inevitably have to re-transmit more packets (a bit like two people talking at the same time).
A dramatic increase in packet retransmissions results in a lot of “pardon? can you repeat that please, as I could not hear – someone else was talking at the same time” type of communication. Retransmissions slow everything down, waste valuable bandwidth, and generally make everything seem worse.
There’s got to be a better solution – Meet Mesh WiFi
There is an exciting new alternative to conventional home WiFi networks. Called Mesh WiFi, this new technology combines a WiFi router with one or more satellites, which are small wireless devices you place in different rooms in your home. These satellites communicate with the router and provide you with a strong WiFi signal everywhere, whether it’s your bedroom, your home office, or even your backyard.
And instead of paying several hundred dollars up front for a consumer-grade system you have to install and manage yourself, you can instead pay a small monthly fee and get the best Mesh WiFi system available—with superior performance and coverage. You can rely on your service provider to take care of any technical issues that may come up, even replacing the equipment if it goes bad.
With a managed solution like this, your service provider has complete visibility into all the devices in your network. They can access your network remotely, then quickly identify and resolve any issues you may have, so you don’t experience any downtime.
Contact your service provider
If you’re ready to enjoy the superior online experience and other benefits that come with Carrier-Class Mesh WiFi, contact your service provider. They’ll give you everything you need to upgrade your current WiFi network to a high-performance Mesh WiFi system, and provide you the support you need—so you can enjoy worry-free WiFi that just works.
