How to Install a Wi-Fi Extender
Before you can install an extender, you’ll need to buy one. These devices come in many different forms and price points, and many extenders are for a specific use, like gaming or portability or range. To some extent, placing your extender is about finding your home’s sweet spot: A location close enough to your router to easily pick up your signal but far enough away so the extender-created network will cover the space you want. Either way, you’ll need access to a phone or a computer. If your extender didn’t come with a paper manual or you misplaced the manual, searching for your device’s manual online is easy. Beyond your network’s name and password, you’ll need to know at what frequency your router broadcasts. Modern routers often can broadcast in 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which will often appear as separate networks but may not always. By default, a dual-band router will usually broadcast in both frequencies in the form of two wireless networks, generally including 2.4 in the name of one and 5 in the name of the other. Without a solid connection to your original Wi-Fi network, an extender won’t do much good. Once you confirm there aren’t any signal issues, consider changing the name or names of your extended networks to match up with your pre-existing network setup. For example, if you have a “Netgear 2.4” and “Netgear 5” network, consider naming the extender’s networks “Netgear 2.4 EXT” and “Netgear 5 EXT” or something similar. However, some of the more premium, expensive extenders support seamless roaming. In this case, the extender’s network and the original network appear as the same network and automatically switch as you come in and out of range of it.
