1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,480 So you've got a crappy Wi-Fi connection and it seems like an easy way to fix the problem is to buy 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:11,360 an inexpensive Wi-Fi range extender. It seems to make sense, right? I mean, the words range extender 3 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:16,160 are in the name, so it seems like the perfect solution for watching YouTube videos while sitting 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:20,880 on the toilet in the basement. But wait, there are much better solutions for strengthening your 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:27,200 Wi-Fi signal than range extenders, which generally kind of suck. We'll tell you why you shouldn't 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:31,840 buy them right after we thank our friend Joel Crane, expert on all things Wi-Fi, for helping us 7 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:37,600 out with this episode. So the way Wi-Fi extender works is fairly straightforward. All it does is 8 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:42,400 catch the signal from your existing router and then retransmit it to faraway devices. Right away, 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:47,440 you can probably see the first issue. Since it is picking up a signal that's already a little bit 10 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:52,480 weak, depending on where exactly you place the range extender, it likely isn't going to increase 11 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:57,440 your speeds too much. But even if you have a relatively high quality extender and place it in 12 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,760 an area where it'll catch a reasonably strong signal from your router, there are some other 13 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:08,160 serious downsides. Some extenders will broadcast on a separate SSID or network name. If this is 14 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,800 the case, you have to manually switch your phone or laptop back and forth between the two networks 15 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:17,360 as you move around your house. Your device won't latch onto the stronger signal automatically, 16 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:22,320 unless you more or less completely lose the other signal. You can configure it if you're 17 00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:26,400 really inert and you have a really good router, but if that's the case, you're probably not 18 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:31,680 buying a range extender. Other extenders allow you to change the SSID to be the exact same as your 19 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,840 main network. In this case, you might think your devices would just figure out if the signal from 20 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:41,360 one router or the other is stronger and connect accordingly. However, there is a pretty major 21 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:46,160 shortcoming in the Wi-Fi standard in general. Once a device connects to a specific access 22 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:52,400 point, it often very stubbornly will try to stay connected to that AP, even if there's a stronger 23 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:57,120 one available. So if you're connected to your router at first and then walk away and get closer 24 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:01,280 to your range extender, there's a good chance your device will just stay connected to the weaker 25 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,920 router signal, defeating the whole purpose of the extender in the first place. Not to mention that 26 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:10,720 pairing your Wi-Fi range extender with a router that uses a different generation of Wi-Fi or has 27 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:15,280 different number of antennas just makes the problem worse, which is a shame because it's an easy 28 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:20,240 mistake to make if you're not closely comparing the product specs. Okay, okay, I get it. Range 29 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:25,360 extenders are bad and I shouldn't buy them. But what should you do about your terrible signal? 30 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,360 One straightforward way to fix your signal woes is to simply get a more powerful router. 31 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,560 More antennas and spatial streams is typically a good sign, but you'll also want to read reviews 32 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,720 and see just how far other folks have had their signals reach while still being usable with the 33 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:43,760 devices. Another good idea is to stop using the built-in wireless on your off-the-shelf router 34 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:50,240 and instead get a separate wireless access point. This is basically little more than an antenna 35 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,160 with a small amount of internal logic that connects to your main router via Ethernet cable. 36 00:02:54,960 --> 00:03:00,480 Although they take a little bit more technical know-how to set up, there are many prosumer models 37 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:05,200 that have much better range than the typical consumer-grade wireless router. And you can even 38 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:10,000 set up several of them around your house, though be aware that your devices may still not quite 39 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,640 roam as intended. But if you don't want to mess around with access points, a more consumer-friendly 40 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:20,080 option is to get a mesh router. These are expandable kits that you use by placing nodes around your 41 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,560 house wherever you might need the most signal. Unlike repeaters, these nodes are specifically 42 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,720 designed to work together by providing better roaming for your devices so they'll switch more 43 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:34,320 intelligently. And nicer mesh kits will even place the backhaul or the traffic that flows between 44 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:39,520 the nodes on an entirely different frequency, freeing up bandwidth for your phones and computers. 45 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:44,800 So like with many things in life, you'll have to pay a little more to get the quality you want, 46 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:51,200 like that $2 upcharge for Guacamole. Worth it. Olé! Thanks for watching guys. Like, 47 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,280 dislike, check out our other videos, comment with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe 48 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:55,760 and follow.