WEBVTT 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 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 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 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:20.880 on the toilet in the basement. But wait, there are much better solutions for strengthening your 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 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 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 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:42.400 catch the signal from your existing router and then retransmit it to faraway devices. Right away, 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 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 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 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 00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:08.160 serious downsides. Some extenders will broadcast on a separate SSID or network name. If this is 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 00:01:12.800 --> 00:01:17.360 as you move around your house. Your device won't latch onto the stronger signal automatically, 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 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 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 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 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:41.360 one router or the other is stronger and connect accordingly. However, there is a pretty major 00:01:41.360 --> 00:01:46.160 shortcoming in the Wi-Fi standard in general. Once a device connects to a specific access 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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? 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:29.360 One straightforward way to fix your signal woes is to simply get a more powerful router. 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 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 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 00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:50.240 and instead get a separate wireless access point. This is basically little more than an antenna 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:54.160 with a small amount of internal logic that connects to your main router via Ethernet cable. 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 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:05.200 that have much better range than the typical consumer-grade wireless router. And you can even 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 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 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 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:24.560 house wherever you might need the most signal. Unlike repeaters, these nodes are specifically 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:28.720 designed to work together by providing better roaming for your devices so they'll switch more 00:03:28.720 --> 00:03:34.320 intelligently. And nicer mesh kits will even place the backhaul or the traffic that flows between 00:03:34.320 --> 00:03:39.520 the nodes on an entirely different frequency, freeing up bandwidth for your phones and computers. 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, 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:51.200 like that $2 upcharge for Guacamole. Worth it. Olé! Thanks for watching guys. Like, 00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:55.280 dislike, check out our other videos, comment with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:55.760 and follow.