Even the best Wi-Fi routers can have trouble traveling through multiple walls and floors of a home. When that happens, you have two options for boosting your signal: a mesh system or a Wi-Fi extender. A Wi-Fi extender is the simpler of the two, allowing you to simply plug into an electric outlet and re-broadcast your existing router’s signal in another room.
What is the best Wi-Fi extender overall?
Wi-Fi signal boosters can speed up your internet connection in a dead zone without requiring a hefty investment. The best Wi-Fi extender for most people is the TP-Link RE605X. While it’s slightly more expensive than other models at $100, it delivered significant speed boosts in every room I tested, and it offers full support for Wi-Fi 6 speeds.
If you’re looking for something more affordable, there are plenty of options for under $50, although not all of them have Wi-Fi 6 support. I've spent the past few years regularly testing them out to find the best of the bunch. After countless tests, my data identified the range extenders that reigned supreme. Let's get right to them.
Best Wi-Fi extenders for 2024
TP-Link RE605X
Best overall Wi-Fi extender
TP-Link makes some of the most popular picks in the range extender category, with a fairly wide variety of options to choose from at various price points. If you're buying one in 2024, I think you should put the TP-Link RE605X right at the top of your list. At $100, it's far from the most affordable extender on the market (keep reading for the value picks), but with a highly capable AX1800 design, full support for the latest Wi-Fi 6 speeds and features, adjustable antennas and a helpful, easy-to-use control app with strong reviews on both Android and iOS, it's about as well-rounded as range extenders get.
The performance is particularly sharp, too. In my tests at the CNET Smart Home, an RE605X in the basement was able to extend the router's signal from upstairs just fine, giving my upload and download speeds a significant boost in every room I tested. Throughout the entire 5,800-square-foot-home, among all the extenders I tested, the RE605X delivered the fastest average upload speeds to both Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 devices, the fastest average download speeds to Wi-Fi 6 devices and the second fastest average download speeds to Wi-Fi 5 devices.
By default, the extender puts out its own separate network when you first pair it with your router, and that network will use the same password as your original network, and the same SSID with "-EXT" added to the end. That's better than extenders that put out an unsecured network by default -- and if you use the app to delete that "-EXT" bit, it'll automatically sync up with your original network and work invisibly to keep you better connected, which is ideal. All of that makes this extender an easy recommendation.
Linksys RE7310
A solid second choice for best Wi-Fi extender
TP-Link took the top spot, but the Linksys RE7310 was very close behind it, and would be almost equally as good on most home networks. In the CNET Smart Home, where we have a fiber internet plan with uploads and downloads of up to 150Mbps, the RE7310 returned average Wi-Fi 6 downloads throughout the entire multistory house of 132Mbps. That's only 4Mbps behind that top pick from TP-Link. As for the uploads, Linksys finished with an average whole-home speed to my Wi-Fi 6 test device of 124Mbps. That's only 2Mbps behind TP-Link.
The only thing keeping me from saying that the two finished in a virtual tie is that the RE7310 was slightly less impressive with earlier-gen Wi-Fi 5 devices, particularly with respect to upload speeds. Still, the performance was solid across the board, and strong enough for me to take video calls in the Smart Home's basement dead zones, something I would have struggled with using just the single router I ran my tests on. It's a bit bulky-looking, but the RE7310 is the best Linksys range extender I've tested yet, and it's an especially great pick if you can catch it on sale.
Also, keep an eye out for the Linksys RE7350, which features a nearly identical design and specs. It's only available at full price right now, but earlier this year it was on sale for $25 less than the RE7310 at Best Buy, which is a pretty good deal given the specs. I haven't tested that variant out just yet, but I'll update this post when I have, and I'll keep an eye out for another sale, too.
TP-Link RE220
The best budget Wi-Fi extender
The TP-Link RE220 was the least expensive range extender during my first run of at-home tests in 2020, but that didn't stop it from outperforming everything else I tested at every turn. As Wi-Fi extenders go, it's fast, it's reliable, it works with just about every Wi-Fi router out there and it's easy to use. And, as of writing this, it costs even less than I paid for it initially -- down to less than $20 on Amazon.
Plug it in and press the WPS button to pair it with your home network, and it'll begin broadcasting its own networks on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Both offered steady Wi-Fi speeds throughout my home, including average download speeds on the 5GHz band of at least 75Mbps in every room access point I tested, along with strong upload speeds. The RE220 never once dropped my connection, and its speeds were consistent across multiple days of tests during both daytime and evening hours.
It's a little long in the tooth at this point, and it won't wow you with Wi-Fi 6 speeds, but the strong ease of use and the steady, dependable level of performance it offers mean it's still an absolute steal. It's not as fast as the top models I've tested in the years since, and I haven't had a chance to retest it at the CNET Smart Home just yet -- but it's still a great choice if you want to boost the signal from the Wi-Fi router to a back room that sits beyond the router's reach, but you'd like to pay as little as possible to get the job done.
D-Link EaglePro AI
Best Wi-Fi extender to balance performance and value
It was never the speed leader in my tests, but it was never too far behind -- and at $40, the D-Link EaglePro AI costs less than some of the top picks listed here. That's a decent deal, especially on a Wi-Fi 6 model that boasts a newly designed control app on Android and iOS, plus adjustable antennas and a design that automatically syncs up with your router to put out a single, unified network as soon as you first set the thing up. I even appreciate the touch of color with those pale blue accents, a nice break from boring white plastic.
Speed-wise, the EaglePro AI brought up the rear in my tests, but it was still able to return average download speeds of 114Mbps for Wi-Fi 6 devices and 112Mbps for Wi-Fi 5 devices across every room I tested it in, which is terrific for a multistory home with a 150Mbps fiber plan. Uploads were lower, including a somewhat concerning single-digit average of just 8Mbps to Wi-Fi 5 devices in the home's most difficult dead zone, but I can forgive that given that the 5,800-square-foot Smart Home is a lot bigger than this AX1500 extender was designed to cover. If your home is any smaller than that then the EaglePro AI should do just fine, and it'll save you some cash, too.
Asus RP-AX56
Best performance for a Wi-Fi extender
(with a big caveat)
TP-Link and Linksys each put in strong performances during this latest round of tests, but it was arguably Asus that led the way with the RP-AX56, a Wi-Fi 6 range extender that retails for $75. However, a poor approach to device security keeps me from recommending it.
Let's start with the good. The RP-AX56 finished in a virtual tie with TP-Link for the fastest average download speeds to my Wi-Fi 6 test laptop, and it led all range extenders when I reran my tests with a Wi-Fi 5 iPad Air 2. On top of that, the RP-AX56 delivered the fastest average download speeds to both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5 devices in the CNET Smart Home's basement guest bedroom, which was the most persistent dead zone throughout my tests.
That said, the RP-AX56 requires a bit of futzing. After I first paired it with the router, it put out its own, separate Wi-Fi network with a generic name and no password at all. That's something you'll want to change immediately, but on iOS the 1.5-star reviewed Asus extender app doesn't offer a quick option for changing the SSID and password. Instead, you'll need to enter the extender's IP address into a browser bar and log in using its default admin credentials -- and by the way, those credentials were username: admin and password: admin. So, yeah, you'll want to change those, too.
Once you've done that, you can change the SSID and password to match your router, at which point the extender will work seamlessly within your existing network. Still, that's a pretty low level of default security for a plug-and-play device that most people won't want to futz with at all. I'll keep an eye out for updates on this one -- if Asus makes some changes to the app and to the default settings, the RP-AX56 could jump right up into the top picks.
Netgear Nighthawk X4S (EX7500)
Great ease-of-use, so-so performance, poor value for a Wi-Fi extender
As soon as you plug the Netgear Nighthawk X4S range extender in and pair it with your router, it'll start working with your router to put out a single, unified network, one that automatically routes your device between the router and extender as needed. That's great, and the extender offers a well-featured app for quick controls, too.
The main problem is that this model doesn't support Wi-Fi 6, but still costs more than $70. It features a tri-band design that's quite fancy by range extender standards, and the performance was better than every other Wi-Fi 5 range extender I've tested. Even so, it couldn't quite keep up with the dual-band Wi-Fi 6 models I tested, and it costs more than some of them, to boot. If you catch it on sale for less than $50, it might be worth a look, but in most cases, I think Wi-Fi 6 is worth prioritizing at this point.
D-Link DAP-X1870
Wait for a sale for this Wi-Fi extender
Another strong model from my tests, the D-Link DAP-X1870 is an excellent performer that does a great job of creating a single, unified network as soon as you pair it with your router. That keeps things easy, but at a retail price around $55, it feels a bit too expensive here in 2024.
I'd probably stick with the $17 TP-Link RE220 if I were just looking for the best value pick. I'll keep an eye out for any other good sales and update this post as I spot them.
TP-Link RE505X
Solid Wi-Fi extender performance for the price
Last year's top pick, the RE505X is just a slightly less powerful version of the RE605X that costs a bit less. I wasn't able to retest it at the CNET Smart Home yet, but I'll update this post when I get the chance. For now, I think performance-minded users will be glad they spent up for the better upload speeds of the RE605X or the Linksys RE7310, and value-minded users will likely be better served with the less expensive D-Link EaglePro AI and TP-Link RE220 range extenders.
That leaves the RE505X as a bit of a middle child at this point, but I'd pounce on it if the price dropped substantially below its current price of $60, as it was an extremely capable and consistent performer in my earlier tests.
What is a Wi-Fi range extender?
Also called a Wi-Fi signal booster, a range or Wi-Fi extender is a compact, plug-in device that is simple and hassle-free to implement. Wi-Fi extenders use built-in Wi-Fi radios and antennas to pair wirelessly with your router. No Ethernet cable is required. Plug in one near the edge of your router's wireless range and pair it with the network, and it'll start rebroadcasting the signal farther out for significantly faster internet speeds throughout your home.
Should I buy a Wi-Fi extender?
Wi-Fi extenders are great options when you have a single room that you want to give a speed boost. Wi-Fi extenders are generally less expensive than upgrading to a full-fledged mesh router with its own mesh Wi-Fi systems and range-extending satellite devices. Plus, they are generally a cinch to set up, they'll work no matter what brand of router you're using, and you can typically use the same SSID and password as your original router. That creates a single, seamless connection that will give you the best Wi-Fi range available with your current setup -- all without you needing to think about it too much.
However, signal boosters can’t extend your Wi-Fi signal to an entire floor or side of the house like a mesh router can. An extender is also only as good as the router it's connected to, which means you won't see huge improvements if your router is failing, outdated or in the wrong spot.
I spent weeks testing these range extenders at the CNET Smart Home.
How CNET tests Wi-Fi extenders and signal boosters
Like a lot of people, I spent much of the past few years working from home, and that included my yearly roundup of range extender tests. I've put dozens of extenders through my controlled tests by this point, and that's generated a lot of useful data for comparison purposes.
In 2022, I was able to resume tests at the CNET Smart Home, a 5,800-square-foot multistory home in the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky, that served as a living lab for our product tests. It's a much better environment for testing wireless devices at range than my somewhat cramped, shotgun-style house -- and with more ground to cover, it offered a much bigger challenge for these extenders.
This is the control graph, showing you the average speeds in each room I tested with no range extenders in play at all. On its own, a single, entry-level Wi-Fi 6 router in the laundry room was able to deliver decent speeds on the main floor of the home (the first four rooms in this chart), but speeds plummeted in the basement (the last four rooms), especially the upload speeds.
Testing Wi-Fi extenders in the CNET Smart Home
The CNET Smart Home has a fiber internet connection with matching upload and download speeds of up to 150Mbps. That's a far cry from the gigabit connections more and more of us have access to (not to mention the new, blazing-fast multi-gig internet plans emerging in some parts of the country). However, it's in line with the average internet speed in the US, which makes it a great place to test how home networking products will work for the average consumer.
For my purposes, I started by setting up a router in the Smart Home's laundry room, which is where the modem is set up. I went with the Netgear R6700AX, a perfectly decent model I reviewed last year. It offered reliable performance but limited range when I tested it -- and that's exactly what I wanted for these range extender tests.
I ran all of this year's range extender tests with a Netgear R6700AX router running the network. It's a low-power, budget-price Wi-Fi 6 model that offered consistent performance when I first tested it out, making it an ideal control router for these tests.
Sure enough, the router was able to deliver strong speeds on the home's main floor, but as soon as I headed down to the basement level, speeds started to fall. That includes single-digit upload speeds in the bourbon room and the mud room. (Yes, the Smart Home has a bourbon room that the previous owners used to age their own barrels. We don't have any barrels of our own, but it smells amazing in there. Kentucky, folks!)
Running the range test
With my control speeds established, it was time to start adding in the range boosters and seeing which ones improved things the best. Pairing each one with the router only required me to plug it in nearby and press the WPS button on both devices -- after that, I relocated them downstairs, to the basement rec room, which was the farthest point from the router that still had a decent signal and speeds. Whenever you're using a Wi-Fi range extender, that's typically the best place to put it: just shy of the edge of your router's range, where it will still receive a strong enough signal to put out a strong signal of its own. The best way to find that spot? Grab your phone or laptop and run some speed tests.
In the end, I ran a total of at least 96 speed tests for each extender, two rounds of 24 tests to find its average speeds to a Wi-Fi 5 client device (an iPad Air 2 from 2015) and another two rounds of 24 tests to check its speeds to a Wi-Fi 6 client device (a 2021 Lenovo ThinkPad laptop). In each case, I started the first round of tests with a fresh connection in the laundry room, closest to the router, and then started the second round of tests with a fresh connection in the mud room, farthest from the router. With each test, I logged the client device's download speed, its upload speed and the latency of the connection.
Wi-Fi extender test results for 2024
Ready to see how the range extenders did in terms of upload and download speeds? Let's take a look.
These graphs show you the average download speeds by room (left) and average upload speeds by room (right) for a Wi-Fi 6 laptop connected to each extender. All five models I tested were able to deliver noticeable improvements to the connection, but some did a better job than others.
On the left, this first set of graphs shows you the average download speeds by room for each extender I tested. On the right, you're looking at the average upload speeds. All of these speeds are to my Wi-Fi 6 test device, a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop from 2021.
So what jumps out? First, all five of these extenders did a decent job of boosting speeds in those last four rooms, down in the basement. With all of them, I had a faster connection throughout the house than I had when I connected through the router alone. The D-Link EaglePro AI struggled a bit with upload speeds in the basement, but still kept things above a minimum of 20Mbps or so.
That was with a Wi-Fi 6 device, though. How did the performance look with an older Wi-Fi 5 device from several years ago?
Again, this is average download speeds by room on the left, average upload speeds on the right -- this time, to an older Wi-Fi 5 device.
Things get interesting here -- you can see a greater gulf between download and upload performance, as well as some more distinct weak spots and dead zones throughout the house. Each of the five extenders struggled to keep uploads speedy in the upstairs dinette, for instance. With Wi-Fi 6, we barely saw any issues there at all, save for the Netgear Nighthawk X4S.
Meanwhile, in the basement, our top picks from TP-Link and Linksys (as well as the high-performing Asus RP-AX56) were each able to keep download speeds above 100Mbps, which is great. Uploads were another story, as all of the extenders struggled. None of them failed to deliver a usable upload connection outright, though the D-Link EaglePro AI came close with single-digit upload speeds in the basement's farthest reaches.
Another key takeaway from these tests is that Wi-Fi 6 delivers some of its most noticeable speed boosts on the upload side of things. If you're looking to make lots of video calls, upload lots of large files to the web or anything else requiring sturdy upload performance, then upgrading to Wi-Fi 6 hardware should be high on your list of priorities (assuming you haven't already made the jump).
Affordable Wi-Fi booster picks
For my first batch of range extender tests a few years back, I tested four bargain-priced models to see which one offered the most bang for the buck. It was the start of the pandemic and people were scrambling to bolster their home networks -- I wanted to be sure we could point them to a good, budget-friendly pick that would do the best job as a signal booster offering an extra room's worth of coverage in a pinch.
In the end, the aforementioned TP-Link RE220 was the runaway winner. Currently available for $20 or less, it remains a solid value pick.
I've separated these four models from the other six because the test setup was different in 2020 and it wouldn't be fair to make direct comparisons with those results. You've already read about the TP-Link RE220, but here are my takeaways from the other three I tested:
With two adjustable external antennas, the D-Link DAP-1620 is pretty powerful for a budget-priced range extender, but it wasn't as consistent as our top pick.
D-Link DAP-1620: This was the only range extender that ever managed to hit triple digits during my tests, with an average speed of 104Mbps in my bedroom during evening hours. Setup was just as simple as what I experienced with TP-Link, too. I was able to stream HD video, browse the web and make video calls on the extender's network without any issue.
Network speeds were inconsistent though -- and much slower in daytime hours, with a bigger dropoff than I saw with TP-Link. The device also dropped my connection at one point during my speed tests. On top of that, the app was too finicky for my tastes, refusing to let me log in and tweak settings with the supplied device password, something that ultimately forced me to reset the device. That's too much hassle for me to recommend outright, but if you can grab it on sale for less than $30, it could be a decent alternative to the TP-Link RE220.
The Netgear EX3700 wasn't powerful enough for the price.
Netgear EX3700: It's a dated-looking device and it wasn't a strong performer in my tests. The 2.4GHz band was able to sustain workable speeds between 30 and 40Mbps throughout most of my home, which was strong enough to stream video with minimal buffering, or to hold a quick video call with a slight delay. But the 5GHz band was surprisingly weak, often dropping into single digits with only a single wall separating my PC or connected device from the range extender.
I wasn't a fan of the web interface, as it seemed more interested in getting me to register for the warranty (and opt in to marketing emails) than in actually offering me any sort of control over the connection. WPS button-based setup lets you skip all of that, which is helpful, and some outlets now have it listed for less than $50, but even so, this is one you can safely pass by.
The Linksys RE6350 left a lot to be desired.
Linksys RE6350: My speeds were consistent with the RE6350 -- they just weren't fast.
By default, the device automatically steers you between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but with download speeds