You can pay for the fastest internet speeds and still wind up with a bad connection if your router doesn’t have the power to cover your whole home. Many homes are built with concrete or bricks, which can destroy Wi-Fi signals. Luckily, a Wi-Fi extender placed between your dead zones and the router can give your devices a boost, since they'll no longer need to connect the whole way back to the router. You can use an extender with the Wi-Fi router you've already got, but if it's a few years old, it's probably also a good idea to start with one of the best Wi-Fi routers. While you give up some of your speed with an extender, for most applications, a steady and reliable connection is more important.

The Asus RP-AX58 is a quick Wi-Fi 6 range extender that plugs directly into a wall socket. This extender has a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 connection with up to AX3000 speeds. Keep in mind that some of this capacity will need to be shared between sending and receiving, so you’ll never see those full speeds as a wireless extender.

On the other hand, the Ethernet port on the bottom of the extender can be used with a wired device without giving up as much speed. This extender also supports Access Point mode, so it can provide Wi-Fi if you have a wired switch already. Furthermore, if you use the RP-AX58 with an Asus router, it can be used as an AiMesh node for seamless whole-home roaming. You can set this all up with the Asus Router app as well.

Physically, the extender is a bit large at just under six inches tall, so it’s going to stick up above your socket a bit. This extra space houses the two internal antennas, giving it a clean look. It's worthwhile though, since it offers up to 2,200 square feet of additional coverage.

If you’re looking for reliable Wi-Fi on the cheap, the TP-Link RE315 could be the perfect choice with a solid AC1200 dual-band Wi-Fi 5 connection and up to 1,500 square feet of coverage. It supports up to 867Mbps at 5GHz and 300Mbps at 2.4GHz, but as with any dual-band extender, some of this speed will be shared between the incoming connection and connected devices. That being said, speeds should still be plenty for multiple streaming devices with a decent connection to the main router.

It’s more compact than the Wi-Fi 6 Asus above, at just under five inches tall. Its rotating antennas give it a little more height once installed, but it still looks nice with a clean matte white finish on the antennas and sides. The Ethernet port on the right side supports speeds up to 100Mbps, so using this as an access point with a wired connection won’t be a great experience. While its speeds aren’t breaking any records, TP-Link supports a high speed mode that uses a dedicated backhaul, so it should perform fine for streaming, video calls, and more. It’s also quick to set up with the TP-Link Tether app.

If you’ve got a Deco mesh Wi-Fi system, you can use the RE315 as a node thanks to OneMesh support. Unlike some newer TP-Link extenders, however, this extender does not support EasyMesh, which is being added to a lot of new TP-Link routers, like the Archer BE800, and some older models, as well via firmware updates.

While many of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems skipped ahead with their own tech, such as Asus AiMesh, eero TrueMesh, and TP-Link OneMesh, a more universal standard has also been in the works. EasyMesh allows for mesh node interoperability with any EasyMesh-compatible system. TP-Link has been among the first to adopt the standard, as some of its routers and many of its range extenders have been updated to support EasyMesh. If you’ve got one of the best TP-Link routers or another brand with EasyMesh support, you can create a seamless Wi-Fi network with this extender.

This extender isn’t too special when it comes to hardware with a dual-band AX1800 connection and a gigabit Ethernet port on the side. The speed breaks down to 1201Mbps at 5GHz and 574Mbps at 2.4GHz, which should allow for much higher throughput than a Wi-Fi 5 extender, especially if you have fast internet. The antennas stick up tall above the unit itself, but the package overall looks nice with matte whites and an angular design.

Setup is easy with the TP-Link Tether app, and it can also be set up with the WPS button on the side. While an EasyMesh router helps you make the most of this extender, it still works with other routers using a separate SSID like an older extender.

Gaming on Wi-Fi is already a precarious feat, but when your signal is weak, it can be a downright bad experience. If you don’t have the option to run an Ethernet cable to your gaming PC or console, an extender can give you better speeds and reliability than connecting to the main router with a weak signal. This is especially important for upload performance, which is needed for live-streaming.

The RE815X from TP-Link is a powerful extender with specs that wouldn’t be uncommon on a high-end router. It has a tri-band AX5400 connection with 2402Mbps available at 5GHz-1, 2402Mbps at 5GHz-2, and 574Mbps at 2.4GHz. This extra 5GHz band allows for a dedicated connection to the main router, so speed doesn’t need to be shared between connected devices and the connection to the main router (backhaul) like it does on a dual-band extender. It even supports 160MHz connections.

To get the most out of this extender, you’ll want a system with Wi-Fi 6 support, or you could even run an Ethernet cable to the gigabit port on the side of the RE815X. If your signal isn’t holding up in your gaming room, this extender can go a long way towards improving the overall performance of your connection without costing much speed thanks to the tri-band connection.

The Netgear Nighthawk EAX80 looks like a high-end router with a large and tall design that offers up to 2,500 square feet of coverage. Unlike most extenders, it sits on a desk or table rather than hanging off your wall socket, so you can put it up higher, which is better for Wi-Fi signal. It supports 160MHz channels, so if you have a high-end Wi-Fi 6 router, you can make the most of its speed. Its AX6000 connection breaks down to 1148Mbps at 2.4GHz, and 4804Mbps at 5GHz.

On the back of the unit, there are four Ethernet ports for wired devices and a USB 3.0 port. This is a great extender to place near a computer desk or entertainment center, so you can get all of your tech connected with Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi. This also frees up wireless capacity for the other tech in your home while potentially providing gigabit speeds for your gaming hardware.

While it doesn’t specifically support mesh networks, Netgear’s Smart Roaming tech can use the same Wi-Fi name as your primary router and automatically connect devices to the best network. It’s all easily set up with the Nighthawk app as well.

If you want the best possible network connection, you'll need to run a high-speed Ethernet cable across your house to every device that needs it. That's not realistic for most people, but Wi-Fi's limitations also mean it doesn't work its best in homes with thick walls, such as interior block walls, or through multiple floors. This powerline adapter from TP-Link, the TL-WPA8631P, uses the HomePlug AV2 standard to link to the extender at up to 1300Mbps.

This extender has a dual-band AC1200 connection, but also has three Ethernet ports, making it a great pick for a home office or entertainment center. If you get the latest hardware revisions, version 4.0 or newer, you can also update the firmware to get EasyMesh support, which works with a handful of TP-Link routers as well as many other brands. It would be nicer if this extender supported Wi-Fi 6, but with this level of powerline transmission, you're really not giving up all that much speed.

This kit is easily set up and managed using the tpPLC app. Overall, this kit should offer plenty of speed for HD streaming and web browsing, but will likely struggle with gaming due to potential interference on the power lines.

The TP-Link RE815XE has a lot in common with the RE815X above but swaps one of the 5GHz bands for 6GHz. Generally, 6GHz Wi-Fi offers higher performance in areas with wireless congestion, like an apartment building or townhouse, but coverage is much worse. Since 6GHz Wi-Fi uses a higher frequency, it loses more power passing through walls, while its 160MHz connection also lowers coverage because of power level limitations. Still, if you have a line of sight to the back of your home, or just need to pass through wooden floors to another level, the RE815XE’s use of the 6GHz band for its backhaul makes a lot of sense.

You’ll stick with 5GHz for your device connections to the extender, which is way more common. Since your devices are much closer to the access point, they can have a better connection than connecting across the house to the main router. If your 6GHz backhaul is kept strong, you can get a lot of speed out of this extender thanks to its tri-band AXE5400 connection with 574Mbps at 2.4GHz, 2402Mbps at 5GHz, and 2402Mbps at 6GHz. Of course, 160MHz 5GHz connections are also supported, so you could be looking at gigabit speeds if your internet service is fast enough.

The RE815XE is easily set up and managed using the TP-Link Tether app, but can also be set up with the WPS button. It supports both EasyMesh and OneMesh for a seamless network experience if you have a compatible router as well.

Get rid of dead zones with a Wi-Fi extender

Given how much internet service can cost these days, it’s reasonable to want it to be reliably strong in every room of the house, and maybe even on the back porch. The problem is that our routers are often not quite powerful enough to cover every square inch of the house, especially if the incoming fiber or coaxial cable is in a tricky spot. When it comes to Wi-Fi, every wall, piece of furniture, and appliance between your device and the router can weaken your signal, which hurts speed. A Wi-Fi extender acts as a midway point between your device and the router, keeping signal strength and performance high.

One thing to ask yourself before extending your Wi-Fi is whether a long-range router or a mesh system would be a better fit. A mesh offers a more seamless experience with powerful nodes that can be placed in better places than sitting low on the wall by an outlet as an extender usually does. If your router is a few years old, upgrading to one of the best routers can also help improve coverage with newer standards like Wi-Fi 6 supporting OFDMA, 1024-QAM, and beamforming. If you still need more coverage, a better router can also improve speeds to the extender.

It’s also worth remembering that you’re not stuck using the mediocre router your ISP sent you when you signed up for service, you can use a new router plugged directly into it by putting it in Access Point mode. You may even be able to save money on your internet bill by using your own modem without Wi-Fi for cable, or an ONT for fiber.

If you’re looking for an extender, we suggest the Asus RP-AX58 since it is a balanced overall unit with quick Wi-Fi 6 speeds, including 160MHz support. It will work with just about any router out there, but if you’ve got an Asus router or mesh system, you can use it as an extender with AiMesh. Using AiMesh allows you to use the same Wi-Fi name with seamless roaming. For many people, the AX3000 connection is a bit overkill, but the extra speed gives you the headroom needed for a consistent and reliable connection.