The best Wi-Fi extenders in 2026

Engadget · Feb 27, 2026 · Collected from RSS

Full Article

Weak Wi-Fi can turn everyday tasks into small frustrations, whether it’s a video call that drops mid-sentence or a stream that refuses to load in certain rooms. If upgrading your router isn’t an option, a Wi-Fi extender can be a practical way to stretch your existing network farther and smooth out coverage gaps — without rewiring your home or rearranging furniture.Today’s Wi-Fi extenders range from simple plug-in repeaters to more advanced models that behave like miniature access points or mesh nodes. Some are best suited for extending coverage to a single room, while others are designed to preserve faster speeds across larger spaces. Choosing the right one depends on your home’s layout, your internet plan and how much performance you’re willing to trade for convenience.We’ve tested a variety of Wi-Fi extenders to find the best options for different budgets and setups, from affordable fixes for small dead zones to higher-end models built to handle heavier traffic and faster connections.Quick OverviewBest Wi-Fi extender for 2026Maximum transfer rate: 2402 Mbps | Range: 110 feet | Number of antennas: 2 | Number of USB ports: 0 | Wi-Fi 6: Yes | Number of bands: 2 | Wi-Fi speed: 5GHz (2402 Mbps), 2.4GHz (574 Mbps) TP-Link has a bunch of Wi-Fi extenders under its umbrella, but the one that will likely serve most people the best is this AX3000 model, which comes in two variations: the RE700X and the RE705X. Both extenders have the same specs, including Wi-Fi 6 support, but the 705X has a slightly different design with pull-out antennas on either side. I tested the 705X, so I’m basing my recommendation off of my experience with that model, specifically. Setting up this extender was as easy as plugging it in and following instructions in TP-Link’s Tether mobile app. All of the devices I tried followed the same basic setup process: first, plug in the extender close to your wireless router, follow instructions in a mobile app or on a setup webpage, and once the connection is established, move the extender to your desired location. It took all of five minutes to pair the 705X with my Verizon FiOS router – probably the most time-consuming bit was deciding what I wanted to name the new 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz networks. I went with the same name for both because I didn’t want to manually choose from two different bands when connecting things like my phone or laptop. The device will automatically pair your device with the appropriate band — for example, connecting most smart home gadgets to the 2.4Ghz network, which often helps reduce latency. The permanent location where I moved all of the extenders I tested was in my basement, since that’s where we can get the spottiest Wi-Fi signal. I first ran speed tests on my iPhone and MacBook using Speedtest.net and Speedcheck.org so I could compare them with the standard speeds I got when connected to my router’s main network. Unsurprisingly, the speeds generated by TP-Link’s extender were much slower than those from my router’s network, but that was the case with all of the devices I tested. Only our top pick (see below) got close to my router’s standard speeds, but I expected this. Wi-Fi extenders aren’t going to make your connection better – they’re just going to give you a wider area of coverage. From a spec perspective, both the 705X and the 700X are rated for speeds up to 2402 Mbps on the 5GHz band and 574 Mbps on 2.4GHz band. Despite the results of my tests, I was happy to discover that I wasn’t held back by the 705X’s seemingly slower speeds. I worked as normal for hours with my phone and laptop connected to the extenders wireless network, answering emails, messaging in Slack, streaming YouTube videos and otherwise maintaining a few dozen tabs in Chrome, without any hiccups or noticeable slow-downs. I was not surprised to find TP-Link’s Tether companion app to be easy to use, if a little simple, because that was my experience with TP-Link’s smart home app. Tether is specifically used with the company’s networking devices, and you probably won’t spend a ton of time in it after initial setup. I especially like that you can name wireless devices that are connected to your extenders network like your phone and smart TV. That makes it much easier to know which things in your home are constantly paired with the extender rather than your router’s default network. One important thing to note with these TP-Link extenders is that they both support OneMesh, which is the company’s feature that allows you to create one seamless network if you have a compatible mesh router. Since I’m still using the router provided to me by my ISP, I wasn’t able to test out this feature, but it works like this: if you have a OneMesh router and OneMesh-compatible extenders, you can link them all together under the same network name. So rather than having a router network and an extender network under the same roof, everything would be linked and filed under your main network’s name. It’s a small perk that becomes not so small if you have a spotty extender, or even just an awkwardly laid-out home. In my testing, I found my phone disconnecting from some extenders’ networks when I went upstairs to the main floor of the house from my basement. It would then attempt to reconnect to the extender network, when really I would have preferred it to default back to my router’s network. That thankfully didn’t happen with TP-Link’s RE705X, but it’s something to keep in mind when considering buying a Wi-Fi extender at all. If you can get one that has a feature like OneMesh, it’ll make your life much easier. Coming in at $130 and $120, respectively, the RE705X and RE700X may not be the cheapest Wi-Fi extenders out there, but their coverage range, latest Wi-Fi support and max speeds make either of them a good pick. If you know exactly where you want to put an extender and it’s not in an awkward or hard-to-reach location, the slightly cheaper, antenna-free RE700X may work just fine for you. But if you want that extra ability to tweak antennas to suit your needs, the RE705X is the way to go. ProsEasy setup processGood performanceEasy to use companion appIntegrates with TP-Link OneMeshConsOn the expensive sideMaximum transfer rate: 867 Mbps | Range: 1500 sq.ft | Number of antennas: 2 | Number of USB ports: 0 | Wi-Fi 6: Not specified | Number of bands: 2 | Wi-Fi speed: 5GHz (867 Mbps), 2.4GHz (300 Mbps) TP-Link’s RE315 Wi-Fi extender is physically very similar to the RE705X, but with lower specs and that’s what makes it a $50 device. You’ll get up to 867 Mbps speeds on the 5GHz band and 300 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, and it only provides coverage for up to 1,500 square feet. That won’t be as much of an issue for most people as max speeds will, but if you have a particularly large property, you’re better off going with a more expensive extender that can cover more space. There’s also no Wi-Fi 6e support on the RE315, which may be a dealbreaker for those who recently invested in a Wi-Fi 6 router. This model does support OneMesh, though, which is nice if you already have a OneMesh system in your home. I’m focusing on specification differences because my experience with the RE315 wasn’t that far off from the RE705X. Setup was just as plain and simple since the RE315 also uses the Tether mobile app, and while speeds were slightly lower in my testing, I didn’t notice too much of a difference in real world use. For $50 normally, and often closer to $30 when on sale, the RE315 is an easy pick for anyone who wants a budget-friendly way to fill Wi-Fi dead zones in their home. ProsAffordableEasy setup processGood performance for the priceEasy to use companion appConsOnly provides 1,500 square feet of coverageDoes not support Wi-Fi 6Maximum transfer rate: 4800 Mbps | Range: 2500 sq.ft | Number of antennas: 2 | Number of USB ports: 1 x USB 3.0 | Wi-Fi 6: Yes | Number of bands: 2 | Wi-Fi speed: 5GHz (4.8 Gbps), 2.4GHz (1.2 Gbps) Having more than one Wi-Fi network in your house is par for the course when it comes to adding an extender into the mix. But that’s not so with the Netgear EAX80 mesh network range extender – it has “seamless smart roaming,” which allows you to set it up under your existing SSID name. So instead of disconnecting from your main wireless network and reconnecting to the extender’s network when you move from your living room to your basement, all you have to do is… move from one room to another and let Netgear’s device do the heavy lifting. That’s one of the premium features included on the EAX80, but its $250 price tag can be attributed more so to some other perks. It’s a dual-band, Wi-Fi 6e mesh range extender that will work with pretty much any wireless router you may have. It supports speeds up to 6 Gbps and can have more than 30 devices connected to it at once. As far as square footage goes, it’ll widen your Wi-Fi's coverage by up to 2,500 square feet, which should be plenty for small and medium-sized homes. It performed well in our speed tests, coming very close to the upload/download speeds I got when being connected to my main network before installing the extender. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about the Nighthawk mobile app, which is what you’ll use to initially set up the EAX80 extender. After that, you can use the app to troubleshoot, check Wi-Fi speeds and see which devices are on your network. It’ll likely be a big list since you’ll see everything that’s paired to your router’s network as well. My only gripe is that you can’t edit device names. For example, my den’s TV shows up as “LGwebOSTV” and our soundbar in our basement shows up as “sonyaudio” — but there are a number of connected devices with no name at all, and we’re just stuck with that. Aside from its fast speeds and reliable connection, two things set this Netgear extender apart from the other devices I tested. First is that seamless smart roaming feature – not having to switch between Wi-Fi networks when going around my home was super convenient.