Everything You Need to Know About WiFi Boosters

What’s the Difference Between a WiFi Booster, WiFi Network Extender, and WiFi Repeater?

WiFi boosters, network extenders, and repeaters all have one thing in common:

They improve your WiFi coverage.

However, how they do that are what ultimately set them apart. 

In this section, we'll talk about what makes them unique so you can get a better picture of which one you might need.

Let's get started!

WiFi Booster

A WiFi booster extends your WiFi network by amplifying pre-existing signals.

Often times, people buy WiFi signal boosters to make up for the lack of WiFi in an area of their home (these areas are known as "dead zones" or "dead spots").

While most people use WiFi boosters to enhance their WiFi signal, they're also good for making your WiFi faster.

Gone are the days where you had to purchase a brand new router to have faster internet!

WiFi boosters are also a go-to choice for people who want to have WiFi outside.

WiFi Repeater

A WiFi repeater (also known as a WiFi range extender) is known for creating a second network in your household. 

With a WiFi repeater, you technically have two routers built into one.

How?

One router picks up the original WiFi signal and the other amplifies where that WiFi signal is sent.

The easiest way to explain a WiFi repeater is this:

The repeater does just that - it repeats your WiFi signal (without any modification) and can also boost it.

You could think of your WiFi repeater as a booster on steroids, seeing as though it acts as one! 

WiFi Network Extender

Unlike WiFi repeaters or range extenders, WiFi network extenders go directly to the source of your WiFi router by using cables and wires.

The further away you (or your device) is from a WiFi router, the weaker your internet connection will be. By using WiFi network extenders, you're able to insert a cable directly into the router and run it through the wall to reach any area of your home.

For this reason, WiFi network extenders are known to be the ultimate powerhouse (literally) for WiFi connectors.

Do Wireless Boosters Really Work?

They do! 

As we mentioned in the section above, WiFi boosters literally boost your existing WiFi signal and make it much faster!

They're great to get rid of those pesky little dead zones in your house, too.

They also... don't?

If you have a thick wall between your WiFi router and your WiFi booster, you're probably not going to see much of an improvement. 

Before you curse everyone who told you that they work (us included), try putting your WiFi booster in the same room as your WiFi router.

Work better? We thought it might

What Is The Best WiFi Booster?

Now that we've talked about WiFi boosters (and WiFi range extenders, WiFi network extenders, and WiFi repeaters) it's time to figure out what model you should get.

We've compiled a list of our top 3 WiFi boosters for houses as well as our top 3 WiFi boosters for RVs. 

Notice we missed one that you use? Let us know in the comments below!

Best WiFi Booster for Houses

Because Bill and I work from home, we need the best WiFi we can get. 

Not to mention, we like our gaming consoles a lot. Online gaming isn't easy when your WiFi devices aren't performing as well as you'd like them to.

Our wireless devices needed a bit of TLC when we first got them, but we're quite happy with our home network now!

In this section, I'll go over what we believe are the top WiFi boosters for houses.

Are you currently using a WiFi booster in your home? If it's not mentioned below, be sure to let us know what you use in the comments below!

Best WiFi Booster for RVs

This site is called The Wandering RV because we're primarily about how to live in an RV. One of the biggest struggles of the RV lifestyle is, of course, weak WiFi.

If, like us, you're always looking for a better WiFi connection while at a campground, this is the section for you!

If you use a WiFi booster not mentioned below, please let us know what you have in the comments below!

Frequently Asked Questions

Still with us? Great!

Have questions? That's great, too!

Perhaps your questions are similar to the ones below.

If you have a question for us that isn't shown in the list below, be sure to ask us in the comment section!