Video streamers: Two laptops each simulated a 4K video streaming session to a streaming box or smart TV.This test is a big challenge for the rest of the network-if this laptop gets all of the available airtime, the other tests suffer. We wanted to see an overall throughput of 100 megabits per second or better, to simulate the experience of an impatient person waiting for a device to complete an update. Downloader: One laptop downloaded a large file.This is the most important test-it accurately represents the thing that frustrates real users most (slow and inconsistent web browsing)-and it usually fails before any of the other tests do. Each “web page” consisted of 16 separate 128 KB files, all requested simultaneously, and we measured latency from the time the requests went out to the time all 16 requests were fulfilled. Browsers: Three laptops simulated real-human web browsing by loading a “web page” once every 20 seconds.The cost of an extender plus a good router should be less than that of a mesh system-otherwise, you should probably get a mesh system instead. We didn’t test any of the more-expensive extenders (up to $300). Moderate price: We didn’t consider many options over $150, and we paid special attention to extenders that cost $50 or less.

Mesh compatibility: Whether the mesh-networking features are compatible only with routers from the same manufacturer (TP-Link, Asus) or with all routers (Netgear), they can simplify setup and ensure that your devices are connected to the router or extender with the stronger signal, improving the stability of your network.In the past, we’ve accepted extenders without Ethernet support, but this time we’ve made the feature mandatory. Ethernet ports: These ports are convenient for wired connections to entertainment devices.

Our testing takes into account the change in network performance when you’re adding an extender to a busy network, measuring both throughput (speed) and latency (the wait before a page loads).

Good performance: The extender must improve coverage and connectivity compared with the router alone-otherwise you’re just adding another device that sits on your network (and you’re wasting money).

802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 or 6E) support: Older, slower 802.11n extenders won’t cut it, even if they’re dual-band.

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