The Best Wi-Fi Range Extenders of 2024

Best Overall

Netgear Nighthawk X4 EX7300

If you’re happy with your router’s overall performance and want better Wi-Fi coverage, the Netgear Nighthawk X4 will get the job done. This is our favorite Wi-Fi extender because it provides excellent performance and coverage for a decent price and isn’t too difficult to set up.

This extender has a range of up to 2,000 square feet, which makes it great for extending a network to a different floor or the distant corners of a large home. It’s also able to handle a lot of devices at once. The AC2200 part of the name means it can deliver 2.2Gbps of bandwidth at once (we’ve got an explanation of what that means here), which is enough to stream Netflix in 4K, video chat on FaceTime, and maintain a competitive edge in online games, on several devices all at once. Realistically, your internet connection won’t be this fast, but if you pay extra for a super fast connection, it’s worth considering that this unit will support it.

It’s designed to plug directly into a wall socket and supports a WPS push-button setup, making it really easy to set up and use. It doesn’t have an outlet pass-through, so it takes up one outlet but leaves the other free.

If you have any devices that don’t have Wi-Fi, this extender also has you covered there. The Nighthawk X4 includes an Ethernet port that allows you to use a network cable to connect a smart TV, game console, or anything else requiring a wired connection.

_{Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC2200 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: No | Wired Ports: 1}

Budget Buy

Netgear EX3700

The Netgear EX3700 is worth a look if you’re on a budget. It doesn’t have the range or speed offered by many of the other extenders on this list, but it’s a great option if you need a little extra range to connect a handful of wireless devices.

The ideal scenario for this extender is expanding a spotty wireless network into a guest room or home office where you expect to connect only a few devices at a time. It can provide a maximum of 1,000 square feet of coverage and handle about enough bandwidth to stream in 4K, video chat, and download big files on a couple of devices at once without a lot of slowdowns.

If you have smart home devices that have trouble connecting to your network, this extender can help with that as well. Smart home devices require a connection to your network, but they don’t use up a lot of bandwidth. 

This extender has a small size to go along with its low price, and it’s designed to be plugged directly into a power socket. It leaves the top outlet free for your other electronics, but it does use up the bottom one as it doesn’t have a pass-through. It does include a single Ethernet port, which makes it an excellent option for your home office if you have a computer that doesn’t support Wi-Fi.

_{Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC750 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: No | Wired Ports: 1}

Best Wi-Fi 6

TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender

If you have a blazing-fast internet connection and want to buy all the latest gadgets and devices, then the TP-Link RE505X offers one key feature you need: Wi-Fi 6.

Wi-Fi 6 is faster and more efficient than Wi-Fi 5, which allows more devices to connect at once without experiencing a slowdown. Devices also use less power when connected to Wi-Fi 6, translating to longer battery life. The catch is that your router and your devices also need to support Wi-Fi 6, or you won’t see any benefit.

If you have one of these Wi-Fi 6 devices, get the TP-Link RE505X to take advantage of its faster speeds.

_{Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AX1500 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: No | Wired Ports: 1}

Best Performance

Netgear Nighthawk EAX80

The Netgear Nighthawk EAX80 is fast but expensive. This would likely be our top recommendation if it weren’t for the price, which is on the high side. But this is it if you’re looking for the best range extender to slot into a high-speed, high-traffic Wi-Fi network.

This extender blankets an area of up to 2,500 square feet with a high-speed Wi-Fi 6 network. Its capabilities rival many high-end, standalone routers, which means you can expect the same speeds and strong connections from devices connected to this as devices connected to your primary Wi-Fi network.

The AX part of the name refers to Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, while the 6000 means this extender can handle up to 6Gbps of data at once. It also supports beamforming, which allows compatible devices to form a stronger connection. It has four Ethernet ports for connecting devices via a cable—something you’ll ideally want to do for the best speeds for devices like a streaming TV or console.

It’s swift, but remember, you may not need or be able to use that extra speed. Your connection speeds will depend on your internet connection and main router, but this extender can handle almost anything you can throw at it.

_{Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AX6000 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

If you have a big house with several rooms or even whole floors that are out of range of your main router, you probably want to prioritize range over everything else. The TP-Link RE650 is a range extender that emphasizes range, with a maximum coverage area of up to 2,800 square feet. It also has plenty of bandwidth and supports beamforming for robust connections.

This is an excellent extender to choose if you need to extend Wi-Fi to a busy part of your house or if you have a large house with several rooms needing simultaneous coverage because it can handle a lot of data simultaneously. That makes it a good fit for covering a family room or busy home office with many devices connected at once. It also has a single Ethernet port, which is great for connecting a computer or game console.

While the TP-Link RE650 is powerful and lets you extend your Wi-Fi over a large area, it’s also straightforward to use and set up. It uses an app-based setup procedure that walks you through the process with on-screen prompts and even includes a signal indicator to take all the guesswork out of choosing where to install the extender. That means you don’t need to worry about trying to get the best connection, even if you don’t have much network experience.

_{Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC2600 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 1}

Best Powerline

Netgear PLW1000

Most range extenders work by capturing the Wi-Fi signal from your main router and rebroadcasting it, but that isn’t always possible. If you’re trying to extend Wi-Fi to part of your home where brick walls or appliances block the signal, then a powerline extender like the Netgear PowerLINE 1000 can solve your problem.

The Netgear PowerLINE 1000 sends a network connection through the electrical wiring in your house to an adapter, which creates its own Wi-Fi network at the other end. Devices that connect to the network are then connected to your main router through the electrical wiring in your house. It supports up to 1Gbps of bandwidth, which makes it a good solution for spreading a Wi-Fi signal to a small home office or guest bedroom where a connection would otherwise be impossible.

In addition to creating a remote Wi-Fi network that connects back to your router through the electrical wiring, the PowerLINE 1000 also includes an Ethernet port for connecting a smart TV, game console, or computer that doesn’t support Wi-Fi. You can add up to 16 adapters to the system to bring wired and wireless connectivity to different parts of your home.

_{Wireless Spec: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC1000 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: No | Beamforming: No | Wired Ports: 1}