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Forum Discussion
Extend Wifi Service
I just installed a Netgear CAX30 modem/router on my Xfinity service and all is well. However the wifi signal is weak in some parts of the house and I think I need to extend the signal in some way. Wh...
Extending WiFi coverage is a bit complicated depending on what you want to accomplish. The key question regards mobile devices. Is it important to you that when a mobile device moves around the house, it maintains a good network connection without the user having to take any action. (at all. do "anything")
An ordinary WiFi extender will connect to the existing CAX30 router and create a new WiFi network with a strong signal. If the only devices connected to the extender are not mobile (TV's, light bulbs, switches, desktops, printers, etc. etc.) then any WiFi extender from any brand should work fine. The issue is that this network is separate from the primary WiFi network, and most mobile devices will cling to the network they are currently attached to until the signal become so terrible that they simply "give up" and start looking for a new connection. "Honey, why is my phone so SLOW???" she says. "Did you remember to 'forget' the network and reconnect, dear?" Grrrr.
This issue is what caused companies to create mesh WiFi systems in 2016. New internet standards allow devices to automatically switch (i.e. roam) without the user taking any action. Inexpensive WiFi extenders do not offer support for these standards.
Netgear has more expensive WiFi extenders which claim to to this. For example, the EAX15 and EAX17. https://www.netgear.com/home/wifi/range-extenders/eax15/#swatch
I have no personal experience with these extenders, and cannot verify how well they work. (Maybe they are GREAT!)