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Forum Discussion
Netgear Ranger extender EX2700 or WN3000RP?
Hello, newbie here
My first ever post, I haven't spotted this query anywhere in other posts.
I need to buy a ranger extender as I have drop out in my sitting room which is the furthest room away from the router.
I have 20mb into the room with the router, same again in the hall, 18mb into the dining room but as soon as you go into the sitting room it drops to 6. The router was provided by EE being the a fibre optic Bright Box 2
In the sitting room we have a 4K UHD Smart TV which I wondered whether to hard wire to the extender.
Apart from the TV my wife and I run a couple of Ipads for access to the internet, the kids have flown the nest so no other drainage to the net
on computers or playstations.
I have seen the 2 extenders on the net but I am unsure which to go for can anyone help. The Bright Box 2 offers 2.4 and 5GHz
however surprisingly the 2.4 has a stronger signal which may not be a problem as the 2 extenders only offer 2.4
Best wishes
Hari
5 Replies
The EX2700 and WN3000RP are very similar. Allegedly, the WN3000RP has better electronics and provides extra help when setting up. That doesn't necessarily mean the WN3000RP will be much faster than the EX2700 because both are N300 extenders. The WN3000RP is considerably more expensive.
You should consider getting a dual-band extender that supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz in order to take advantage of the 5 GHz band provided by your Bright Box 2. While 5 GHz does have less range, a weaker signal does not necessarily mean that it will be slower. Fewer people use 5 GHz, wider Wi-Fi channels are available to carry more bandwidth and superior Wi-Fi protocols are available. In the last case, if your Bright Box 2 supports 802.11ac, then speeds could be much, much faster.
Regardless of the extender, it will be best to hard wire the TV to it.
Thank you for your swift reply.
Having swept the net last night I see that dual band extenders can rise quite steeply very quickly but now I am like a kid in a sweet shop
which one to have.
I see the cheaper end moving upwards as follows, EX3700, AC750, EX6150-100, WN3500RP then at the top end of my budget the Nighthawk7000 can you assist me please. If I went with the Nighthawk 7000 would that be like cracking a nut with a sledgehammer as one of the cheaper ones would do the same job.
Best wishes
Hari
There are a few things to consider:
- The speed of your Internet service. It sounds like it's 20 Mbps.
- The Wi-Fi capabilities of your Bright Box 2. It looks like it's an AC1200 class router.
- The Wi-Fi capabilities of your devices. Are they 2.4 GHz only or dual band?
- The number of Wi-Fi devices.
- Planned uses for Wi-Fi. Will it strictly be for Internet access or also for heavy-duty data transfers between devices at home (e.g. streaming video off of a NAS to a smart TV or laptop)?
- Your budget.
Your answers will determine what you should get. The EX7000 would exceed the capabilities of the Bright Box 2, so it might not be the best choice unless you need the range provided by its large antennas, you plan to perform heavy-duty data transfers, or you just want something that will not be the next bottleneck as you upgrade other components. An AC1200 class extender would match the Bright Box 2. Or you could go lower end if you only plan to do Internet; your Internet service would most likely be the bottleneck. Personally I would not go any lower than any of the AC750 class device since it really pays to take advantage of the 802.11ac capabilities built into the Bright Box 2.
Hope this helps.
