Range extender - results are worse than before connecting.
I purchased an EX6120 to help with poor wifi for my wife and daughter upstairs in the house.
After installation I ran a speed test and found with range extender the results were less than stellar. In fact worse than before.
Connecting my phone to the new 5GHZ channel I recorded 16mbps. On the original 5ghz chanel i recorded 117mbs. Downstairs 2 ft from the modem I recorded a best of 45mbps on the range extender and 164mbps on the original 5ghz channel. Why is the performance so por through the range extender?
On my wifes computer with the range extender near her computer we saw just over 13mbps and 16mbps on the original channel...
Our fibre optic supply is supposed to be 160mbps and is usually this or slightly better when checked on the hardwired pc downstairs. My phone seems to do ok but the signal drops the further away I am...naturally. Both my wife and daughter have ipads, iphones and imacs and constantly have problems with signal which is at its worst in their respective rooms.
So this was to try and fix their issue. All the LED lights on the EX6120 are on Green wherever I have tried it so I was expecting better results...
Has anyone got any suggestions to try before I return it?
Model: EX6120|AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Range Extender
Re: Range extender - results are worse than before connecting.
Contrary to popular belief, range extenders don't always make things faster. They can expand Wi-Fi coverage, but this often comes at the cost of speed. Range extenders work by rebroadcasting signals to and from the main router. At a minimum, this will cut speeds in half.
Poor placement of the extender can also hurt speeds. It needs a good signal to both the main router as well as the devices it is serving. And since everything is wireless, radio interference from neighboring networks and other non-Wi-Fi devices operating at the same frequencies are also factors.
If at all possible, try wiring the extender to the main router. This is commonly known as setting it up as an Access Point (AP). You'll have to change a setting on the extender to put it into AP mode. This will be far more reliable and faster. The best wired option is Ethernet, followed by coax and, very distantly, Powerline. Then try placing the AP as close as possible to the wireless devices as you can get.
