Mesh Wi-Fi vs a Wi-Fi Extender: Which Fixes Your Dead Zones?

Move the router first. A router in a cupboard, on the floor, or behind the TV loses a large amount of its range. Put it somewhere central, high, and out in the open, and many dead zones disappear for free.

Also check the router's age. A router more than five or six years old may not support modern Wi-Fi standards, and replacing it can be a bigger upgrade than any add-on.

An extender listens to your router's signal and rebroadcasts it. That is cheap and simple, but it has two drawbacks. First, a basic extender uses the same radio to receive and to send, which can roughly halve the speed of anything connected through it. Second, many extenders create a separate network name, so your phone clings to a weak connection instead of switching to the better one as you walk around.

Extenders are a reasonable fix for a single problem room close to the edge of coverage, especially on a tight budget.

A mesh system replaces or works alongside your router with two or three matching units that talk to each other and present one network name throughout the home. Devices hand off between units automatically as you move.

Better mesh systems use a dedicated radio (or a wired Ethernet link) between units, so speed is not cut in half. The result is consistent Wi-Fi across a larger home, managed through one app.

A rough guide:

Whether you choose an extender or a mesh unit, place it halfway between the router and the dead zone — somewhere that still gets a strong signal. Putting it in the dead zone itself just rebroadcasts a weak signal. Most apps include a signal-strength check to help you find the right spot.