After weeks of poor coverage on the 1st floor and attic, I went looking for a way to increase the coverage.
I was always quite skeptical about Wifi extenders at first. I did not trust that these devices could really amplify the range without drastically reducing the speed, for example.
After a long search and comparison, I finally arrived at the TP-Link RE200. To be on the safe side, I immediately bought two extenders and after a few days of use I can say that even one is more than enough.
The devices are basically 'Plug & Play'. This means that you can use the devices almost immediately after you plug them into the socket. The only drawback is that the devices use their own SSID name in factory settings.
Mainly because of this, I just connected the laptop via the Ethernet connection on the bottom of the extender, in order to be able to adjust the settings.
To 'log in' to the extender, once connected to it, simply type tplinkextender.net into the browser's navigation bar. Here you can adjust everything as you can expect with the average router, for example.
For my own convenience, I've given the extenders the same SSID name as the router itself. As a result, my devices don't see any difference between the router itself and the extenders, allowing them to seamlessly switch to the transmitter with the most range.
It is also recommended to update the software of the device. The extenders do not do this themselves! You simply download the software via the tp-link support center and then upload it in no time to the 'firmware upgrade' extension in the extender's management. The software updates provide extra stability and reliability of the device.
It is also recommended, when available, to connect the extenders to the 5GHz frequency. The speed that comes in via the 5GHz frequency is significantly higher than the standard 2.4GHz frequency. Most new routers support 5GHz frequencies, so that's definitely something to check out and connect with if you have the option.
Finally, it is useful to know that when a red light comes on on the extender, it is not immediately a reason to panic. The extender is very energy efficient and ensures that everything superfluous is excluded. For example, if you have the 5GHz frequency turned on, but not using it, the extender will automatically put it in 'standby' until a connection is sought again. When it enters standby mode, a red light appears instead of green. When connected, it immediately switches back to green.
All in all, highly recommended with plenty of options, a considerably amplified signal and a good transfer speed.
Still unsure which extender to choose? This is it!
