Wifi Repeater vs Range Extender

[Kiritsugu]

I've been having problems connecting to my wireless access point in my living room from my bed room and this has started to become an issue for me. I tried to do some research about fixing this problem and I have ended up with finding two possible solutions. The problem is I have yet to conclude what is the difference between a Wifi Repeater & a Wifi Range Extender. I need someone to explain to me what are the differences between these two things and how would I approach using one of these two. 

 

Also, I want to know if i can use different type of brands for the Wifi repeater/extender for an example: I am using a Cisco Wireless Router and connected to it is a D-Link AP, i was wondering if the Repeater/Extender has to be the same brand as the D-Link AP to be compatible with it. (The Wifi signal that i want to enhance and strengthen is the D-Link AP.)

 

 

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

 

You have 3 main options

 

WiFi repeater - takes a wifi signal and amplifies it boosting out further - it does require smart positioning as it requires a decent wifi signal on order to boost it out

 

Wireless Access Point - connects to your router via eithernet - creates a second full strength wifi hotspot

 

Powerline WiFi - same as the access point but can use your electric mains instead of running ethernet to the other side of the house

[AidanJMessenger]

 

A repeater and an extender are two words for the same thing usually. Those are devices which connect wirelessly to your existing AP, and repeat the signal to get it to travel further. Personally, I'm not a fan of this solution as it would half the amount of throughput. 

 

The best solution is to have an ethernet cable go to a second AP at the other end of the house where signal is weak, and have the AP's settings all the same as the other one so it's all the same network. But that probably isn't ideal for you as running a cable isn't always possible. 

 

As for the different brands, these days they typically all work together fairly well. Assuming they support something like WDS. You can usually google specific models for more info on compatibility. 

[H4X3R]

Best option is a wireless access point. In my family's house i have tried an extender and that did very poorly while an access point is also a major benefit in terms of connectivity.