![]() This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. There’s a lot to learn, and there’s a good reason why so many people just go to a retailer they trust and buy what’s recommended for their home.ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. Even “bridge” is a product name and a networking term. Mesh networks, wired and wireless backhaul, routers and switches, amplifiers, extenders, repeaters, boosters… the list goes on. In the big, wide world of networking, there’s a lot of confusing terminology thanks to how closely related some of the terms are, or just due to general marketing misuse. But if you’re just looking at connecting your Playstation 5 sitting in the other corner of your room to the network, it’ll do just fine. This isn’t ideal for large-scale operations, such as when you need access to your network in a neighboring building but can’t run wiring to it. For example, a lot of routers have “bridge mode,” and even your Windows PC can be used as a network bridge. While dedicated network bridges are available for sale, you probably already have a device in your home that can be turned into a network bridge. The Philips Hue Bridge that connects that ecosystem’s smart lighting network-which is based on Zigbee technology-to a Wi-Fi network. The $17 axGear Network LAN Bridge is an inexpensive way to connect an out-of-range smart device to your home Wi-Fi network. One of the most common bridges you’ll encounter in a smart home is axGear This is ideal when you have multiple devices on different networks that need to be on the same network. “Bridging” is also a networking term used to describe connecting two different networks together, creating a “bridge” between them, making them work as a single network. You can, of course, expect a bit of latency, but that will reduce over shorter distances. Even though you’re connected to the bridge, as far as the device itself is concerned, you’re connected to the main network. The device-say, a TV in the basement- connects to the Wi-Fi bridge via a wired connection, and the bridge then communicates with the main router. What is a Wi-Fi bridge?Ī Wi-Fi bridge is used to connect Wi-Fi-incompatible devices, or devices that are set in an out-of-reach location, to the network. So to make things simple, think of “Wi-Fi booster” as any device that extends your wireless coverage, but ascertain exactly what you’re getting before you buy one. To make things worse, some companies even use Wi-Fi extender and Wi-Fi repeater interchangeably, creating even more confusion. ![]() There are some companies out there that call their products “Wi-Fi boosters” which, while not incorrect, adds more confusion. A Wi-Fi booster is just another way of saying Wi-Fi extender or Wi-Fi repeater. Network hardware marketing departments have been working overtime creating different terminology for what is essentially the same thing. If you have the option to set up a wired access point with a wired extender, you should definitely go that route (or invest in a mesh network). That’s better than being stuck with a wireless dead zone in any area of your home, but you will experience noticeably slow data-transfer speeds and higher latency. Because the repeater must use the same radio to receive data from your wireless router and send data to your wireless router, it effectively cuts your Wi-Fi network’s bandwidth in half. Unlike a Wi-Fi extender, a Wi-Fi repeater works by connecting to the base station (your router) wirelessly and it then rebroadcasts and amplifies that signal. The Hawking Hi-Gain Outdoor 2.4GHz Wireless-300N Dual Radio Smart Repeater is built for outdoors, so you can extend your Wi-Fi network to your yard as well as other parts of your home.Ī Wi-Fi repeater, as with a Wi-Fi extender, aims to bring Wi-Fi coverage to areas of your home that otherwise wouldn’t have any, but it does so in a different way. Michael Crider/IDGĪ Netgear Wi-Fi extender. There are wireless extenders available, but those are essentially just repeaters, which I’ll explain next. At that point, you might want to reconsider and buy a mesh Wi-Fi sytem instead. And depending on the size of your home, you might need to add several Wi-Fi extenders around your house to completely blanket your home with Wi-Fi. The part of the extender system that plugs into your router needs to be relatively close to the router. With a wireless extender setup, location matters.
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