Keeping your Wi-Fi signal consistent around your home can still be something of a challenge in 2020 so that’s where Wi-Fi extenders come in. Whether you’re lounging in the garden or working in your newly converted attic office, you need a solid signal without all the dropouts. 

Wi-Fi extenders can also be really helpful if you’re a seasoned gamer who wants to move their setup to another part of the house. With an extender, you can be sure that wireless signal you’re paying so much money for is ready and waiting.

Whether you’re looking to stream content in 4K from your Netflix account or simply catch up on some work emails while you have your morning coffee, T3 has curated the very best Wi-Fi extenders on the market today – this could be the time for you to invest in one of these ultra-useful gadgets.

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Thankfully, Wi-Fi extenders are very easy to set up and use. There’s usually very little need to worry about calibration or adjustments, just connect it up to your Wi-Fi network and you’re ready to go. Of course, a Wi-Fi extender isn’t going to be advanced, flexible or intelligent as a mesh networking systems, but they are usually more cost effective as an investment.

So, without any further ado, here are the very best Wi-Fi extenders you can buy in 2020, direct from the experts here at T3 Towers. Wi-Fi for all!

How to choose the best Wi-Fi extender 2020

You’ve only got a few specs to think about when it comes to picking the best Wi-Fi range extender in the UK for 2020. First, speed, indicated in Mbps: the faster the better of course, though these are theoretical limits – the speed of the broadband coming into your home and the position of the extender are going to play a big part in the speeds you see.

Dual band support means the extender uses both the 2.4GHz (slower but long range) and 5GHz (faster but short range) frequencies to beam Wi-Fi around. Look for support for the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard too – it’s not essential, but it means your extender will work better with the routers of future years (so will extenders using the older 802.11n tech, just not as quickly).

Lastly, look for an Ethernet port on board if you want to connect one or more of your devices up with a cable rather than Wi-Fi – a games console, for example. It means a more stable, speedier connection for your chosen gadget.

You can normally rely on Netgear for solid networking kit, and so it is with the Netgear WN300RP. It just plugs straight into a free plug socket and within minutes you’re ready to go with your newly extended network – it’s sure to appeal if you’re after something that’s simple to set up.

The top 300 Mbps speed over 2.4GHz should be enough for all but the most demanding users, though it maxes out at the slightly older 802.11n Wi-Fi spec. That does mean a low, low price though, which makes this perfect for extending your network on a budget.

Plume is fast becoming one of the biggest names in Wi-Fi extension innovation, and its Superpods are some of the best you can buy. They’re packed to the brim with features, including adaptive software that dynamically adjusts the Wi-Fi in your home in order to accomodate changing conditions and usages.

Superpods come with theur own AI security program, which protects your smart devices and connected IoT hardware from phishing, malware and other malicious cyber attacks. You can set up a personalised logins for guests and even implement parental controls for any younger members of the household that are using the Wi-Fi. These Tri-Band wonders simply plug into a plug socket, and even have their own Ethernet ports.

If you want the fastest speeds possible and you have a little more to spend, then the Netgear EX3700 is an appealing upgrade from the WN300RP. It supports the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards, and as a result goes all the way up to 750 Mbps for its maximum speed.

There’s also dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) connectivity here, plus some features that match the cheaper alternative from the same manufacturer – the same plug-and-play approach to setup, an Ethernet port, and a similar selection of useful LEDs on the front.

As you might be able to tell from its rather imposing design, the TP-Link RE650 is all about performance – a potential top speed of 2,600 Mbps across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, multiple antennas for better support of multiple devices, and an Ethernet port as well.

You can even target Wi-Fi at particular devices, like a games console, if you need focused, high performance, and TP-Link says the gadget can cover 14,000 square feet. All this power comes at a higher price of course, but you might consider the expenditure well worth it.

The D-Link AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender ticks a lot of the boxes you need to get ticked when you’re searching for the best Wi-Fi extender in the UK right now: it’s fast, it’s simple to set up, it’s effective in blanketing your home in Wi-Fi goodness, and it shouldn’t cost you much money either.

One feature worth highlighting is the way the D-Link AC2600 can work intelligently with your devices to make sure they stay connected as they move around the home. It also comes with bandwidth management to make sure multiple devices can stay hooked up to the web at the same time.

If you trust the TP-Link brand – and there’s every reason to – but can’t afford the RE650, then the RE200 is an excellent alternative that’s a little more affordable. The maximum speed here is 750 Mbps, working across both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless bands.

As well as those high speeds, you get an Ethernet port on board if you want to wire up a desktop computer or a games console, for example. Sometimes the best Wi-Fi extenders aren’t the most expensive ones, and the TP-Link RE200 is a prime example of this.

Full marks to the Belkin team for making a Wi-Fi extender that looks half-decent, though it’s probably not your primary concern when you’re choosing a device like this. Like our other models, this one plugs into a free wall socket and is up and running in minutes.

The maximum 1,200 Mbps speed on offer is one of the key selling points of the Belkin AC1200, but there’s no support for the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards. That said, most people will be fine on 802.11n, and it works on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands too.

Whether or not BT supplies your broadband, you can use the BT Wi-Fi Extender 1200 to get connectivity out to every corner of your current dwelling. What we like most about this extender is the way it shows you right on the unit whether it’s close enough to your main router or not, earning its spot on our list of the best Wi-Fi extenders of 2020.

On top of that it offers dual band connectivity across both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and speeds that top out at 1,200 Mbps – that should be meet all your Wi-Fi extender gaming and streaming needs, though of course you need a high speed connection to begin with.

With its compact looks – somewhat spoiled by those two oversized antennas – the Prescitech Coredy N300 is a Wi-Fi extender you can plug in anywhere. The antennas might be big, but they certainly do the job, and will keep your mobile devices and laptops connected whichever room they happen to be in.

With not one but two Ethernet ports, this is particularly suitable for rooms where you want to wire up a couple of devices: a games console and a desktop tower computer, for example. Considering the low price too, this is definitely worth a spot on our list of the best Wi-Fi extenders of 2020.

There’s no messing about with the Linksys RE6500, which looks a lot like a router but which is actually one of the best Wi-Fi extenders of 2020. One reason to buy a bigger box like this is to get extra Ethernet ports – the unit has four of them for wiring up devices directly.

On top of that you’ve got top speeds of up to 1,200 Mbps, dual band coverage across the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, and enough power to blanket 10,000 square feet of space with lovely Wi-Fi. It’s not the cheapest option out there but it’s well worth considering.

The Netgear EX7500 goes above and beyond the call of duty to bring you just about every feature you could want from the best Wi-Fi extender of 2020: a whopping max speed of 2,200 Mbps, dual band coverage, support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards, and more besides.

Unlike a lot of extenders, it simply repeats the name of the network being broadcast by your main Wi-Fi router, so you don’t need to worry about switching between them. It comes with a neat analytics app as well, for testing Wi-Fi strength around the home.

Header image: TP-Link

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