Booster to wi fi in granny flat next door

maggiesoup

Hi, just built an annexe attached to my house but complaints from kids that the wifi is rubbish.  I could go to a shop and make enquiries but, given my age and luddite level, I'm sure they'll sell me something far and beyond what I need.  Any suggestions guys?? Thanks.

Ergates

There's a few options.   The simplest are "range extenders" - which pick up a wifi signal and rebroadcast it stronger, as a new wifi network.  These are the cheapest and simplest option and work OK in *most* circumstances - but they're not a panacea.  e.g. they need to be put somewhere there is *some* signal otherwise they can't pick it up to retransmit.  Also, you'll need to add the new network to your devices and hope they pick up on the stronger signal. And (!) max data throughput on an extender is lower than on the main network.

The next level up in terms of cost (you're looking at £100+ vs £20-30) are Wifi Mesh systems.  These will replace your current wifi network.  They're a bit like the extenders - in that you have a main transmitter and then a number of repeaters - the big difference is that they're all fully synced and use the same network name (which means you don't have to worry about which network you're connected to).   They're designed to be easy to set up.

Flugelhorn

I used one of the wifi mesh systems mentioned about (devolo magic) I think ? - was very straight forward to set up 

maggiesoup

Thanks for info.  I'll try the first option of a range extender as I see Argos have one for less than £20.  Fingers crossed!

Frozen_up_north

Range extenders can re-transmit the same SSID and re-use the same password.

However, they can be awkward to configure… you might be lucky, but the Netgear one I have took a lot of head scratching but works well enough. You are unlikely to have greater range from an extender than you get from the router, so some careful positioning will be needed.

Heedtheadvice

Two other budget options:

Powerline extender combined with wifi

Such as https://www.argos.co.uk/product/5585575

Or, 

especially of you still have physical access to get a cable from router to annex, is to extend with an ethernet cable to a suitable location and then use an adaptor to bridge to WiFi for the annex. Not a recommendation specifically but see search results for "ethernet to wifi adaptor"

A mesh system is the modern method preferred by many but the other options are very workable and a lot cheaper. WiFi extender by itself can be very good but if ypu have trouble locating the extender in a good position (to get good reception from your existing router and deliver into the annex) the above  might be better.

Vitor

 - still have physical access to get a cable from router to annex - 

Indeed, an oversight not to pull some ethernet cables while the build was in progress. Mesh systems are the way to go - The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems for 2025