Comparing Methods of Expanding Your Existing Wireless Network

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What's the Best Device to Extend Your Home's Wi-Fi Coverage?

TP-Link offers a variety of devices and technologies to ensure that you can extend the coverage of your Home's Wi-Fi coverage to every corner – but with so many options available, it can be challenging to understand the difference and know which one is best for you.

There are four key technologies/methods that are used to extend your home network: Mesh Networking, Access Points, Range Extenders, and Powerline Extenders.

  Mesh Wi-Fi Access Points Range Extenders Powerline Adapters
One-Story Home ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Multi-Story Home ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐
Primary Connection Method Between Nodes Wired or Wireless Wired Wireless Powerline (HomePlug AV/2)
Key Function Whole-Home Coverage with One Network Extend Your Local Network with a Wired Connection Extend Your Existing Wireless Network via a Wireless Connection Extend Your Existing Network via Your Home's Power Lines
Reliability Great Great Fair (Repeating Signal Will Cause a Loss in Bandwidth) Varying
Price Medium to High Medium Low to Medium Low to Medium
Implementation Requirements None Existing Router, and Wired Connection to Network Strong Wireless Signal at Location of RE Limited Interference from Appliances on Line
Highlights Seamless Roaming, Single Network Across Nodes, Stable Long-Range Connections Flexible Setup, Large-Scale Deployments, Available as an Operating Mode Highly Compatible with Existing Wi-Fis, Flexible Placement Effective Through Walls and Floors, Adds Internet to any Outlet
TP-Link Technologies Deco Mesh, EasyMesh, OneMesh   EasyMesh, OneMesh OneMesh

 

What is Mesh Networking? 02a43568008c423ea3da4aa05c6458cc

Mesh Wi-Fi is a whole home Wi-Fi system built to eliminate dead zones and provide an uninterrupted connection throughout your home.

While traditional routers broadcast Wi-Fi from a single point, mesh Wi-Fi systems have multiple access points.

  • One Seamless Network with Unnoticeable Switching Between Nodes
  • Broad Coverage with Stable Long-Range Connections via AI Mesh and Adaptive Routing
  • Flexible Setup via Wired or Wireless Connections (Powerline, PoE, and Outdoor Options Available)
  • Easy Management of your entire network through one interface or application

When is a Mesh Network the Best Option?

Mesh networks provide the most flexibility of all options, as it does not rely on a specific backhaul method for their connection and will adapt to compensate for changes in your network environment. 

Helpful Hints:

  • Avoid Obstacles Along your Backhaul's Line of Sight Between Nodes (Walls, Appliances, Electronics)
  • Ensure Each Deco has a strong connection to the other nodes or the primary node. Skipping Floors or OverExtending the range of your Decos can drastically affect your network's performance.
  • Provide a wired backhaul between nodes for optimal performance and stability where possible.

 

Learn More About the Different Types of Mesh Available from TP-Link

What is a Range Extender?d9c00497d4464349bf2b0de1e99bfe28

Range Extenders (sometimes "Repeaters") can boost an existing Wi-Fi network by receiving the wireless signals from your router and repeating them, extending signal coverage by up to twice the range.

When is a Range Extender the Best Option?

A Range Extender is the best option when looking for a quick, easy, and affordable method of extending your home network and its stability or if you need to expand your Wi-Fi's coverage via a wireless connection and a wire cannot be run to the extender.

Helpful Hints:

Avoid Placing multiple range extenders in one general area or "Daisy-Chaining" your Range Extenders together. Doing so will introduce interference and impact the overall performance of the network.

Place the Range Extender where the RE can receive a strong signal, often halfway between your router and the area you would like coverage extended to; otherwise, you will repeat the same weak signal to other devices.

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What is the Difference Between Mesh Wi-Fi and a Range Extender

Mesh Technology is meant to cast the strongest Wi-Fi and provide coverage as you roam from room to room.

Range Extenders require your devices to sign onto a separate network to maintain a strong connection once you're far enough away from your router.

Check out our Full Lineup of Wi-Fi Range Extenders

 

What is a Powerline Extender / Powerline Network (PLC)?ff2591ecc63c4d8eba5a3008a9e1945b

Powerline products turn a home's electrical wiring into network cables and transmit signals to every room. You can form a Powerline network wherever there are power outlets, eliminating the need for expensive and complicated Ethernet cables.

You only need two powerline devices to get started – one to inject the signal into your lines and one to receive the signal.

When is a Powerline Network the Best Option?

If you need more stable Wi-Fi signals in a bigger or multi-story house but don't want to drill holes for Ethernet cables, a powerline adapter may be a better solution. With powerline adapters, thick walls and ceilings aren't a problem anymore.

Helpful Hints:

  • If your home is wired on multiple circuits, ensure the adapters will be placed on the same electrical circuit.
  • Avoid Placing Large Appliances or Power-Hungry Devices on the Same Circuity as Your Powerline Network
  • Powerline Networks are Limited by and will use the lowest bandwidth node on your network as a baseline.
    • (For Example, adding an AV1000 Powerline Adapter to a Network of AV2200 Adapters will cause all Powerline Adapters to slow and match the performance of the AV1000.)

What is a Powerline Network?

What is an Access Point / AP Mode?

A Wireless Router combines a Wireless Access Point and a Wired Router into one device.

A Wired Router allows all client devices to share the internet connection, and it supports functions such as Parental Control, Access Control, QoS, Bandwidth Control, NAT Forwarding, IPV6, VPN, etc.

A Wireless Access Point is designed only to provide a wireless connection. Access Points also require a wired connection, generally from the wired router. An Access Point will not manage the roaming rules of your devices as a mesh network will. Instead, your device will move between nodes and bands independently from the AP.

Flexibility and Operation Modes for Existing Devices

While TP-Link offers a few designated Access Points for Home Use, you may also use an additional router or RE supporting "AP Mode" to achieve a similar effect.

(How to Configure a TP-Link Router as an Access Point) | (How to Configure a Range Extender as an Access Point)

 

Designated Access Points often offer multiple operation modes for more complex network configurations*:

  • Access Point Mode (Default): Extend Your Existing Wired Network and Make it Wireless
  • Multi-SSID Mode: Support Multiple SSIDs and VLANs via a Wired Network Connection
  • Range Extender Mode: Extend Your Existing Wireless Signal By Repeating the Wireless Signal
  • Client Mode: Acts as its Own Wireless Adapter to Connect and Forward Your Wired Device's Traffic into a Wireless Network

*Please Check the Compatibility of a Device with a Specific Operation Mode before Purchasing for These Purposes

When is an Access Point or AP Mode the Best Option?

When your home is prepared for wired connections, you need to extend your network to a remote location, or you are not looking for a comprehensive mesh system and are simply looking to extend your existing Local Network.

See the Full Lineup of Consumer Wireless Access Points

 

Have Questions About What May Be Best for Your Network? Leave a Comment Below!

4

Comment

Hello, this is my first posting so I dunno this forum's rules and etiquette for what info is needed/presented or how to post, so please forgive me if I make mistakes.


I have been given a set of 5 public IPv4 address, xxx.xxx.xxx.17/29, and I want to use these for each of my 5 computers. Two of these computers are located adjacent to where the incoming cat6 cable from my ISP is and I could simply use a switch to extend my external network to these 2 systems. I would then assign two of my pool of public IP address to these two computers. The complication arises because the other three  computers are in remote locations and cannot be reached by a cable.

In other words I want my network to look like this -

 

  • Incoming cable from ISP with a gateway public address of xxx.xxx.xxx.17 connected to one of the LAN ports of a TP-Link TL-SG105 5 port Switch
    •  Computer A which has a NIC assigned to public address of xxx.xxx.xxx.18 connected to one of the LAN ports of a TP-Link TL-SG105 5 port Switch.
    •  Computer B which has a NIC assigned to public address of xxx.xxx.xxx.19 connected to one of the LAN ports of TP-Link TL-SG105 5 port Switch.
  • A TP-Link device connected to one of the LAN ports of TP-Link TL-SG105 5 port Switch but does not require an IP address from the pool of public addresses I own. This device is for extending my public network, via WiFi, to each of my remote computers. Let's call this device TP_Link A. If TP_Link A had a cat-6 port for control and configure functions that didn't need an IP address from the external network that I want to extend, I could then assign a private LAN address to it.
  • A  TP-Link device connected to TP_Link A, via Wifi. Let's call this device TP_Link B. Like TP_Link A, If TP_Link B had a cat-6 port for control and configure functions that didn't need an IP address from the external network that I want to extend, I could then assign a private LAN address to it also.
    • A second TP-Link TL-SG105 5 port Switch connected to the TP-Link B.
      • Computer C which has a NIC assigned to public address of xxx.xxx.xxx.20 connected to one of the LAN ports of the TP-Link Switch
      • Computer D which has a NIC assigned to public address of xxx.xxx.xxx.21 connected to one of the LAN ports of the TP-Link Switch
      • Computer E which has a NIC assigned to public address of xxx.xxx.xxx.22 connected to one of the LAN ports of the TP-Link Switch


I am by no means a network expert but this setup seems like it should be easily doable! But I cannot puzzle out what to purchase and how to go about setting up the the TP_Link A and B devices to accomplish this! Nor can I grok whether I can assign a private IP address to each device while configuring it to handle/extend the external network. Conceptually I want a WiFi link that acts like a simple dumb cable! Can you help me to choose what TP-Link devices I need to purchase and explain how to configure them? It seems to me that each of the devices I am going to purchase will require at least 2 cat6 cable connections each? Maybe I have the wrong idea about how networks are extended across WiFi links, but this should give you the gist of what I want to accomplish. Thanks in advance and appreciate any and all suggestions!

 

    Marc...

@EveningDarkstar,

You may want to create a new thread on our SMB forums specifically, especially because of how complicated your setup will be and the amount of setup required. But I did quickly speak with our test engineers, and they gave me a recommended setup for your specific case.

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- Your Setup will Consist of Multiple VLANs for Each Device

- One-to-One NAT Configurations for Each Public IP

- Multiple Public IPs need to be configured to the same WAN port via a Router rather than a Switch(ER7206)

 

Something to Note, since the SG105 is an unmanaged switch it would not be able to properly handle all the settings required for the setup, you would need to look towards managed switches, particularly our Jetstream switches.
 

Lastly, you will want to have a hardware controller so that all your connections may be managed from a singular interface and allow the  EAP610s to Mesh and connect wirelessly. Depending on your needs and the distance of the wireless connection, you may need to look towards CPEs to extend your network wirelessly.

Good day,

My first post and I am new in this field.

I installed a range Extender model RE 705X and received valuable WIFI extension. The SSID of teh extender is my WIFI network SSID with EXT added.

Can I have both just showing one SSID or need they to be different .

This is not good to log in and change teh network especially when the strenghts are not the different

Looking forward to your comments

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