Repeater vs extender ?

 Although these two signal boosting terms are often used to describe the same thing, repeaters and extenders have slightly different designs. Essentially, a WiFi repeater has the same wireless technology as a laptop (or smartphone), which allows it to connect to existing wireless networks in the area. The repeater’s strong antenna captures the wireless signal and rebroadcasts it in a new location. This strengthens the signal around the repeater, but it weakens the original bandwidth up to 50%. Repeaters are also vulnerable to interference from other electronic devices (ex. microwaves, wireless, myrepeater.net stereos).

There’re a lot of variables to keep in mind when installing a repeater. Meanwhile, WiFi range extenders tend to provide a more stable wireless connection than WiFi repeaters. They replicate an existing connection without creating a new network, so bandwidth is not affected. Often, WiFi extenders connect to the network via electrical outlets. If you’re dealing with a problematic room that has dense building materials and wireless interference, a WiFi extender is the perfect solution. We recommend it for dead zone areas in your home, office, restaurant, or retail space.

In summary, WiFi repeaters are easy to install and relocate, but they limit the available bandwidth on your network. This is because they have to retransmit data back to the wireless router to function, unless they are using multiple WiFi bands. Furthermore, WiFi repeater placement can have a massive effect on the signal strength, and thick walls can limit connectivity to the wireless router.