Best WiFi Boosters for 2024 in the USA
Updated October 2024
If you're tired of Wi-Fi dead zones or sluggish internet in specific areas of your home, a Wi-Fi booster might just be the perfect solution. They're an affordable alternative to costly mesh router systems, offering a quick and easy way to boost your internet speed without the need for complex setups.
But which ones are truly worth it?
We’ve tested and reviewed the top 5 Wi-Fi extenders, evaluating their performance on key factors like coverage, speed boosts, connection reliability, ease of use, and value for money.
Here are the Top 5 WiFi Boosters for 2024, with a full review of our top pick at the bottom of the page
BEST OVERALL WIFI BOOSTER
Out Standing
Best In Test 2024: UltraXtend
UltraXtend passed all of our tests with flying colors
Save 50% OFF or more
What is a Wi-Fi booster?
A Wi-Fi booster (aka wifi extender) is a compact, plug-in device that is simple and hassle-free to implement. Wi-Fi boosters use built-in Wi-Fi radios and antennas to pair wirelessly with your router.
No Ethernet cable is required. Plug in one near the edge of your router's wireless range and pair it with the network, and it'll start rebroadcasting the signal farther out for significantly faster internet speeds throughout your home.
How CIR tests Wi-Fi extenders and signal boosters
In May 2024, We were able to resume tests at the Consumerinsightreviews (CIR) Smart Home, a 5,700-square-foot multistory home in the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky, that served as a living lab for our product tests.
It's a much better environment for testing wireless devices at range than my somewhat cramped, shotgun-style house -- and with more ground to cover, it offered a much bigger challenge for these extenders.
The CIR Smart Home has a fiber internet connection with matching upload and download speeds of up to 150Mbps. That's a far cry from the gigabit connections more and more of us have access to (not to mention the new, blazing-fast multi-gig internet plans emerging in some parts of the country). However, it's in line with the average internet speed in the US, which makes it a great place to test how home networking products will work for the average consumer.
For my purposes, we started by setting up a router in the Smart Home's laundry room, which is where the modem is set up. We went with the Netgear R6700AX, a perfectly decent model I reviewed last year. It offered reliable performance but limited range when we tested it -- and that's exactly what we wanted for these range extender tests.
Sure enough, the router was able to deliver strong speeds on the home's main floor, but as soon as we headed down to the basement level, speeds started to fall. That includes single-digit upload speeds in the bourbon room and the mud room. (Yes, the Smart Home has a bourbon room that the previous owners used to age their own barrels. We don't have any barrels of our own, but it smells amazing in there. Kentucky, folks!)
Running the range test
With our control speeds established, it was time to start adding in the range boosters and seeing which ones improved things the best.
Pairing each one with the router only required us to plug it in nearby and press the WPS button on both devices -- after that, we relocated them downstairs, to the basement rec room, which was the farthest point from the router that still had a decent signal and speeds.
In the end, we ran a total of at least 106 speed tests for each extender, two rounds of 28 tests to find its average speeds to a Wi-Fi 6 client device (a 2021 Lenovo ThinkPad laptop).
We started the first round of tests with a fresh connection in the laundry room, closest to the router, and then started the second round of tests with a fresh connection in the mud room, farthest from the router. With each test, we logged the client device's download speed, its upload speed and the latency of the connection.
Wi-Fi extender test results for 2024
Ready to see how the range extenders did in terms of upload and download speeds? Let's take a look.
This first set of graphs shows you the average download speeds by room for each extender we tested. Below, you're looking at the average upload speeds.
So what jumps out? First, all five of these extenders did a decent job of boosting speeds in those last four rooms, down in the basement.
With all of them, we had a faster connection throughout the house than we had when we connected through the router alone.
As you can see from the result chart, in rooms close to the router, the extenders didn’t show much difference in internet speed. However, in rooms farther from the router, the difference was significant. And UltraXtend outperformed the other competitors by a clear margin.
Here are the rest of the tests we conducted:
4k Video Streaming
This is where we noticed the most significant improvement. Videos now load quickly at full 4K resolution. we streamed multiple movies on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Peacock, and Amazon on TVs throughout the house for a week—without a single complaint.
If you love watching high-quality movies online, UltraXtend is the perfect solution.
Video Calling & Meetings
We tested various calling platforms, including FaceTime, Google Meet, Skype, Zoom, and Facebook Video, and the results were consistently impressive. Connections remained stable, and the quality was crystal clear.
Even with poor cellular service at the house, UltraXtend allowed us to make WiFi calls reliably, with zero dropped calls or voice lag.
Online Gaming
Various devices were tested, including handheld gaming consoles, smartphones, tablets, and PCs. We're always quick to notice when the connection slows, especially during online gaming.
However, with UltraXtend, the improvement in both download speeds and gameplay was impressive. we can confidently say: "This setup is awesome."
Conclusion
UltraXtend outperformed every other WiFi extender we tested, easily passing all our rigorous tests—most notably, it significantly boosted signal strength and supercharged download speeds.
Much of UltraXtend’s impressive performance comes from its cutting-edge features, which are revolutionary for a WiFi booster. Other WiFi companies should take note—this is the advanced technology we need for 2024.
UltraXtend is also highly compatible, connecting seamlessly with all our devices—TVs, laptops, phones, smart gadgets, you name it. We didn’t encounter a single device that had trouble connecting.
Given all these features, what surprised us most about UltraXtend was its affordability.
Normally, the Ultraxtend retails for $99, which is a great deal compared to anything else you can buy on the market.
However, right now they have a massive 50% first-time buyer discount bringing the price down to just $49.And with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee, trying UltraXtend is an absolute no-brainer.
What Our Reader Had To Say about Ultraxtend
The Ultraxtend Wi-Fi extender works great in our 2 story 5-bedroom home. Our Wi-Fi is located on the first floor where we spend most of our time. We can now get a really good signal throughout our home. The instructions were straightforward, and the setup process took just a few minutes. Overall, I am very satisfied with this purchase and how much it has helped extend our signal.
R. C. Schaevitz
I recently purchased the Ultraxtend WiFi Extender to boost the signal strength in some dead spots around my home, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results!
This extender does exactly what it promises – it extends the WiFi coverage flawlessly. I've noticed a significant improvement in signal strength and stability in areas where the WiFi used to be weak or non-existent. Streaming HD videos and online gaming are now smooth and uninterrupted, thanks to the reliable connection provided by this extender.
Kevin F. Brown
I live in an old house built in the forties that has a lot of lathe and plaster walls making dead spots prevalent all over the house. When you’re near the modem/router we get crazy good speed but as soon as you go down a hallway you start to drop off precipitously. I bought the Ultraxtend wifi extender as a shot in the dark to extend our wifi coverage to the backyard for these nice Ohio summer days on the iPad watching our Guardians play. The range extender worked so well I bought another one to further our household coverage!
J. Campbell
Signal strength is amazing, easy to set up and use, and worth the money!! It made our house more functional. Worth the purchase
Noah Prince
One of my challenges in having Wi-Fi in our home is that the Wi-Fi coverage is not full for all of the rooms. I decided to look into getting a range extender and there were many to choose from. I decided to give this wanna try as many people had said it was pretty good. The signal strength is outstanding. Been running 8 months without a hitch. I highly recommend this product.
Jim
ConsumerInsightReviews Advice:The UltraXtend surpassed our expectations in every aspect of our testing. It effortlessly secured the highest score, making it the ultimate all-in-one WiFi extender.
Its exceptional range, coverage, affordability, ease of use, robust feature set, top-notch quality, and sleek design make it a standout choice.
Sale ends at midnight
Wifi Extender FAQs
How effective are Wi-Fi range extenders?
Plug-in range extenders like these can help boost your speeds when you're connecting far from the router, but they can only do so much. The actual speed boost will depend on a multitude of different factors, including the layout of your home, the type of router you're using, the type of device you're trying to connect with and your internet plan's speeds.
What's the difference between a Wi-Fi signal booster and network extender?
There is no functional difference between a Wi-Fi signal booster and a network extender. Manufacturers use different terms to describe the same products, and all of these devices work the same way -- by re-broadcasting your router's signal through a wired connection (your power outlet). A Wi-Fi repeater is slightly different. It connects to your router wirelessly and re-broadcasts the signal in another room.
Where should I put my Wi-Fi extender?
The best approach is to plug the extender in somewhere close to the dead zone you're trying to fix, but not within that dead zone. That's because you need the extender to have a decent connection with your router in order to put out a worthwhile signal of its own.
How do I set up my Wi-Fi extender?
Setting up a Wi-Fi extender is about as painless as it gets. Most models support Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or WPS, which is a universal protocol that wireless networking devices can use to connect with each other. Just plug the extender in, wait for it to boot up, press the extender's WPS button and then press the WPS button on your router within 2 minutes. Voila, connected.
Did you know?
260,000+ Have boosted their Wi-Fi with a Wi-Fi Extender recommended by Consumer Insight Reviews
How do we rate?
We use 5 primary data points in our testing Quality, Features, Ease Of Use, Value & Customer Feedback. You can have 100% confidence in our recommendations, knowing we have considered all aspects of the product.
Written By: Justin Shailer – Home Appliance Expert
After nearly two decades working with some of the country’s biggest home appliance manufacturers, Jeff has become a respected voice in the industry. He has spent years analyzing, reviewing, and testing the capabilities of the most advanced gadgets on the market, and has a genuine passion for sharing his findings with American consumers.
Disclaimer: This site may earn from qualifying purchases from Amazon and other links.
Copyright © 2024 Consumerinsightreviews.com All Rights Reserved.
