You can use a wireless extender, for example FRITZ!Repeater, to increase the range of your Wi-Fi network. For this, the extender connects to the Wi-Fi network of your FRITZ!Box (or of a different router) and then provides an additional Wi-Fi network to which wireless devices can connect. The wireless extender does not amplify the signal of the existing Wi-Fi network, it repeats it.

In this guide, we answer the most frequently asked questions about the wireless extender.

Can I use any wireless extender with my wireless router?

Yes, wireless extenders that use 'Universal Repeater Mode' behave like conventional wireless devices towards wireless routers. Pure wireless extenders like the FRITZ!Repeater can therefore be used with any standard wireless router.

In the FRITZ! Mesh, you can also use current FRITZ!Box models as wireless extenders. Wireless routers from other manufacturers use different methods and therefore cannot be connected to a FRITZ!Box as a wireless extender.

Can I use more than one wireless extender?

Yes, you can connect several wireless extenders directly to the FRITZ!Box. You can also cascade additional extenders as Mesh Repeaters in the FRITZ! Mesh to increase the Wi-Fi range in a specific direction.

Which wireless extender should I choose for the best Wi-Fi speed?

If you just want to surf the internet, any repeater is fast enough. On the other hand, if many wireless devices connect to the repeater and the repeater must meet high throughput requirements, using a dual-band or tri-band repeater is recommended:

Single-band extenders like the FRITZ!Repeater 600 have one single radio unit and can therefore only alternate between sending and receiving data. Although this halves the maximum possible throughput, in practice a single-band extender still offers higher speed because it improves the Wi-Fi quality at the location where it is used.

Dual-band extenders like the FRITZ!Repeater 2400 have one radio unit for the 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi network and a second radio unit for the 5-GHz Wi-Fi network. Dual-band extenders connect via both Wi-Fi networks to FRITZ!Boxes that also have two radio units (for example FRITZ!Box 7590 AX) and use crossband repeating. With crossband repeating, data is simultaneously received on one Wi-Fi network and sent on the other, thus allowing data transfer without loss of speed.

Tri-band extenders like the FRITZ!Repeater 6000 have one radio unit for the 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi network and two radio units for the 5-GHz Wi-Fi network, although the 5-GHz radio unit is exclusively used for communication with the FRITZ!Box. This way tri-band extenders achieve the best possible data rate for the highest demands.

Do I need to change the settings of my wireless devices because of the wireless extender?

No, normally you do not have to adjust any settings on your wireless devices after setting up the wireless extender because the wireless extender adopts the wireless router's Wi-Fi network name and the Wi-Fi network key after setup. Your wireless devices then automatically connect to the Wi-Fi network with the best signal strength and can use Wi-Fi roaming to switch from the Wi-Fi network of the FRITZ!Box to the Wi-Fi network of the repeater.

In the FRITZ! Mesh, the FRITZ!Box uses Mesh Wi-Fi steering to even seamlessly steer your wireless devices to the wireless access point with the best reception.

Where should I position a wireless extender?

If the wireless extender is connected to the wireless router via Wi-Fi, it must be located approximately in the middle of the range of the Wi-Fi network so that the two Wi-Fi networks overlap. Since the extender is connected with the wireless router's Wi-Fi network, position it where the quality of the router's Wi-Fi signal is good. If you are using a FRITZ!Repeater or a FRITZ!Powerline device with Wi-Fi support with a FRITZ!Box, you can use FRITZ!App WLAN to quickly and easily find the ideal place for the FRITZ!Repeater.

Many wireless extenders also have a LAN port, for example FRITZ!Repeater 1200 AX. In addition to offering a way to connect devices without Wi-Fi, the LAN port allows the extender to also be positioned outside the Wi-Fi range of the wireless router. This way, wireless devices can gain Wi-Fi access to the home network even at a great distance from the wireless router. Unlike Wi-Fi connections, the LAN connection is also not subject to interference. You can use a LAN cable that is up to 100 metres in length or powerline devices, for example FRITZ!Powerline, for the connection between the wireless extender and wireless router.