Modern Wi-Fi routers generally do a great job of extending the signal to all rooms and all corners of your home. But sometimes there’s room for improvement. We’re going to talk today about two options for extending internet connectivity inside your home.

Mesh Wi-Fi Systems

The first option to really get great Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home is a mesh Wi-Fi system. In it, you have multiple access points that relay the Wi-Fi signal to and through each other to the base station that’s wired to your main Internet connection. Unlike Wi-Fi repeaters, these devices connect to each other with a different type of wireless signal and provide the full throughput of your connection. They’re generally really easy to set up and some don’t cost much (if any) more than a new wireless router.

CNET likes the Nest Wi-Fi best at $269, but does give other options depending on what’s important to you.

PC Mag does the same, giving you a list of mesh systems to look at depending on your needs.

But there’s another option for devices that need to be wired in.

Powerline Ethernet

If you’ve got an older home, chances are you don’t have Ethernet running everywhere you want connectivity. And, while it’s possible to retroactively wire up your home, there is an easier option that I’ve personally found to be pretty effective: Powerline Ethernet.

Powerline Ethernet takes adapters and uses your home’s wiring to transmit Ethernet in the house. You just plug one box into an outlet near your router (not a power strip) and then plug Ethernet into that device. Providing you’re on a single phase of power in your home, you can then plug subsequent powerline boxes into any other outlet in your home, pair them to the base station, and have Ethernet delivered via your home’s powerline. There are several brands out there, but I use a TP-Link system. For $40, you can deliver Ethernet into any other room in your home.

I hope this information will help get you better connected!

Brian Crommett
CEO
702 Communications