Disadvantages of Using Wireless Extenders in 2025

Wireless signals naturally weaken with distance from the source. This attenuation is primarily due to the broadcasting power of the router, but is also significantly affected by environmental factors like building materials (walls, floors, metal) and appliances, like HVAC systems, ovens or refrigerators.  Any interference from other radio emissions on similar frequencies or channels also degrade the signal. The specific 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol being used by your router (Wi-Fi 4 or 5?) and other devices (solar or security) also plays a critical role in signal strength and range. The bottom line is that it's usually better to start with a good newer router than adding to an existing Wi-Fi setup.

While wireless extenders (also often called Wi-Fi repeaters) offer a seemingly simple solution by detecting and rebroadcasting the wireless signal, they come with notable drawbacks that have become even more apparent with the advent of newer Wi-Fi standards.

Network Bandwidth Halving
The most significant and persistent disadvantage of a traditional wireless extender  remains its impact on network bandwidth. For any devices connecting to the extender/repeater rather than the primary router, the effective bandwidth is essentially halved. This occurs because the repeater must first receive the signal from the router, process it, and then rebroadcast it. This process happens in both directions (router to device, and device to router) on the same radio and channel, creating a bottleneck. This is still a core limitation of how most basic extenders function.

Bandwidth in Today's Context
While the concept of halved bandwidth might sound less critical for basic web browsing or email, especially with typical internet connection speeds in the U.S. having increased, it's more impactful now than ever. With the prevalence of high-bandwidth activities like 4K/8K video streaming to a Smart TV or PC, online gaming, large file transfers (both for work and personal use), and the growing number of smart home devices, this bandwidth reduction can be very noticeable.

Even if your internet connection is, for example, 200 Mbps, a repeater will reduce the effective Wi-Fi speed to 100 Mbps for any device connected to it. While still faster than older internet plans, this can limit the performance of demanding applications and create congestion in multi-device households or offices. Three or more people watching high quality YouTube videos is enough to see a slowdown. If you're running a centralized media server or frequently transferring large files within your local network (e.g., between PCs or to a Network Attached Storage - NAS), the performance degradation over a repeater bridge will be very apparent.

Hardware Setup and Modern Alternatives
While dedicated wireless extenders are still sold, it's true that many modern wireless routers can be configured to act as extenders or, more effectively, as access points (APs) in a wired backhaul setup. When considering extending your Wi-Fi, remember that Wi-Fi signals are still susceptible to being blocked or reflected by common building materials. Tools to analyze Wi-Fi signal strength from your smartphone, tablet or PC are more readily available than ever, allowing for more precise placement of repeaters or alternative solutions.

However, the landscape for extending Wi-Fi has evolved significantly beyond simple repeaters. Mesh Wi-Fi systems have become a dominant and highly recommended alternative. These systems use multiple access points (nodes) that communicate with each other to create a single, unified Wi-Fi network with seamless roaming. Unlike extenders, many mesh systems utilize a dedicated wireless backhaul (often on a separate frequency band like 5 GHz or 6 GHz) to communicate between nodes, preventing the bandwidth halving issue seen with traditional repeaters. Some mesh systems even support wired backhaul, where nodes are connected via MoCA, Ethernet or Ethernet over Powerline for optimal performance.

Another option, if feasible, is running Ethernet cables to strategic locations and installing dedicated wireless access points (APs). This provides the best performance as each AP acts as a new Wi-Fi source without the inherent bandwidth limitations of wireless. For situations where running Ethernet is difficult, existing coaxial cabling (MoCA) or  Powerline adapters (which use your home's electrical wiring to transmit network data) can offer a wired connection to an AP. 

Current and Future Wi-Fi Standards
Before investing in a traditional Wi-Fi repeater, it's crucial to consider the capabilities of current Wi-Fi standards because it may be more cost efficient to replace your main router than adding anything to your existing setup:

  • Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax): This standard, widely adopted in most new routers and devices, offers improved efficiency, better performance in congested environments, and generally better range than older standards like 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5). While theoretical maximum speeds are around 9.6 Gbps, real-world speeds for a single device are typically 1-3 Gbps, allowing for robust performance across larger areas.

  • Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax with 6 GHz band): Wi-Fi 6E extends Wi-Fi 6 by adding support for the 6 GHz frequency band. This band offers significantly more uncrowded spectrum, leading to much faster speeds and lower latency, especially for devices that support it. While the 6 GHz band provides superior performance, its range is generally shorter than 5 GHz, and it struggles more with obstacles like walls.

  • Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be - "Extremely High Throughput"): Officially certified in early 2024, Wi-Fi 7 is the latest standard, designed for unprecedented speeds and capacity. It boasts theoretical maximum speeds up to 46 Gbps, though real-world performance is typically in the 6-15 Gbps range per access point. Key advancements include 320 MHz channel width (double Wi-Fi 6's 160 MHz), 4096-QAM (packing more data into each signal), and Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which allows devices to simultaneously send and receive data over multiple frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz). While Wi-Fi 7 isn't primarily focused on extending range over previous generations, its advanced features can lead to a more reliable and higher-performing connection even at a distance within its operational footprint. However, similar to Wi-Fi 6E, the higher frequencies used in Wi-Fi 7 (especially 6 GHz) will still be more susceptible to signal degradation through obstacles. Very few older devices will have built-in Wi-Fi 7 capabilities.

The range performance of these newer standards, particularly Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7, often surpasses what you'd achieve with an older-generation router and a repeater. For optimal performance and coverage in a larger home or office, investing in a modern Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 router, or preferably any mesh Wi-Fi system, is almost always a better solution than relying on a traditional repeater.