Whenever a new customer has a Wifi Router installed in their home, chances are it’s installed where it was the easiest for the installer. Unfortunately though, depending on where it’s located, it may not be able to provide a strong enough signal to cover the entire home. And since most people use wireless devices more than ever, you may experience connection problems in several areas – especially if you have a large house. So, to alleviate this problem, the best solution is to install a Wifi Extender. What Is A Wifi Extender? The Wifi signal that is broadcast from the Router has a limited distance and can affected by things in you home such as baby monitors, cordless phones and even the material within the walls which can weaken the signal to the point where you have difficulty making a good connection to your Router and when this occurs, the areas of your home where there the signal is poor or not at all, is referred to as a “dead zone.” To overcome these dead zones, Wifi extenders are installed which work in conjunction with your router to boost the signal which can help to eliminate any dead zones that you may have and increase it strength overall. How can Locate These WiFi Dead Zones? When it comes to identifying where the Wifi Dead Zones are in your home one of the easiest ways to do this is to simply walk throughout your home, pausing occasionally to observe the Wifi signal indicator on your wire- less device and note where the sig- nal decreases or drops off completely. Once you have this information you now have a good idea where the dead zones are and now it’s just a matter of deciding what type of Wifi Extender would work best for your situation. Wifi Extender Types Basically, Wifi extenders are available in two types, Wall-plug and Desktop design. As the name implies, Wall-Plug extenders are self contained adapters that plug directly into an AC outlet and are a great way to eliminate multiple dead zones in rooms that are farthest from the Router. Whereas the Desktop type not only boosts the signal, but also has several Ethernet Ports, which can be used for more network ready wired devices such as a printer or USB storage options. And since Wifi signals can be interrupted by other devices in the home, Wifi extenders use Dual signals which simply means they operate using two Wifi signals to help reduce any interference. Location and Setup When installing a Wifi Extender, it’s recommended that they be placed halfway between your Wireless Router and the Dead Zone so that you can get maximum coverage. And as for the actual setup, Wifi Extenders such as those from Netgear, provide easy to follow instructions that can get you going in a matter of minutes. So for more information, refer to Netgear’s website at: https://www.netgear. com/home/products/networking/ wifi-range-extenders/?cid=wmt_netgear_organic . Increased Wifi Performance While the routers provided by Internet providers today have sufficient signal strength for the average home, the signal however begins to drop off after a certain distance and becomes weak that can prevent your wireless devices making a good connection or none at all. So if you live in a large home with rooms upstairs or an outdoor patio where you need a strong Wifi connection, then making an investment in an extender is the best way to increase your router’s signal strength which will improve it’s performance overall. [IDR’s Tech Columnist, Kenneth Herring, is an Independence native with years of experience in various technologies. He served in the technology industry for more than 27 years, having active experience as an IT instructor and computer systems engineer. Have a question for Ken about your computer? Email him at kenstechtalk@gmail.com.]