If you want to learn how to setup wifi extender then you are in the right place. Do you already own a Wi-Fi router in your home or office but there are some parts of the building where there is little to no signal for you to be able to watch an entire season of MadMen on Netflix on your tablet? Well, no fear, there are two options that you can pick from to help you get around this little problem:
Option 1 – Buy a more powerful Wi-Fi router which comes with additional wireless channels and an extended wireless range which would set you back by a couple of hundred dollars or,
Option 2 – Get yourself a cheap Wi-Fi extender which can be very easily connected to your existing Wi-Fi unit.
My personal choice would be to pick option 2 – seeing that I do not have wads of money to spend on a more powerful Wi-Fi router with all of the bells and whistles that I really do not need.
I found a really great product called the TP Link N300 Wi-Fi Extender at the local computer store. It costs about $20 and it is a single unit that can be plugged directly into any electrical outlet in the home. One of the requirements that you must keep in mind when you are installing the TP Link N300 Wi-Fi Extender is that the signal strength relative to the original Wi-Fi router should not be lower than 3 bars out of 5. There is an LED indicator on the TP Link N300 that you can use to measure the signal strength.
Now that you know about a product that is very affordable that answers the question “How to setup WiFi Extender” let’s now look at the ways in which the TP Link N300 can be setup. There are 2 options to choose from when it comes to configuring the Wi-Fi extender to connect to your original router:
Option 1 – The Simplest and Quickest Way – Press the WPS Key On Your Router
Simply press the WPS key on your Wi-Fi router (most modern routers have a WPS button) and then plug in your TP Link N300 Wi0Fi Extender. Keep in mind that when you are configuring the N300 for the first time you should have the extender within about a meter of the router. Once the configuration is complete you can then relocate the N300 to anywhere in the building (remember to keep the signal strength above 3 out of 5 bars). Both devices will show flashing LEDs as they establish a connection. After a short while (usually a couple of seconds) both LEDs will stop flashing and stay on solid meaning that the connection has been established and the extender has been successfully configured. There is also another method when it comes to the question of how to setup wifi extender.
Option 2 – Configure the TP Link N300 Extender via a PC or Mac computer
After plugging in the Wi-Fi extender into a wall outlet you would enable Wi-Fi on your computer and search for the TPLink in the list of available Wi-Fi networks. Next, you would simply select the TPLink network and enter the default password as specified in the paper instructions that come with the device.
You would then be presented with an application on your computer screen which will guide you through the process of finding and selecting your home or business Wi-Fi router and connecting to it. The entire process should take no more than a minute to complete. It is assumed that you would know what your password is for that Wi-Fi network for you will be asked by the application for it in order to complete the setup process.
Once completed you should see a solid LED light on your TP Link N300 Wi-Fi Extender which would mean that the initial setup was successful. You can now unplug the extender and relocate it in another part of the building near the problem area where the original Wi-Fi signal was weak.
One general rule of thumb is that the extender should be approximately midway between your router and the problem area (where the signal strength shown on the N300 should be three bars or higher).
That, ladies and gentlemen, is how to setup wifi extender. You can also get them from the Amazon store here.
Checkout my YouTube video brow where I demonstrate the entire setup process using Option 2. Enjoy!