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Easily compare your WiFi options
Having issues with your WiFi, or simply want to improve on what you’ve got? We’ve taken the most common types of wireless set-up to help you compare WiFi solutions at a glance. The table below will help you tell your WiFi apples from oranges.
It’s not exhaustive and won’t tell you exactly what to buy, but it should help point you in the right direction. It also isn’t rigorously scientific, but is based on our experience and knowledge, gained over years of customer feedback and installing WiFi solutions.
About the WiFi solutions reviewed
We’ve used four categories to group and compare the WiFi solutions most commonly used by homes and small businesses:
- WiFi Router
- uses the in-built WiFi broadcast functionality of your router
- often comes free of charge from your internet provider as part of your broadband package
- WiFi Boosters/Extenders/Repeaters
- adding boosting devices to extend your router’s wireless signal range
- Devolo, TP-Link and Netgear are some of the commonly-used brands
- ‘Whole Home’ Mesh WiFi
- replacing the WiFi from your router with a dedicated system of wirelessly connected WiFi access points that you set up yourself
- BT and Google are two of the main brands offering these off-the-shelf systems
- Professional WiFi Installation
- using a professional installer to hard wire (or wirelessly connect in a mesh configuration, or a combination of the two) WiFi access points to your router to replace its wireless functionality
- this is a specialist, tailored service not yet offered by the internet providers or manufacturers
Bear in mind that within each group there will be a huge range of equipment and configuration options. Some equipment will inevitably work better than others. It also depends very much on the construction of your premises and how much WiFi interference there is in your environment. However, for simplicity we’ve taken a broad brush approach based on our experience.
WiFi Comparison Overview
| Router | Boosters | Mesh | Professional | |
| Cost | £ | £ | ££ | £££ |
| Signal range | Poor | Poor | OK/Good | Very Good |
| Signal reliability | Poor | Poor | OK/Good | Very Good |
| Ability to cover ‘black spots’ | Poor | Poor | OK | Very Good |
| Likelihood of needing regular reboots | High | High | Medium | Very Low |
| Ability to maximise broadband speed via WiFi | Poor | Poor | OK | Very Good |
| Max size of building covered | Small | Medium | Large | Very Large |
| Can be set up to work in buildings with thick walls & WiFi blocking materials | No | No | No | Yes |
| Creates a single WiFi network | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| WiFi network can be expanded without loss of performance | No | No | No | Yes |
| Ability to accommodate multiple connected devices | Poor | Poor | OK | Very Good |
| Can be used externally | No | No | No | Yes |
| Can incorporate point-to-point to transmit WiFi to outbuildings | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Ease of set-up/configuration | Plug & play | Plug & play | Self set up with app | Tech knowledge required |
| Best for home or business | Home | Home | Home | Home & Business |
Need help with a professional WiFi solution?
If you’ve already wasted a lot of time, effort and money on boosters, extenders, repeaters and other off-the-shelf systems, we can replace them with a professional WiFi solution that will meet your needs.
We offer a free WiFi survey and no-obligation quote for your ideal WiFi solution if you’re in the Bristol and Bath area. For help with troublesome WiFi get in touch today.