A simple solution that works quickly when the Wi-Fi signal does not reach

If the radio waves do not reach, the speed of Wi-Fi cannot be utilized. To send radio waves far away ...

The radio waves of the Wi-Fi router weaken as the distance increases, and are further attenuated by obstacles such as walls. If the radio waves do not reach, the speed of Wi-Fi cannot be utilized. Repeaters are the easiest solution to send radio waves far. As the name suggests, the repeater bridges the radio waves from the Wi-Fi router and delivers them to the slave unit. The attraction is the ease of introduction. The router's SSID and encryption key are copied to the repeater, and the slave unit is connected to the one with stronger radio waves, so there is no need to change the existing network environment. Most repeaters can be set automatically, and there is no need to match the manufacturer. [Visual explanation] Immediate solution when Wi-Fi does not reach

■ Installation location is also important for repeaters

When using a repeater, consider the most effective installation location. Since the repeater only sends the received data as it is, it is essential that the connection with the router is stable. If it is attenuated here, the lost data cannot be restored, no matter how good the radio wave condition of the repeater and the slave unit is. By the way, there are some products in which the Wi-Fi router itself operates as a repeater.

■ Also pay attention to the mesh "mesh" of radio waves

The weak point of the repeater is that it cannot process reception and transmission at the same time in the same frequency band. When receiving and transmitting each other, the transmission speed is effectively halved. Therefore, there is a function that can execute reception and transmission at the same time in each of the 5GHz band and 2.4GHz band. Although the name is different for each manufacturer, it is called "dual band simultaneous connection". The number of products compatible with the "mesh network" is increasing in recent repeaters. This is a technology that spreads radio waves like a mesh, and compatible products can take over some functions of Wi-Fi routers, improving communication speed and expanding the communication range. However, the price is higher than that of a normal repeater, and the drawback is that it is basically necessary to have the same series from the same manufacturer. However, recently, products that have adopted the standard "Easy Mesh" that transcends the boundaries of manufacturers have begun to appear. (Writer Shunsuke Igarashi) [Reconstructed the article published in the January 2022 issue of Nikkei PC21]