Can You Use More Than One WiFi Extender? – (Top Facts!)

You may have considered using a WiFi extender if you have spotty WiFi coverage. What if it isn’t enough? Can you use more than one WiFi extender?

Here’s what you need to know. 

Using multiple extenders should not be a problem. There are going to be some limitations, but there are always ways to mitigate them.

Find out how to do this easily below.

Yes, it’s certainly possible to use multiple extenders to improve your coverage and WiFi quality at home. You can use a different extender for each area so you always have internet access wherever you are.

There are a few things you need to consider before you go ahead and get multiple extenders for your home.

Can You Use Multiple WiFi Extenders – What to Consider

Although using multiple WiFi extenders has its disadvantages, we want to help you minimize the negative impact of poor setup.

We recommend you take into account the following things when connecting more than one WiFi extender. 

✅ Network Speed and Performance

Your WiFi extender won’t affect your original network’s performance, but it may slow down the Internet speed on devices connected to the extender.

Each extender’s speed is cut to half and three-fourths with two extenders.   

✅ Interference Between Networks

Adding WiFi extenders to your home creates entirely new networks, creating more interference opportunities.

The more devices in your area, the more interference on your wireless network. 

✅ Distance From the Main Router

Depending on the type of extender you have and the layout of your home, it should be within 100 and 200 feet of your router. For optimal results, position your router in a central location. 

✅ Complicated Home Layout

If you have a complicated home layout and battling WiFi dead zones, you may need more than one extender to boost your WiFi signal.

Just ensure you arrange them properly so each can communicate with your router. 

Now that you know everything about using multiple WiFi extenders, let’s proceed to set them up correctly. 

Can You Use 2 WiFi Extenders At The Same Time

Using WiFi extenders eliminates dead spots and improves WiFi connectivity in your home. But can you use more than one WiFi extender at the same time?

There is no doubt about it!

If you have a large house with a complicated layout that tends to block WiFi signals, you can set up more than one WiFi extender to expand wireless coverage and increase your devices’ Internet speed. 

For instance, there are dead zones on your home’s east and west sides. You’ll need an extender to create WiFi networks on both ends. 

How Many WiFi Extenders Can You Use in Your Home

Can you use more than one WiFi extender? You can actually use multiple extenders and boosters to improve your home’s WiFi coverage.

In fact, you can use as many as you want. Theoretically, the only limit you want to watch out for is the maximum number of devices that your router can handle.

There are also other factors that you want to check as you’re adding in signal extenders and boosters.

The type of extender you’re going to use matters and subsequently, the resulting bandwidth.

Here are the factors to look out for when getting multiple extenders:

1. No hard rule on the number of WiFi extenders you can use.
2. Depends on the type and range of your extenders.
3. The number of extenders to use also depends on the layout.
4. Test out signal strength and quality as you add extenders.

Note: Generally, you should have no issues using more than 1 WiFi extender to cover your entire area.

Is There a Downside to Using Two WiFi Extenders

Yes, you can set up multiple extenders in your home to improve the WiFi coverage. However, it’s not always the best idea.

There are several factors that you need to watch out for when working with many extenders at the same time.

There are downsides to using them as they can affect the overall quality of your network.

They will get rid of blind spots, but they will also present a new set of issues if they’re not set up correctly.

Here are the downsides to using multiple WiFi extenders

1. They will all draw from the same bandwidth.
2. Can cause network performance issues.
3. Prone to interference.
4. Remember multiple WiFi networks and passwords.

Note: If you are covering a small area, two or three extenders max can work. However, once you exceed that, you want to look at other alternatives.

Is Daisy-Chaining WiFi Extenders a Good Idea

If you have a large space to cover, one idea that you might have is to daisy-chain your WiFi extenders.

This is done by connecting an extender to another one, but not to your router directly. Doing this has the potential of drastically increasing your network coverage.

There are advantages to using this method as it’s more affordable to the alternatives. It’s also much easier to set up. However, it can also cause performance issues.

Here’s what you need to know about daisy-chaining WiFi extenders:

1. Affordable solution to increasing WiFi coverage.
2. Quicker and easier to set up.
3. Can cause slow connections.
4. Interference can be an issue.

Note: Overall, we do not recommend this method to increase your coverage. It's a decent stop-gap solution, but you should explore more robust ones.

How to Set up Multiple Extenders the Right Way

You can surely set up multiple WiFi extenders in your home and minimize the downsides.

There are best practices that you can follow so you won’t have to deal with connection and performance issues.

The exact process to set up your extender will widely vary depending on the type of device and model you have. Although, there are steps that you can follow to ensure that your extenders will work properly.

Here’s how to set up your WiFi extenders the right way:

1. Plug one of your extenders near your router.
2. Log in to its network menu and connect it to your router’s WiFi.
3. Wait for it to connect to your router.
4. Once connected, relocate it to a location where it can receive a decent signal from your router.
5. Repeat these steps for your other WiFi extenders.

Note: Most extenders come with a WPS option, and all you need to do is press the button on your router and extender to connect them.

How to Improve Network Performance With Multiple WiFi Extenders

If you can’t avoid using multiple WiFi extenders, there are ways to mitigate some of the downsides.

You will experience potential connection slowdowns, but you can take steps so that it’s not as worse as you would expect.

There are ways to minimize these effects by configuring your router and extenders in such a way that they don’t interfere with each other.

Here’s how to improve network performance while using multiple WiFi extenders:

1. Update your router‘s firmware to the latest version.
2. Make sure your WiFi extenders use the latest firmware.
3. Position your router and extenders in a central location.
4. Use different network names.
5. Change your router’s WiFi channel to avoid interference.

Note: You can also enable your router's QoS feature for better bandwidth distribution.

Alternatives to Using Multiple WiFi Extenders at the Same Time

Using multiple WiFi extenders is a practical way to increase wireless coverage in your home.

However, it’s not the best way to do it as there are more robust alternatives.

Let’s explore what these are so you know the different options that you have to widen your WiFi network.

Here are the alternatives to using multiple WiFi extenders:

1. Consider using a mesh WiFi system.
2. Use a powerline adapter.
3. Get a more powerful WiFi router.

Note: If you're relying on wireless connections, a mesh system is the way to go as each node acts more like a router than a signal extender and booster.

You’re not going to face a lot of issues with using multiple WiFi extenders as long as all of them are connected to your main router.

The problem starts when you’re trying to cover a much larger area and you start connecting an extender to another one. 

If this is your concern, it’s best to consult a networking professional so they can offer the best advice on how you can extend your WiFi coverage.

Bottom Line

Can you use more than one WiFi extender? You certainly can! WiFi extenders are a handy and affordable way to improve your wireless network coverage.

However, once you start running into slow connection issues, you will want to consider other alternatives.

Read Next: How Far Can A WiFi Extender Reach?