Why Wi-Fi extenders simply aren't worth buying in 2026

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Flowing ad budget on metrics that look great till the CFO sees them, that's bull spend. And marketers are calling it out in Dashboard Confessions.

SPEAKER_2 (0:09)

I remember telling my boss, it'll be good for the brand when leads were slow. Yeah, it wasn't.

SPEAKER_1 (0:17)

Cut the bull spend. LinkedIn lets you target by company, job title, and more. Advertise on LinkedIn.

Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a $250 credit. Go to linkedin.com/campaignterms and conditions apply.

Travis Hoyam (0:32)

Hey there, I'm Travis Hoyam, one of the hosts of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing. Each weekday on Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing, we talk through the business news you need to know and the stories moving stocks on Wall Street. On weekends, we game plan personal finance strategies and dive into the industries shaping tomorrow and host the experts, authors, and executives that understand them. Tune in for insights and a long-term perspective on investing, and of course, stock ideas, plenty of them. To quote a listener, it pays to listen. Check us out and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Imran Shaikh (1:04)

Are Wi-Fi extenders worth buying in 2026?

We'll find out in moments, but first. While Apple's iPhone battery tech is well integrated with iOS to offer maximum life while reporting health metrics and other important info, even the best engineering can't overcome chemical limitations. Battery cells gradually degrade over every charge cycle with temperature, age, and daily use all playing a role. Apple's battery info page states, when you know a little about how they work, they can work that much better for you. This also applies to recognizing when a battery starts breaking down on you. Several telltale signs suggest it's time for a battery replacement, and you should watch for them to avoid any day-to-day issues, sluggish performance, or sudden shutdowns. Luckily, pinpointing your iPhone battery's health is much easier than it was a decade ago. Apple has added more battery performance info directly into the iPhone Settings app. Beyond that, learning about other warning signs of a depleted battery will make it clear when it's time to head to the Genius Bar. Head over to engadget.com and check out Yoni Yardeni's full article and the warning signs that your iPhone battery needs to be replaced.

Meanwhile, you really shouldn't have to worry about your phone's battery levels dropping to half by noon. But here we are. A common frustration among Android users. As frustrating as the situation is, there are fairly easy fixes to this that can add hours back to your day and extend your battery's lifespan in the long run. Most Android phones are running out of juice for entirely preventable reasons, such as a display set to bright, apps refreshing in the background around the clock, poor charging habits, or an app that keeps draining power while you go about your day ignoring it. You don't have to drop to airplane mode, except a dim screen you can barely see on or turn off Wi-Fi.

A few targeted adjustments can realistically add hours of battery life without you noticing any real difference in day-to-day use. It's also worth thinking about this problem from two angles. The first is the daily battery drain, and the second is the long-term battery health. You don't want to end up having to replace your battery. Gabriela Vattou helps you figure out the practical steps you can apply immediately without needing to have an IT degree right now at engadget.com.

A Wi-Fi extender is generally the cheapest fix for rooms that can't pick up a strong Wi-Fi connection from your router. They're common and easy to set up, but the catch is that an extender can't magically create a strong signal out of a weak one. Thus, deciding where to put one is a game of compromise. With the sweet spot usually being halfway between the router and the low signal area you want to fix. Unfortunately, it's not easy to find the best compromise in every home, so most people take what they can get. Even the best Wi-Fi range extenders trade speed for distance. Many basic extenders use the same band for receiving and transmitting, which cuts its speed by up to half. Because the extender can't receive data from the router at the same time, it sends a device that information.

Models with separate bands can work in both ways at the same time, but still struggle to deliver speeds close to the router itself. Throughput can plummet before it even has to deal with walls or interference that will further weaken the link. Most extenders, not all, are poor substitutions for better tech, and it's difficult to achieve seamless whole home coverage with them. For a single small room that's relatively close to the router, an extender gets a solid maybe.