How this works
- Unplug both extenders. Stand next to the Wi-Fi box and measure the baseline — that's 100%.
- Walk to each room and the outlets where an extender could live. Name the spot, tap Measure.
- Open Map, place the router and spots, tap Suggest extender spots.
- Plug the extenders in there, switch to Extenders ON, re-measure the weak rooms and compare.
Step 1 · Baseline at the router
Step 2 · Measure a spot
Result
Recent readings
Floor map
Optional: snap a photo of a hand-drawn floor plan. Then choose a mode and tap the map.
Extender placement
All spots
Data
Everything is stored on this phone only. Export before clearing Safari data.
Placement rules for plug-in extenders
The halfway rule
An extender can only repeat what it receives. Plug it in where the router's signal is still strong — in this app, a spot that reads 50% or more of baseline — but as far toward the dead zone as that allows. Roughly halfway between the router and the room you're trying to fix. Never plug it in inside the dead zone; it will just repeat a bad signal.
Two extenders, two spokes
Both extenders should connect straight to the router, like spokes on a wheel — one toward each problem area. If one extender connects through the other (daisy-chaining), speed halves again. Most extenders' setup apps show which network they joined.
Expect about half
A repeater listens and re-sends on the same radio, so rooms behind it usually get about half of what the extender itself receives. A spot at 60% of baseline will typically deliver ~30% to the far side — still a huge win over a dead room. Dual-band extenders that use 5 GHz for the link back to the router lose less.
Height, obstacles, outlets
- Higher is better. An eye-level or counter-height outlet beats a baseboard outlet behind a couch.
- Keep line of sight to the router where possible — hallways and open doorways are your friends.
- Stay away from: fridge, oven, microwave, metal filing cabinets, HVAC units, mirrors, fish tanks, water heaters, and thick tile or masonry walls. Each one eats signal.
- Don't hide it in a cabinet or behind a TV.
Ethernet changes everything
If your extenders have an Ethernet port and you can get a cable to them (or use a powerline / MoCA adapter), switch them to Access Point mode. The halving disappears and they behave like a second router. This is the single biggest upgrade available without moving the box.
iPhones are sticky
iPhones cling to a weak router signal instead of hopping to the extender. If a room stays slow with the extenders ON, toggle Wi-Fi off and on while standing there, or give the extenders their own network name (e.g. Home_EXT) so you can pick them. Re-measure after the switch.
The box can't move — what else helps
Free wins at the router
- Get it off the floor and out of cabinets; stand it upright, antennas vertical (or one vertical, one horizontal).
- Nothing on top of it or pressed against it — heat and metal both hurt.
- Update firmware and reboot it (and the extenders) monthly.
- On 2.4 GHz use channel 1, 6 or 11 only. On 5 GHz try 80 MHz channel width and a different channel if neighbors are loud.
- Turn off "Smart Connect / band steering" if you want to hand-pick 5 GHz near the router and 2.4 GHz far away.
Wire what you can
Every device you put on Ethernet (Mac Mini, TV, game console, desktop) stops competing for airtime. Even one long cable to the busiest device makes the Wi-Fi feel faster for the phones.
If two extenders still aren't enough
A mesh kit (eero, TP-Link Deco, Google Nest Wifi) with the router in Wi-Fi-off / bridge mode and the main node beside it usually beats any extender setup, especially if one node can be wired. Use this app the same way to place the satellites.
Reading raw signal on iPhone
Safari can't see signal bars, so this app measures what you actually get. If you want the dBm number too: install Apple's free AirPort Utility, then Settings → AirPort Utility → Wi-Fi Scanner → on. Open the app → Wi-Fi Scan. Rough scale: −50 excellent · −60 good · −67 the floor for video calls · −75 poor · −80 unusable. Plug extenders in where the router's network reads about −60 to −65.
Why speed instead of signal? Because this includes your internet plan's cap, it shows how the Wi-Fi feels. A room reading 100% of baseline is fixed, even if the bars say otherwise. Latency and jitter rising while speed stays flat is the tell for a marginal link.