BrosTrendAC1200 WiFi Booster Range Extender, WPS Easy Setup WiFi Extender, 1200Mbps Wireless Signal Repeater, 1 Ethernet Port, Access Point, Wi-Fi Bridge, Dual Band of 5GHz & 2.4GHz, UK Plug

BrosTrend AC1200 WiFi Booster Range ExtenderThere have always been areas in my house where the Wi-Fi coverage is poor, it’s not a big house but for some reason, the Virgin Media hub doesn’t have enough signal strength for those areas. I have tried a couple of signal boosters before but they didn’t give a complete solution to the problem.I noticed that the BrosTrend WiFi Booster supported both 2.4 and 5GHz signals as well as 1200Mbps at a very reasonable price so I thought I would see if it could provide a solution to my problems.To begin with, the BrosTrend WiFi Booster has a very easy to follow video setup guide online as well as good printed instructions, I followed the video purely because it was easier. The video explains exactly what to do and the reasons for doing it, which make a pleasant change these days. I had the unit up and running within minutes of unboxing it and I found an ideal location to install it.I must admit that I wasn’t expecting miracles, I was just hoping for some improvement. However, I was very pleasantly surprised, after re-connecting some of the devices to the BrosTrend WiFi Booster everything now works and works very well. I have surveillance cameras in various places, previously the reception was patchy, at best and sometimes non-existent. Now I can get a solid, strong signal immediately from anywhere in the house.I am not just happy, I am over the moon with the BrosTrend WiFi Booster. Would I recommend it? Most definitely!

In the box you get the WiFi extender and a CAT5 cable and an instructions pamphlet. The extender looks like many other extender brands that plug into a 3 pin UK socket. It has 2 antennae, one on each side of the device, and these can be angled vertically only. Some other brands allow movement across the vertical and horizontal axis making the antennae multi directional.To set up the device, you initially need to place it in proximity to your router, so it can be identified and connected to. From there the configuration is fairly straight forward.The device offers 2 extended WiFi connections ( You still keep your existing one) a 5Ghz connection and a 2.4Ghz connection. You can keep the same WiFi password across all connections or create separate ones, if you prefer.Once the device is configured to your preference, it is a question of placing it in an optimum position to receive from your router and transmit to your intended device/s. The way these devices work to solve the problem of getting connectivity to hard to reach places is by providing a stepping stone. By doing this they need to split the bandwidth between each hop. There are lights on the device to indicate that it is receiving a good signal and that it is transmitting to connected devices. There is also a RJ45 port to cable to a receiving device.Everyone has their own set up , so I can only talk from my own circumstance.I have a virgin hub 3.0 on the ground floor and I get about 250mbps standing next to it. I'm in a 1930s terrace house, with a loft conversion. It is in the loft I need the WiFi extender. Up there I have a desktop PC with a BrosTrend 1200Mbps Long Range USB WiFi Dongle Adapter connected to my network interface card. Most of the time that connects to the router directly ok, and I prefer that.When I try the WiFi extender on 5Ghz , the signal is stronger but every so often it lost the connection, and when I run a diagnostics it tell me there is no gateway. So I prefer not to use it for my PC.I do need it however for my printer, as that only supports 2.4Ghz, and it cannot connect directly to the router over that distance. Connectivity with the WiFi extender is solid, and I have not had that irritating situation where you lose connection whilst printing a full colour photo.Given that this is the set up I want to use, I hoped I would be able to use the WiFi extender in 2.4Ghz mode only. I could not see how to do that, so i contacted tech support. I was dealt with quickly, but I did not get an exact answer. The reply I got was I could hide the 5Ghz connection , which is not the same thing.There are other brands that let you do that.Another configuration limitation was setting your device up so that the hop from your router to WiFi extender is 5Ghz and from WiFi extender to device in 2.4Ghz, which some other brands also allow.So in conclusion, reasonable solid device for basic connectivity extension, but with no extra configuration options.

When it comes to online experiences, I always try and aim to buy the very best peripherals that are available on the current market that will heighten my gaming experience. As an avid gamer, the trouble with having boosters in the past is that they tend to drop out the connection during crucial moments (whether it is in the middle of a COD match or fighting droids on Star Wars Battlefront), which tends to ruin the whole experience.Another problem of having boosters in the past is that when I try to run speed tests to determine the current download and upload speed from my router (which is situated in the living room) to all the way upstairs in the attic (where my gaming rig is currently based), the speed tends to rise by 5-10mpbs (70mpbs) before slowly fluctuating down to just 1-3mpbs (65mpbs). Which when you're paying for 100mpbs a month you'd expect at least the booster to give you the fully 100mpbs everywhere in the house.HOWEVER that being said, when I purchased this booster and connected it, I have found from running a speed test from the very same attic that I was reaching speeds of 111mpbs which had left me speechless. Not only am I getting the speed that I paid for through my broadband package but also have a fluid experience when playing online games. Other family members have also enjoyed watching 4K content without worrying about buffering or lag. For the past weekend in itself, there has been a newfound love for our broadband package and I honestly believe that it's thanks to the booster.Long gone are the days where the connection would drop when I decided to scroll through my social media while watching Netflix. Even now as I am writing this, I can happily listen to Spotify from the comforts of my bedroom with the pleasant knowledge that it won't stop to buffer.The booster in itself arrived nice and secure and unlike other boosters, it was so easy to install. The installation process took me less than five minutes (I opted to use the WPS method of installation) and before I even had a chance to take a deep breath, the booster was ready to be removed from its socket and ready to be installed wherever it was needed. I had it installed in the upstairs corridor where it currently resides.Overall I am very happy with this product and will definitely consider buying from BrosTrend in the future.Thanks guys!