We have been looking for simple and effective solutions for everyday Wifi problems that we all encounter from time to time.
It is part of our policy to review new products and test their claims in specification, functionality, ease of use and set-up. This way we can genuinely recommend them if we find they do what they say on the box.

A very common problem encountered in domestic environments is the extent to which an existing wifi network extends to all parts of the property in which it is situated.

It is clear that on average the usual domestic Wifi ADSL/Router supplied by your service provider gives a degree of coverage in and around its location on one floor level for example.

But there are many situations where the signal quality in other rooms and floors is not good enough to provide the desired link quality and speed. Hence the need for WIFI exenders.

Wifi Extenders

There are many options to extend an existing network. But the products out there can be expensive and over complicated with additional functionality that’s not needed and also can be difficult to set up.

It all depends on the extent of the problem, the size of the installation and the budget you have to spend. In the typical domestic installation, cost is important and there is no need for overkill. For this reason we now take a look at a very simple, cheap and easy to install product from Edimax

Introducing the Edimax EW-7438RPn range extender

This device is small, it looks no bigger than a mobile phone power adaptor and just plugs into any domestic electrical socket.

It is able, at the push of a button, to automatically locate your existing wireless network and join it, thereby providing, an extended view of your network wherever the device is located. It could not be easier to set up. This is just a dream for those of you who don’t understand or don’t want to try to get to grips with the technical aspects of making a Wifi extender work. The Installation instructions come in a host of languages and the packaged product includes…

• 1 x Edimax EW-7438RPn Wifi extender
• 1 x Ethernet cable
• 1 x quick installation guide
• 1 x access key card
• 1 x CD with user manual and multi language QIG

Edimax EW-7438RPn Specification

• Supports 802.11 b/g/n Wifi Networks up to 300 Mbs
• WPS (Wifi Protected Setup) Setup for easy Wifi extension
• IQ Setup for easy Wifi extension
• finds best location for installation with signal strength LED

Installation

There are 2 ways to get the the device working and it takes just a few minutes either way. Also the EW-7438RPn once connected and extending your network provides a wireless and an Ethernet connection at the place of installation. The product comes with a 1 meter ethernet cable for those users wishing to connect directly to the divice by wire. You could also connect an ethernet switch to establish another wired network based on your extenders connection. When the device is set up correctly connected devices are allocated IP addresses corresponding to the initial subnet addresses of your main router.

First Set-up Method – Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

The device has a WPS button which provides an elegant way to connect to your existing router provided your router has a similar WPS button which most do these days. In this case simply plug the Edimax EW-7438RPn into a wall socket near your router and wait for the device to initialise. Please note that if your router does not have a WPS button you should use the second setup method below.

The device indicates it is initialised when the power Led is on and the Wifi Led is flashing rapidly and irregularly. IMPORTANT – you should wait for this condition before proceeding to the next step

The next step is to press and hold the WPS button for 2 seconds until the WPS led light starts flashing. Then go to your router and press its WPS button which will also show a flashing indicator. It may be necessary to hold the router WPS button for a couple of seconds to start the flashing sequence. Some routers may reboot if you press and hold the WPS button to long.

Then sit back and wait while the 2 devices chat to each other for 60 to 90 seconds at which time the WPS button will stay on permanently green and the signal strength led will turn orange. That’s it! the devices are connected.

You can now switch off the extender and move it to a socket near where your coverage is lacking. The device remembers its connection when switched off so wherever you plug it in and switch it on, providing it is in range it will re-establish its connection with your router and you are again connected.

The signal strength indicator indicates…

• On – Indicates excellent signal (50-100%)
• Flashing – Indicates good signal (25-50%)
• Flashing rapidy – Indicates signal less than 25%
• Off – Indicates no signal

Try to position the Edimax EW-7438RPn to obtain the best signal results using the signal strength indicator.

Second Set-up Method – IQ Setup

In this case simply plug the Edimax EW-7438RPn into a wall socket near your router and wait for the device to initialise. The device indicates it is initialised when the power Led is on and the Wifi Led is flashing rapidly and irregularly. IMPORTANT – you should wait for this condition before proceeding to the next step

For this method you need a computer that is ready to receive its connection as a DCHP client where it obtains its IP address from a DCHP server. This is the normal setup you have been using to connect to your existing wifi router which incorporates the DCHP server.

When the device is initialised you should open up your Internet browser and if you are on a windows machine you can use the provided card Key and put it directly in the browsers address field to locate your Edimax EW-7438RPn Web based interface. Regardless of which computer operating system you are using you can also type in your browser the default extender Web interface address (http://192.168.2.2). When you have established the Web Interface of the device you will be prompted for a login. The default login user name is “admin” and default password is “1234”

When logged in the EW-7438RPn will display a list of all available local wifi access points. You should choose your main router and when prompted enter the pass phrase key you used on the main router for wirelessly connecting to it. The extender and your router will share the same pass phrase. The extender defaults its SSID (the name it broadcasts as an access point) as the SSID of your router followed by the extenders key digits. You can change this to whatever you want.

You should choose the same connection security method employed in your main router typically WPA-shared key. Just follow the simple steps and the divice then does an automatic connection test. If you have put the correct data in you are prompted to save your setting and the device reboots. After 60 secs or so the divice is initialised and the the signal strength indicator turns orange and the Wifi indicator flashes. You have now completed the setup. If the connection test fails there is a back button to correct any data you entered that does not work.

You can now switch off the extender and move it to a socket near where your coverage is lacking. The device remembers its connection when switched off so wherever you plug it in and switch it on, providing it is in range it will re-establish its connection with your router and you are again connected.

Test Results for the Edimax EW-7438RPn range extender

We were really impressed with how simple the divice was to set up and also by its compact size and the coverage it provided. We tested both setup methods reseting the device to factory defaults in between. You can reset the device by holding the WPS button for 10 seconds and just the power Led is on.

We tested our device in a normal house with about 150 square meters of floor space on two floors. Our main router was in a room on the ground floor. When we had setup our extender we placed it in a bedroom on the floor above. Once plugged in and initialised The orange signal

light came on permanently indicating an excellent signal. In fact we measured the main router signal level at -83 (dBm) around 50% signal at the point where we placed the EW-7438RPn. About a meter away from the extender we measured the signal strength from the extender at -32 dBm giving an easy 100% signal strength.

We proceed to explore the signal from our EW-7438RPn and were really impressed with the coverage. We could get between 100-75% signal strength in all locations on the floor where the extender was located. Incredibly we also got between 62-58% signal on the floor below.

Conclusion

The compact Edimax EW-7438RPn range extender is a really effective and affordable solution for extending your Wifi network. It provides great coverage, is easy to set up and does exactly what it says on the box. We give it a 5 star rating. Excelent!

Go here to Buy your own Edimax EW-7438RPn-N300 extender or view full details