Find how far from the router a WiFi extender should sit so it still receives a strong enough signal to be useful.
A repeater halves throughput because it receives and retransmits on the same radio, so it must sit where the signal is still strong — around −67 dBm or better. The calculator applies free-space path loss plus a per-wall penalty to test a proposed position. Extenders placed in the dead spot they are meant to fix simply rebroadcast a weak signal; they belong halfway, where the link back to the router is still healthy.
WiFi Extender Placement
RSSI = transmit power − (free-space path loss + wall loss)
RSSI = transmit power − (free-space path loss + wall loss) A repeater halves throughput because it receives and retransmits on the same radio, so it must sit where the signal is still strong — around −67 dBm or better. The calculator applies free-space path loss plus a per-wall penalty to test a proposed position.
Extenders placed in the dead spot they are meant to fix simply rebroadcast a weak signal; they belong halfway, where the link back to the router is still healthy.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Router transmit power, Proposed extender distance from router, Band in use, Walls between router and extender. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.