Somewhere on the net says repeater is to extend the wifi signal where the signal is weak.
It also says hotspot is to create your own private network.
My real question is: Can't hotspot also extend the wifi signal where the signal is weak? I heard using a wifi repeater makes the speed of internet slower than not using it. However, I didn't find anyone saying wifi hotspot will make the speed of the internet slower.
If that's the case, I want to use wifi hotspot to extend the wifi signal to my room without slowing the speed of the internet down.
Am I understanding the difference between Hotspot and the repeater correctly?
I am talking about the hotspot mode and the repeater mode of devices such as this http://products.ncix.com/detail/d-link-dir-505-wireless-n-travel-88-72550-1020.htm
Best Answer
A hotspot (access point) needs to be wired to your network. A repeater extends a Wifi signal without being physically attached to the network via ethernet. It just receives Wifi frames and retransmits them, extending the range of an access point which is connected to the physical network.