Devolo is introducing two new WiFi repeaters that support the latest WiFi 6 standard. In the test, both devices bring Internet to the furthest corner of the apartment, but with very different data rates. Surprise: The fastest connection is made by a device without WiFi 6.
The Internet connection in your own four walls is only really uncomplicated as long as you live in a small one-room apartment. The bigger the booth, the more difficult it is for the router to guarantee WLAN connections with sufficient data rates in all corners. The simplest solution is then to increase the radio range using so-called repeaters. The German manufacturer Devolo has introduced two new devices that can also do this in the latest and fastest WiFi 6 standard. ntv.de tried them out.
The Devolo WiFi 6 Repeater 5400 (100 euros) is a standalone device with a power cable, the WiFi 6 Repeater 3000 (150 euros) is plugged directly into the socket. The smaller device has one LAN input, the larger two. As the name suggests, the WiFi Repeater 5400 achieves data rates of up to 5400 megabits per second (Mbps), its little brother 3000.
However, you shouldn't take the values too seriously, they are only speeds that can theoretically be achieved under ideal conditions. As with all WiFi extensions, the reality is very different. But one by one.
Both devices are set up quickly because they accept the router's data at the push of a WPS button. Practically every WLAN device can now do this, and the connection to a Fritzbox is also possible in no time at all. The associated app provides step-by-step instructions and helps to find the ideal location. It is basically easier with the Repeater 5400, since it can be placed more flexibly thanks to the cable connection.
The decision for one of the two devices depends above all on whether they have the necessary range for the apartment. And here there are quite clear differences. In the test, the repeaters were placed about nine meters away from a Fritzbox Cable 6690, separated from the router by a supporting wall.
The same distance had to be bridged by another supporting wall to an iPhone 14 Pro, a Pixel 6 Pro, and a Nothing Phone (1). Like the Fritzbox, all three smartphones support WiFi 6. The connection was also tested with a MacBook Pro 13 (2016) and a Surface Laptop 2 (2018), both of which only support WiFi 5. All of the candidates were able to transmit at 5 gigahertz (GHz) thanks to the WLAN boost, only the MacBook Pro occasionally slipped into the 2.4 GHz network.
Surprisingly, ntv.de measured the slowest data rate for the brand new iPhone 14 Pro, which achieved constant data rates of around 220 Mbit/s with both repeaters. The Nothing Phone (1) reached 480 and 320 Mbit/s, the Pixel 6 Pro at 550 and 245 Mbit/s. The Surface Laptop 2 established by far the fastest connection with around 800 and 470 Mbit/s, while the six-year-old MacBook Pro also reached 585 and 145 Mbit/s in the 5 GHz network. At 2.4 Hz, no more than 105 and 80 Mbit/s were possible.
The big differences and the "test victory" of a device without WiFi 6 shows that the new standard alone does not boost anything. But it can enable higher speeds in environments with a large number of different WLANs and clients. This is especially true at 2.4 GHz. Most of the devices that are part of the Internet of Things, such as smart sockets, robot vacuum cleaners or WLAN speakers, transmit here. It is also good that WiFi 6 can supply more devices and the connections are more stable and energy-efficient than with older standards.
The larger repeater owes its generally higher data rates primarily to its better antenna equipment (2x2 4x4 MIMO). A few hundred Mbit/s are nice to have, but not necessary for most everyday applications. The data rates of the MacBook Pro in the 2.4 GHz network are more than enough for almost all purposes. Netflix, for example, is satisfied with 15 Mbit/s for streaming 4K content. In this respect, the Repeater 3000 would be completely sufficient for the test apartment.
For larger distances, the stronger version is recommended or several small models. The advantage here is that the new Devolo repeaters are mesh-capable. This means that devices in a network are automatically connected to the strongest access point. It worked quite well in the test, and the Fritzbox was also able to let go from a certain distance. So-called band steering, in which devices are assigned the best frequency band, also pays off.
Both new Devolo routers were convincing in the test. They are easy to set up, fit well into existing mesh networks and offer stable connections. The data rates measured in everyday use are also quite high; the WiFi Repeater 5400, for example, clearly outperforms the two-and-a-half-year-old Fritz Repeater 3000. The prices are fair at around 150 and 100 euros, but if you wait a bit, you can certainly get the devices a lot cheaper.
