7 Best WiFi Extenders for Xfinity in 2023 [Top Picks]

Most Xfinity routers, including the latest xFi XB8, have a limited WiFi range. To expand the coverage, you can either connect a WiFi extender or replace the xFi gateway with a third-party router or mesh WiFi.

While both have their own perks and limitations, this article shall focus on WiFi extenders that work best with Xfinity. As for compatibility, you can pair any, but the performance can vary from device to device.

After four weeks of in-depth testing with various locations and scenarios, I have selected the seven best-performing options.

7 Best WiFi Extenders for Xfinity in 2023

It’s important to note that the selection was made on the basis of their signal quality, distance speeds, device handling capacity, and stability, all to ensure that you get the best possible experience. Now, let’s dive into the reviews without any more delay!

1. Best Speed & Coverage: TP-Link RE650

TP-Link RE650 leaps forward in every aspect from its predecessor, TP-Link RE550. This device excels in speed, coverage, and device-handling capacity. Another notable feature is OneMesh compatibility, which creates a mesh network with respective TP-Link routers.

Wireless Speeds

TP-Link RE650 boasts a maximum throughput capacity of 2600 Mbps, which is distributed over its two bands as follows:

5 GHz: 1733 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 800 Mbps

Such speeds make the wireless extender ideal for homes with mid to fast Xfinity plans (800 Mbps to 1000 Mbps). It also works with entry-level plans, but that wouldn’t be a smart choice.

With the Gigabit plan, I connected the TP-Link Archer AX90 to the extender in my kitchen and measured the download and upload speeds.

The speeds were impressive; the respective values were recorded at 661 Mbps and 23 Mbps. Plus, there weren’t any instances of network jitters or inconsistencies, despite being kept under stress test by running multiple 4K streams simultaneously.

So, all your bandwidth-intensive activities are under check with this installed. If you’re willing to continually work with Gig speeds, an Ethernet port comes with Gigabit capacity.

WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity

Being one of the top-rated WiFi extenders compatible with Xfinity, it well justifies its price with its massive coverage capacity. Although the networking company makes an improbable claim of covering around 14,000 Sq Ft at a stretch, its results aren’t very far away from it.

In my tests, courtesy of four antennas, it covered almost a 4,900 Sq Ft area, which, combined with any decent router, should cover any of your large space.

A feature that saw a massive improvement over its preceding model is its OneMesh support. Paired with any compatible router, you will surely get powerful signals even through walls.

But here’s a catch, this feature gets relevant if you own a OneMesh support TP-Link router and works as a traditional extender with others. It means a speed drop and increasing chances of potential signal drop here and there, but it won’t affect its coverage.

It also integrates MU-MIMO, which boosts its device handling capacity. At a stretch, it could connect up to 44 devices active on tasks like gaming, streaming, video calling, and others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, TP-Link RE650 is an excellent WiFi range extender for Xfinity internet users. Its USPs are higher throughput and coverage capacity. It’s compatible with all existing routers, but its OneMesh feature works only with compatible TP-Link routers.

2. Best WiFi 6 Extender: ASUS RP-AX56

Next on my list is another top-tier Xfinity WiFi range extender with Wi-Fi 6 support. With AiMesh support ASUS RP-AX56 maintains signal strength on your connected devices. But it comes with a lesser throughput capacity than my previous recommendation.

Wireless Speeds

ASUS RP-AX56 maxes out its throughput capacity at 1800 Mbps, much lesser than my previous suggestion, with its band-wise speed distribution as follows:

5 GHz: 1201 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps

Such values make the extender a perfect companion with Xfinity mid-tier plans, i.e., 600 Mbps. I have my ASUS RT-AX88U installed in my client’s house to pair with the extender, and the final output was pretty decent.

Compared to the router, speeds didn’t drop much with AiMesh tech creating a network of powerful signals.

My tests recorded download values at 476 Mbps, while 24 Mbps was the upload speed. Combined with gaming-centric features on my router, such speed allowed me to play mid-tier games at a decent pace. Valorant and Destiny 2 ran at 1080p on my Dell laptop with a ping value staying in the range of 19-22ms.

Aside from that, an Ethernet port with a Gigabit speed lets you enjoy interruption-free wired connectivity. I could even pair the Gigabit plan to enjoy downloads at 732 Mbps, allowing you to play games like Warframe, COD: Warzone, and DOTA 2.

WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity

Its coverage isn’t as extravagant as my previous recommendation, but its two-antenna setup claims to cover a space of around 2,200 Sq Ft. In real life, irrespective of any obstructions and interferences, the numbers came out at 1,950 Sq Ft, which, combined with my router, breezed through my mansion-style house.

And thanks to its AiMesh capability, both network work under a single name, and you don’t need to switch networks when roaming around the house. The extender intelligently connects you to the most powerful network.

The device also fulfilled my expectations when it comes to its device capacity. With MU-MIMO combined with AiMesh, you can connect around 35 devices on the same bandwidth without increasing speeds. Tasks like streaming, gaming, video calling, and surfing should go well.

Conclusion

Overall, ASUS RP-AX56 is an excellent investment for people who want seamless internet connections in all parts of their houses. Any mid-tier plan should breeze through this extender and keeps most devices in your space connected. Its only limitation is its limited compatibility, which is why it’s ranked in the second position.

3. Best For Gaming: TP-Link RE500X

If you have a top-tier gaming router with limited coverage, it would be a fair decision to pair it with TP-Link RE500X to get that extra coverage and add a few more devices.

It entails a OneMesh feature that pairs with any compatible TP-Link router for seamless whole-home coverage. Besides, its dual-band WiFi 6 support has faster speeds and reduced network congestion.

Wireless Speeds

This dual-band Wi-Fi 6 wireless extender boasts a maximum theoretical speed capacity of 1500 Mbps, distributed over the two bands as follows:

5 GHz: 1200 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 300 Mbps

Its maximum speeds make it a viable choice to pair with Xfinity mid-tier plans, and with a decent router connected to it, its performance turned out to be excellent.

I used my Dell laptop to download a much-anticipated game, Call of duty: Warzone, and it took around 20 minutes to complete at a rate of 421 Mbps. At the same time, uploads are paced at the rate of 20 Mbps.

The consistency with the router speed output was primarily due to its OneMesh compatibility, which spreads signals of equal strength throughout the space. Besides, a smart roaming feature lets you experience uninterrupted streaming when moving around the home.

And as with most extenders, you’ll find a Gigabit Ethernet port for uninterrupted gaming sessions. The gaming performance received a major boost with ping values decreasing from 25 to 17ms, while frame rates stooping to 72 per sec from 60.

WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity

Converge-wise, I had a decent experience using the extender. Aside from seamless connectivity with its OneMesh tech, its two-antenna setup could send signals to a fair distance. As a single device, it covers a space with an area of over 1,360 Sq Ft.

Overall, with the ASUS RT-AX86U gaming router and the extender, my 3,700 Sq Ft home was fully enveloped with powerful signals, and I could play on my Nintendo Switch sitting in the garden.

Besides that, the device demonstrates the capacity of a decent connection, courtesy of its MU-MIMO tech. All the devices at my house (20), including laptops, computers, gaming consoles, and mobile devices, could be connected simultaneously without dropping speeds by much.

Conclusion

In summary, if you want a good WiFi extender to use with Xfinity by Comcast, the TP-Link RE500X with OneMesh & Wi-Fi 6 support is a solid choice. While its speed performance is impressive, its coverage capability falls slightly short compared to other extenders, which is why it ranks fourth in our evaluation.

4. Best for Outdoors: Linksys RE7000

If your large space suffers from network drops and throttles, especially in the extremities, you need an excellent range extender like Linksys RE7000.

The device performed decently well in my tests, taking a few steps ahead of the preceding model, Linksys RE6300. So let’s discuss in detail what more this extender has to offer.

Wireless Speeds

The dual-band Wi-Fi 5 setup entails a maximum throughput capacity of 1900, with its band-wise speeds represented as:

5 GHz: 1300 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 600 Mbps

In my speed tests with the Xfinity 600 Mbps plan, Linksys RE7000 produced decent mixed results. As there isn’t any mesh tech, there was a massive speed drop as with the routers, but the signals stayed stable and consistent.

Number-wise, the downloads clocked at 324 Mbps, while 17 Mbps was the upload speed. I further put the extender under stress by streaming UHD movies on multiple devices simultaneously. There were some minor inconsistencies here and there, which is quite standard in repeaters, but my family enjoys the movies without many issues.

Nevertheless, if you need a lag-free connection and much faster speeds for your games to run smoothly, try connecting your gaming console to the Gigabit Ethernet port. The same plan boosted download and upload speeds to 421 Mbps, and 20 Mbps.

WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity

Linksys RE7000, with its two external antennas, claims a theoretical coverage of 2,500 Sq Ft, the second highest in the list. In real life with interferences and obstructions, the values fared at 2,340 Sq Ft, so my devices had a two-bar signal even in the garden. My Nintendo Switch could run basic online games with ease.

Moving on, the device demonstrates the capacity of a decent connection with the integration of MU-MIMO, making a networking device focus its signals on a single device rather than spreading them around.

Regarding working on light network-bound activities like sending emails, surfing the web, and streaming HD music, 28 devices work fine. While the number comes down to 24 when active on bandwidth-intensive tasks like gaming, streaming, and others. This should be enough for any of your small businesses.

Conclusion

Linksys RE7000 is a good WiFi extender for Xfinity routers that lets you extend the coverage outdoors. It delivers decent throughput performance and features MU-MIMO technology, which enables stable signals to multiple devices simultaneously.

However, the absence of an instruction manual could make installation challenging for new users.

5. Best Mesh Extender: Netgear EX6250

Taking the fifth spot is Netgear EX6250 with Mesh smart roaming feature, which, unlike other Xfinity compatible WiFi extenders, creates a fast network throughout your space. Its best part is its smart connect that automatically connects you to the fastest available channel.

Besides, its decent throughput and device handling capacity make it an ideal choice for residential and commercial settings.

Wireless Speeds

Netgear EX6250 boasts a WiFi 5 dual-band setup with an aggregate throughput capacity of 1750 Mbps, distributed over its bands as follows:

5 GHz: 1300 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 450 Mbps

With Netgear Nighthawk RAX70 already paired with the Xfinity Blast plan, I tested the extender with the same, and the results turned out fairly well.

Despite its lesser speed values than my previous recommendations, it recorded download and upload speeds at 417 Mbps and 19 Mbps, respectively. Besides, you can use this extender as an access point which offers the ability to send and receive signals with minimal latency.

In close proximity, the router cleared my stress test with multiple HD streams with flying colors, but there were a few signal drops in certain areas of the house.

So, my Xbox 360 in the extremities could only manage a ping value of 48, which is slightly worse when it comes to gaming. Only low-tier online games like league of legends are manageable with the performance.

So, I plugged in my system directly to the extender, and the ping value stooped down to 30, which could afford games like Destiny 2 and Fortnite.

WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity

Coverage-wise, the extender performs well, as the signals couldn’t travel very far, but you’re sure not to run out of network in the enveloped area. Putting it in numbers is a bit tricky, but it definitely had an area of up to 1,790 Sq Ft covered. Combined with a router is enough to get most of your large space covered.

Moreover, its Smart Connect feature blew off the charts by keeping multiple devices connected without increasing speeds. Despite its theoretical capacity of 32, the extender added 27 devices at a time, courtesy of MU-MIMO. However, the numbers might decrease if each is used for heavy tasks like gaming, streaming, and video calling.

Conclusion

Netgear EX6250 is a reliable wireless range extender to pair with the Xfinity network. The mesh roaming and smart connect feature from Netgear make a significant impact. As a result, there won’t be a massive speed loss when connected to the extender.

Besides, it demonstrates a decent device handling capacity making it a suitable fit for large businesses. But its network drops after a certain distance is its potential limitation.

6. Best Value for Money: Tenda A33

If you are in a quest for a good Xfinity router range extender with Wi-Fi 6 but without spending heavily, Tenda A33 is one to look into. At around $70, it entails dual-band WiFi, 3 Gbps total speed capacity, a powerful antenna setup, and the ability to simultaneously handle a decent number of devices.

Wireless Speeds

Tenda A33, with its Wi-Fi 6 support, boasts an oversized throughput capacity of 3000 Mbps distributed over its two bands as follows:

5 GHz: 2401 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps

With such a huge throughput value, it seems fair to pair it with Tenda RX9 Pro my friend got installed in his space. And I got the Xfinity Blast to test the internet speeds through the extender, and the results were decent.

Connected to my Dell laptop, the download speeds stayed at around 328 Mbps, so my 1 GB files took 7-8 seconds to complete. At the same time, uploads fared at 15 Mbps.

Aside from basic tasks like internet surfing, streaming HD music, and sending emails, the available speeds should let you engage in casual gaming and HD streaming. But there were major lags with games like Warframe and Destiny 2.

But if you seek lag and interference-free gaming, there’s an Ethernet port with a Gigabit speed capacity. The ping values digressed to 15ms from 35ms while the frame rates increased to 52ms from 30ms, which translates to quality performance.

WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity

Its two external antenna setup makes its theoretical speeds capped at 2,100 Sq Ft in ideal settings. However, testing it in a two-walled space, its range wasn’t far away, with numbers raking up to 1,900 Sq Ft.

Now, the enveloped space was entirely covered with decent strength signals, and courtesy of MU-MIMO tech, signals over multiple devices stayed stable. I could connect around 16 devices at a stretch, with each engaged in mid-tier tasks like HD streaming, sending emails, and casual gaming.

Conclusion

To sum up, Tenda A33, with top-tier features like massive throughput capacity, decent range and MU-MIMO tech at a mere cost of around $70, makes it the most value-added extender on this list. This makes the device ideal for people working from home, online studying, and music lovers.

But its below-par device handling capacity and lesser speed output have pushed it down to the sixth position.

7. Cheapest Option: Linksys RE6250

The final product on my list is the cheapest good option I could find in the retail space, Linksys RE6250. It boasts some handy features like mid-tier coverage, multi-device connectivity, and dual-band Wi-Fi 5 support, making it suitable for most homeowners with large houses.

Besides, it brings along a lot of upgrades in terms of wireless standards and stability compared to the previous generation of Linksys routers.

Wireless Speeds

This dual-band Wi-Fi 5 extender has an aggregated speed of 750 Mbps spread over its two bands as follows:

5 GHz: 433 Mbps

2.4 GHz: 300 Mbps

Speed capacity, as evident from the spec sheet, is the lowest, and it makes no sense to waste your money on subscribing to a high-speed plan. I connected the Xfinity 300 Mbps plan with the paired TP-Link Archer AX55 router to test the speeds I get from the signals emitted by the extender. And I wasn’t very impressed with the results.

The downloads and uploads were recorded at 121 Mbps and 10 Mbps, respectively. With such speeds at your disposal, tasks like online gaming and 4K streaming are straight out of the frame.

But you don’t need these if you only listen to music, watch high-quality movies, and work from home. This is where this router shines, making it an ideal purchase for homeowners.

Aside from that, the extender entails an extender with a 1 Gbps speed output. So pairing the router with the same should get you around 287 Mbps download and 89 Mbps as upload speeds. Games like Shadow legends and Fifa 22 ran at 52fps and a ping value of 21ms, much improved than in wireless connections.

WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity

The Linksys RE6250, with its two-antenna setup, claims to cover a maximum area of 1,500 Sq Ft, and my real-time results aren’t very far away from that.

Testing in my home office, the extender could extend its signals to a maximum area of up to 1,150 Sq Ft, which, combined with any decent router, should be enough for a three-bedroom apartment.

Moving on, the device doesn’t entail MU-MIMO tech, which boosts any device’s signal-sending ability to multiple devices simultaneously. And with this extender, the maximum number it managed to reach was around 16, suitable for any household internet setup.

Conclusion

While the Linksys RE6250 may not be the best WiFi extender for Comcast, its performance is still suitable for most household network settings. Although tests showed satisfactory results, occasional lags and latencies on connected devices were noticed, mainly because it lacks MU-MIMO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict

Setting up an extender with Xfinity Internet is as painless as possible, but some might lack an instruction manual. I hope my provided recommendations will let you make an informed choice. If you still can’t, here’s my curated list:

• If you want extensive coverage without compromising their features, be it speeds, wireless standards, or device-holding capacity, TP-Link RE650 is the best option.
• Next, for those with a limited budget but exceeding expectations, Netgear RE7000 should do the job for you. You will surely get smooth and minimal speed drops in most of your house with mesh smart roaming.
• Finally,  if you are more concerned about expanding the signal range rather than speed and don’t want to spend much, Linksys RE6250 at around $21 should be an ideal pick.

And with that, I conclude my guide. Please share in the comments which extender you chose and your experience with it. You’re also welcome to ask any questions below.