Ask the Expert: Having difficulties choosing which Extenders to go along with the Verizon Router? Our Expert is here!

Question

Intro: Sometimes, you may find yourself needing more wireless coverage area than what could be provided by a single Verizon Router; or you want wired or wireless connectivity at a remote location of your property. A Fios or Verizon Extender could come to the rescue.
 
Over the past years, Verizon has released more than 3 generations of routers and extenders. It is important to note that not all extenders are compatible with all routers. Adding to the complications, some extenders may only permit certain backhaul modes when used with a particular router.
 
Confused yet? Good, our expert is here to help.

Lucas, or otherwise known as Cang_Household, is one of our subject matter experts. He will be here to resolve your confusions, so you could get more values out of your subscribed service.
 
How does this event work?
 
Come to this Ask the Expert Board and post your question by Sunday, September 17, 2023
 
Cang_Household will do his best to answer your questions by Sunday, September 24, 2023

Why should I come to the "Ask the Expert" session?
 
Do you want to nail down the definition of "backhaul?"

Do you want to know the advantages and disadvantages of different backhaul modes?

Do you want to know the difference between Verizon Extenders and conventional wireless extenders on the market?

Do you want information on current Verizon Extender offerings, and which routers do they typically go with?

Do you need solutions on how to extend your network to a remote area of your home?

Cang_Household · Accepted Answer

Thank you for asking the question.
Backhaul refers to the link that is connecting downstream network devices to upstream network devices. The downstream devices typically expand or supplement the functions of upstream devices, such as adding Ethernet ports and expanding wireless coverage. In a residential context, downstream devices reside within the same network as upstream devices.

A backhaul link is required for downstream devices’ network to be bridged with upstream devices’ network. Without a backhaul link, the downstream devices’ network is standalone and cannot reach the Internet.

Backhaul can be of different media: Ethernet, MoCA, power line, WiFi, fiber, or even pigeons (c.f. RFC 1149).

For G3100, CR1000A/B routers, and E3200, CE1000A extenders, it is possible to connect multiple backhaul links without creating a loop in the network. These devices use Spanning Tree Protocol to block all but one active backhaul. Although Link Aggregation is supported by hardware of these devices and can use all backhauls in the same link aggregation group to increase downlink throughput, this is not implemented.

Cang_Household · Accepted Answer

Thank you for asking the questions.

The major difference between Verizon/Fios extenders and the generic extenders on the market is that Verizon/Fios extenders primarily use a wired backhaul rather than a wireless backhaul. Wireless backhaul was’t a feature until G3100 because previous WiFi generations do not have good performance. Notwithstanding, wireless backhaul mode should be used as a last resort because wired performance greatly exceeds that of wireless backhaul. This is especially true when an extender is placed further away from the router.

Although VZ has no restrictions on which 3rd party extenders can or cannot be used with Fios service, official extenders are recommended to go along with VZ routers for two reasons. Some Mix and Match package already includes a free extender rental. Customers will be billed the same whether or not an extender was requested. Official extenders can automatically duplicate SSIDs and PSKs from the official routers, so there is no need for manual configuration.