I'm having pretty good luck with this TP-Link range extender. It has lots of antennae.
My house is a long, 3 level rectangle, and of course the internet access point is on a distant end, at the lowest level. I've been very happy with the Nighthawk router I've been using, but there are still parts of the house that are a pain to reach. I've tried various wireless extenders, have Apple Airport Expresses coming out the wazoo, and Ethernet-over-Power, none of which allowed me decent access while I'm working in the kitchen. Enter the TP-Link AC1750.
There is some crazy marketing on the box. I have no idea what the beam forming technology is or does, I expected to see the wifi radio waves all bending in towards my iPad as I worked away in the kitchen. What this is, is a wall wort WiFi extender that works. Thankfully it was made with a fit flat profile rather than one like Apple's awful '90-degrees-off-the-wall' Express. What does work is more antennae. I'm convinced. More antennae is the criteria I use when selecting WiFi gear.
The TP-Link AC1750 works on my 2.4 and 5 GHz devices just fine. I had a lot of stuttering start with iTunes and Airplay between devices in my kitchen, and my stereo. I switched the Airport Express I use for the stereo to 2.4GHz only and the funk is back.
Configuration was simple, and via an iPhone app. Android is also available.
TP-LINK AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE450) via Amazon
