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When the projector is further away than copper reaches

The best HDMI extenders for 2026

Past about five metres at high bandwidth, an HDMI signal needs help, and there are three ways to give it. An optical HDMI cable is the simplest: one continuous run, directional, no boxes and no power at the far end, up to tens of metres. A transmitter and receiver pair over network cable uses ordinary Cat 6 and reaches further, at the cost of two units and their power supplies — read the required cable category and whether the pair is HDBaseT or a compressed variant. A wireless extender removes the cable entirely and adds latency, which the maker states, and which matters for gaming and not for films. We compare transmission method, stated maximum distance and resolution, stated latency, cable category required, and power arrangements.

What we recommend

  1. PWAYTEK HT202P HDMI extender transmitter and receiver pair

    PWAYTEK HT202P HDMI extender over Cat 5e/6/7, 50 m

    Fifty metres over one network cable, uncompressed, with only one power supply needed — and a stated distance switch that has to be set correctly.

    Method
    Transmitter and receiver pair over a single network cable — stated
    Cable category required
    Cat 5e, Cat 6 or Cat 7 — stated
    Stated distance
    Up to 50 m — stated
    Stated resolution
    1080p at 60 Hz, with 3D — stated
    Compression
    Uncompressed — stated
    Power
    PoC — one power supply feeds both units through the network cable — stated
    EDID
    Copy function that reads and matches the display parameters — stated
    Standard
    HDMI 1.3 compliant — stated
    Setup requirement
    A distance switch must be set to "30M" for runs of 0–25 m — stated by the maker
    Amazon reference
    B09785ZC5S (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0770773531895
    • Only one power supply needed for both ends, which removes a socket at the far end
    • An EDID copy function stated explicitly, which is the usual cause of a black screen on this shelf
    • 1080p only — it will not carry 4K at any distance

    Best for: A 1080p projector fifty metres from the rack, in a room where the network cable is already installed.

    ≈ £21 / 25 €
    Check price on Amazon
  2. KUYIA active HDMI 2.1 booster repeater with USB-C power

    KUYIA active HDMI 2.1 booster and repeater

    A booster that sits between two cables rather than a pair that sits at two ends — and its 8K claim and its 50 m claim describe different situations.

    Method
    In-line active repeater between two HDMI cables — stated
    Stated resolutions
    8K at 60 Hz, 4K at 120 Hz and 240 Hz — stated
    Stated distance
    Extends HDMI 1080p to up to 50 m — stated
    Copy protection
    HDCP 2.3 — stated
    Power
    Optional USB-C, recommended by the maker for especially long runs
    Cable requirement
    Certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cables on both the input and the output side — stated by the maker
    Shielding
    Advanced shielding and anti-interference technology — stated
    Amazon reference
    B0G7DFN7F7 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    5060853004155
    • Works in the middle of an existing run rather than requiring a network cable
    • The maker states the cable requirement on both sides, which is the condition its claims depend on
    • The 8K figure and the 50 m figure appear in the same listing and describe different situations — the distance claim is stated for 1080p

    Best for: A long HDMI run that already exists and has become marginal, where replacing the cable is impractical.

    ≈ £31 / 26 €
    Check price on Amazon
  3. OREI EX-170C HDMI over Ethernet extender with IR cables

    OREI EX-170C HDMI over Ethernet extender with IR, 50 m

    A pair with an infrared return path — so a remote works at the far end — and a loop-out for a local screen, on stated M-JPEG compression.

    Method
    Transmitter and receiver pair over UTP Cat 5e/6 — stated
    Stated distance
    Over 50 m at 1080p — stated
    Resolutions listed
    480i/p, 576i/p, 720p 50/60, 1080i 50/60, 1080p 50/60 — stated individually
    Compression
    M-JPEG, with low picture-quality loss stated by the maker
    Loop-out
    An extra HDMI output at the transmitter for a local monitoring display — stated
    Infrared
    IR TX and RX cables supplied, so a remote works from the far end — stated
    Power
    Two 5 V 1 A supplies included — stated
    Warranty
    1 year from the maker — stated
    Amazon reference
    B084GF6W53 (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0850008956256
    • An infrared return path, so the source can be controlled from the room the screen is in
    • A loop-out at the transmitter, for a second local display
    • The listing states M-JPEG compression and the word "lossless" in different bullets

    Best for: A projector in another room where the source has to be controlled by remote from the viewing position.

    ≈ $45 / £36 / 55 €
    Check price on Amazon
  4. PWAY PW-HTS0102 HDMI splitter extender over network cable

    PWAY PW-HTS0102 PoC HDMI splitter-extender, 1 in 2 out

    The only device here that splits and extends at once — one source to two screens fifty metres away, with EDID learning to reconcile them.

    Method
    1 in / 2 out — splits one source and extends both over Cat 6 — stated
    Stated distance
    50 m over Cat 6 — stated
    Stated resolution
    Up to 1920 × 1080 at 60 Hz — stated
    Power
    PoC — one power supply runs the system — stated
    EDID
    Learning capability, to adapt to varied installations — stated
    Protection
    Built-in electrostatic ESD protection circuit — stated
    Latency
    Stated as without delay by the maker; no figure published
    Amazon reference
    B07BV719NJ (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0785197233980
    • Splits and extends in one device, which otherwise takes two boxes and two problems
    • EDID learning stated, which is exactly what a one-source-two-screens installation needs
    • 1080p only — no 4K path at all

    Best for: One source feeding two screens in different rooms — a bar, a waiting room, a garden projector and an indoor television.

    ≈ £66 / 66 €
    Check price on Amazon
  5. DIGITUS DS-55357 HDMI KVM extender transmitter and receiver

    DIGITUS DS-55357 HDMI KVM extender, 60 m over Cat 6

    The only extender here that publishes a latency figure and two distance figures for two resolutions — and the only one that is genuinely uncompressed at 4K.

    Method
    Transmitter and receiver pair over Cat 6 or higher, point to point — stated
    Stated distance at 4K
    Up to 40 m at 4K 30 Hz (3840 × 2160p), uncompressed — stated
    Stated distance at 1080p
    Up to 70 m at 1080p 60 Hz, uncompressed — stated
    Stated latency
    10–20 ms — stated
    KVM
    Keyboard and mouse connect at the receiver end — stated
    Cable category required
    Cat 6 or higher — stated
    Installation
    Plug and play — stated
    Amazon reference
    B0FG2SC2PQ (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4016032501954
    • Publishes two distances for two resolutions, which is how this specification should be written
    • A stated latency figure — 10 to 20 ms — which nothing else on this shelf gives
    • The most expensive device on this shelf by a wide margin

    Best for: A 4K projector forty metres from a rack, or a computer driven from the room its screen is in.

    ≈ £108 / 85 €
    Check price on Amazon