A Universal Repeater (UR) configured to pair with an uplink in a network. The UR may include an interface configured to interface wirelessly with a uplink along a selected route between the UR and an access point (AP) in a network; and a memory having machine executable code therein that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to determine the uplink based on data received from a plurality of candidate uplinks, and instruct the interface to pair with the uplink.