Replacing your router with a mesh network in this case may increase complexity and cost while providing little benefit. What this means is that for a 2,300-square-foot home with traditional wooden construction-or anything smaller, including most one- and two-bedroom apartments-you can skip the upgrade to a mesh network. The Synology WRX560, our standalone-router upgrade pick, was plenty fast enough in our latest round of testing. We use the Netburn Wi-Fi networking test, which measures response time, or latency, during simulations of everyday tasks such as browsing the internet, playing a 4K video, and downloading a Windows update, all at the same time. Mesh networks also offer the benefit of being centrally administered: You need to use only one phone app or website to set up the network and change settings. You place the nodes around your house to increase the Wi-Fi coverage, and each node creates a new Wi-Fi bubble to which you can connect your devices.
Mesh-networking kits consist of two or more boxes, called nodes, that act as a combination of a router, a Wi-Fi extender, an access point, and an Ethernet switch. We also recommend mesh for smaller homes that have signal-blocking obstacles like masonry walls or metal-and-glass doors. Mesh networks are the best choice if you need to provide reliable Wi-FI coverage for a bigger house, or if you have dead zones in heavily trafficked rooms that are far from your main router. If your home is larger than 3,000 square feet: Consider a mesh-network system. In that situation, a mesh network might be a better fit. mesh Wi-Fi system: Which one do you need?Īn upgraded router, mesh network, or Wi-Fi extender can improve the Wi-Fi coverage in your home, but each option has its own strengths and weaknesses.Ī standalone router does best when you have it centrally located in your home, something that isn’t always possible if your internet comes into your house at an inconvenient spot, such as on a lower floor or in a corner room. Here are a few tips to help you decide which device is better suited to your home. Considering that they cost the same and both can handle a lot of traffic without seeming sluggish, some people will find their money better spent on a router. We tested the Eero 6 mesh system in a 2,300-square-foot home with few obstructions and found that, while the Wi-Fi signal was strong all over the house, the mesh network was slower than our standalone-router upgrade pick, the Synology WRX560. Mesh isn’t necessarily faster than a router But after testing new mesh networks and updated routers, we found that if you have a compact home, such as a townhome or a single-family house around 2,300 square feet at most, a standalone router is often simpler to use and more effective than a mesh system.
Mesh Wi-Fi networks are a terrific way to provide fast, reliable Wi-Fi to a big house that a single router just can’t cover.