What is Mesh WiFi? What You Need To Know Before Buying

When you hear the word “mesh” added to your WiFi router, you might think that this sounds fancy. Now, if you're a small technology nut like me, your next question might be to ask what it does and whether you can get it into your house. Then, when you look at the price tag, your head explodes, and you have second thoughts.

But I digress.

Mesh WiFi systems are built for a very specific purpose. To find out what that purpose is, read below.

What is Mesh WiFi?

Another term for mesh WiFi is “whole home WiFi.” From this, you can tell it's WiFi designed to cover the entire home. But the “mesh” part of this only comes into play if a single WiFi doesn't cover your entire home. What makes it “mesh” is that you have multiple specialized WiFi routers connected to expand your network.

Another identifying factor of a mesh network is that it technically identifies itself as one network. This means you have the same network name and security key across the entire network. If you have the same WiFi network called “MyNetwork23” throughout your entire house with multiple mesh routers, that's a mesh (or whole home) network.

How Do Mesh WiFi Networks Work?

Mesh WiFi systems traditionally relied on multiple specialized mesh routers directly connected via standard ethernet cables, although wireless options were available. Historically, these physical connections enabled devices to better share the network load and communicate more rapidly between nodes. Although wireless connections have improved, they were once considered less reliable than their wired counterparts.

Previously, all communications in traditional router setups had to pass through a single router to reach the external network. In contrast, a mesh network treats all connected mesh routers as a unified entity, enhancing coverage and maintaining signal strength throughout the entire home.

Despite integrating multiple devices, mesh networks are still bound by the limitations of your internet plan's speeds. So make sure you have the best internet available in your area or even at your address. Nevertheless, they effectively extend the reach of faster, short-range wireless network types, such as 5 GHz connections. You will later discover more about the advantages of modern mesh networks, which are now predominantly wireless, reflecting a shift from the traditional reliance on physical cables.

How Do Mesh Networks Differ From Regular WiFi?

Mesh systems and traditional routers only differ in one way: the number of routers. Your traditional network uses one router, while your mesh network uses multiple routers. Despite the number of routers, both systems show up as one network in your household.

For many households, especially in smaller homes, traditional WiFi is more than enough. If your internet is not as fast as you expected, and you suspect your router is the problem, don't rush to replace it with a mesh system. Instead, consider alternative solutions, such as potential blockages or adding more wired connections.

If you live in a larger household with many dead zones, a mesh system might help you out. Mesh networks can cover larger areas thanks to the presence of multiple connection points. However, you could technically get these same results from a WiFi extender.

But there's a catch.

How do Mesh Networks Differ From WiFi Extenders?

While mesh networks and WiFi extenders both expand your home network, the two differ in effectiveness. Mesh networks are able to maintain their speed across multiple mesh nodes. Meanwhile, standard WiFi extenders expand your network at the cost of faster speeds. Having a strong signal is great, but it might not always result in a fast system.

This is mainly because of the power of the machines involved. Mesh routers are powerful like regular routers, extenders just bounce your existing WiFi signal further, adding no power to your network.

Extenders also might lack some of the more advanced router management features, like parental controls. This gives your child unlimited internet access to some network connections, which can be dangerous. In some cases, they have the features, but you still have to set up different controls for each single network. Option two is safer and more frustrating.

Pros & Cons of a Mesh WiFi Network

There are several reasons why you should consider investing in a mesh WiFi network. If you want broader network coverage, have enough budget, and can easily manage the network, then it's worth considering. If you meet these three requirements, it's time to start shopping.

But not all families live in this situation or have an unlimited budget. In these cases, a regular router will do just fine.

Some people prefer to have less coverage rather than deal with the complexity of managing a mesh network. There's a reason many ISPs don't immediately offer mesh networks, as most people don't want to deal with the setup.

Here's a quick list of pros and cons worth considering if shopping for mesh networks:

Pros	Cons
Better network coverage	Higher cost
No need to manually switch to different networks	More complex setup process
Apps for user management	More potential maintenance
Simple to add more nodes	Higher power consumption
Often comes with automatic updates	Takes up more space

How To Set Up Your Mesh WiFi [Step-By-Step]

Follow these steps to set up any mesh WiFi system:

Choose a Mesh WiFi System

There are many Mesh WiFi systems you could choose from, and each of them varies based on features and pricing. Take your time to review some of the best WiFi systems on the market before picking one. Here are some potential choices:

Take time to review these companies, their router power, and the apps they offer to manage mesh systems. Use sources like YouTube to review how these apps function in action. Once you pick one, you can set things up.

Setup With the Main Node

Assuming you've ordered your new router system online, you might be eager to crack open that package and get started. But before you jump in, turn off your current modem. This is usually the first step of any setup.

From there, you'll want to set up the main node. This typically means plugging your modem into your main node router or plugging your outgoing cable directly into the main router. If you want the router to connect directly to the outside cable, check to see if it is a gateway (it provides internet access and also manages your local network).

Regardless of what type of main node you buy, turn on one or both devices in the order mentioned in the setup instructions. From there, you'll follow the instructions on your app to configure your network name and password. When the app tells you it's time to start configuring extra nodes, you can move on to the next stage.

Place Your Support Nodes

What expands the coverage for additional wired and wireless devices is the support nodes. These might look similar to your main node but should be different in some way. Pay attention to those differences and start thinking about your dead spots and coverage wants.

The position of these nodes dictates whether the fast internet speeds you expect will be spread throughout the household. Typically, this means putting one in each of your main rooms, providing a consistent wireless connection throughout. If you want WiFi for your backyard, you could position one node near the back wall. Avoid positioning support nodes in less helpful locations, like next to the walls near your neighbor's home.

When you've picked your position, be sure they're close enough to get a wired or wireless connection to them. Recall that wireless mesh connections are easier to set up but tend to be weaker and more affected by interference and blockages. Keep this in mind when shopping for networks and positioning your nodes.

Test Your Network and Update Your Firmware

Next, you'll want to take your phone all around the house to test the network speeds throughout your house. Run network speed tests in different home zones. If these tests are mostly similar throughout the house, you're good. If there's a bit of variance, that's to be expected; you're looking for extreme situations (like dead zones).

Once you're confident that your network is established, it's time to update your network firmware. Typically, you can make this update simultaneously throughout all your nodes through the app. Be sure that all of your nodes are connected during this update so one of them doesn't miss out.

Once you've gone through all four of these steps, you're ready to enjoy your Mesh WiFi network.

Wrap Up – Are Mesh WiFi Networks Worth It?

Whether wired or wireless mesh networks, these systems can be very handy. But they aren't problem solvers for all situations. Instead, they're useful for one thing: handling dead zones in medium-sized households and increasing coverage in larger households.

Wireless signals have improved much over the past several decades. But still, they can be affected by some walls, other network connections, and various sources of interference. If you want to avoid these headaches, you need stronger networks that “wrap around” physical obstructions.

In smaller households, you can solve this problem by repositioning your router. In larger households, you might have to decide which part of the household is your “no internet” zone. If you don't want to make your dead zone decision, there's always a mesh router.