Mesh Wi-Fi networks are a great way to provide fast, reliable Wi-Fi to larger homes that cannot be covered by a single router. However, after testing new mesh networks and modern routers, we have found that for compact homes such as townhomes and single-family homes of up to 2,300 square feet, standalone routers are often easier to use and more effective. I understand. mesh system.
Mesh is not necessarily faster than 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 throughout the house, the mesh network was slower than the Synology, a standalone router upgrade candidate. . WRX560. Considering the prices are the same and both can handle a lot of traffic without slowing down, you might think it’s better to spend money on a router. Here are some tips to help you decide which device is right for your home.
Standalone router or mesh Wi-Fi system: which one do you need?
You can improve your home’s Wi-Fi coverage by upgrading your router, mesh network, or Wi-Fi extender, but each option has its own pros and cons.
If you own a small house or apartment but are having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi: Replacing your older existing router with a newer model will give you a faster processor, additional memory, and better antennas. This is also useful when adding devices such as a new phone, laptop, or additional smart speakers. Upgrading to a better router can also be useful if you’re mostly happy with your Wi-Fi but need a little more range, such as if you have a few rooms where Zoom video calls connect but sometimes have problems. Helpful.
If you have gigabit or multi-giga internet service, or need to tweak your network settings for your kids’ internet access or working from home, this Synology router is worth the price.
Standalone routers work best when placed in the center of your home, but this may not always be possible if your Internet is located in an inconvenient location in your home (such as a lower floor or a corner room). There is no limit. In such situations, a mesh network may be a better choice.
If your home is larger than 3,000 square feet: Consider a mesh network system. If you need to provide reliable Wi-Fi coverage in a large home, or if you have dead zones in high-traffic rooms far from the main router, a mesh network is the best choice. Mesh is also recommended for smaller homes that have obstructions that block the signal, such as drywall or metal and glass doors. A mesh networking kit consists of two or more boxes called nodes that act as a combination of routers, Wi-Fi extenders, access points, and Ethernet switches. As you expand your Wi-Fi coverage by placing nodes around your home, each node creates a new Wi-Fi bubble that your devices can connect to. Mesh networks also have the advantage of being centrally managed. Only one phone app or website is required to set up your network and change settings.
The Eero 6 system provides stable Wi-Fi even on congested networks and outperforms more expensive options. It’s also much easier to set up than more complex systems.
If you have one or two rooms in your home with dead spots: The sales pitch for Wi-Fi extenders suggests that simply plugging in the extender will automatically expand your network. However, extenders only rebroadcast your existing Wi-Fi signal and cannot work with your router to ensure your device is connected to the highest quality signal, so in some cases you may need to use a different named network. You have to create one and manually switch between your laptop and your phone. For best performance. Wi-Fi extenders are only recommended if you have one or two adjacent rooms in your home with dead spots. The more you have, the more efficient a mesh network system will be.
This is a great extender for anyone looking to harden their network, wirelessly add an Ethernet jack to another room, or install an access point in a pre-wired home.
If you have a large home and a traditional router or mesh network won’t cut it: Powerline and MoCA extenders transmit data using your home’s electrical wiring or cable TV lines in the wall. It consistently offers better performance than wireless options, but its effectiveness depends on the age and complexity of your home’s wiring. This may result in slow operation or, in extreme cases, interference with other connected functions.
Our powerline picks add two high-speed wired network connections anywhere you have power in your home.
How we tested Wi-Fi
Use the Netburn Wi-Fi network test to measure response time or latency during simulated everyday tasks such as browsing the Internet, playing 4K videos, and downloading Windows updates, all at the same time. The Synology WRX560, the standalone router we chose for his upgrade, was fast enough in our latest round of testing.
This means that if you have a traditional wood-framed 2,300 square foot home or a smaller home (such as most one- and two-bedroom apartments), you can skip the upgrade to a mesh network. It means you can. In this case, replacing the router with a mesh network can increase complexity and cost with little benefit. Additional nodes can also slow down processing due to additional “hops” in the signal from your device to your node to your Internet connection. Alternatively, all devices may simply connect to the main node and ignore other devices completely.
In our testing, the mesh network system’s throughput (the speed at which data passes through the wireless network) was significantly slower than the standalone router’s throughput, especially when the test laptop was close to the base router. The computer in the first-floor bedroom of our test home, the closest device to the main router/node, recorded a very respectable 149 Mbit/s on the Eero 6 system, compared to a faster 644 Mbps on the WRX560 router. recorded speed. Meanwhile, on the computer in the garage furthest from the main router, the performance of the Eero 6 system (141 Mbps) and his WRX560 router (188 Mbps) were slightly closer, but the latter was still faster. For gamers who need to download updates frequently, the faster the better. However, if you’re working from home or teaching remotely, 100 Mbps is actually more than enough.
If your home is between 1,800 and 2,500 square feet and you are experiencing poor network performance, especially slow speeds or dropped connections, consider upgrading to a new standalone router instead of deploying an expensive mesh network. please. However, if your home is larger or has true dead zones due to obstructions such as masonry walls, adding coverage with a mesh network makes sense.
This article was edited by Signe Brewster and Arthur Gies.
