Wi-Fi has become an essential part of our daily lives. Whether you’re working from home via video call, teaming up with friends on a gaming console, or keeping an eye on your property on the go, a stable connection is essential. If your home network has dead zones, it can be a huge nuisance. Fortunately, there is an answer to your Wi-Fi problems.
You can also purchase a new Wi-Fi router to further increase range and stability. Alternatively, if you’re serious about building a network that can cover your entire home, you can invest in a mesh Wi-Fi system. These systems effectively extend and strengthen your local Wi-Fi network, extending it to every corner of your home, apartment, or condo and eliminating weak points. The best part is that you don’t need to be an IT expert to install it. Most mesh Wi-Fi systems can be set up in minutes by simply connecting and downloading a companion app to your phone.
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ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)
1. Best Overall Mesh Wi-Fi System
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Google Nest Wi-Fi
2. Mesh Wi-Fi system that is extremely easy to use
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Amazon Eero Pro 6E
3. Best 6E Wi-Fi System
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Netgear Orbi 6E Mesh System (RBKE963)
4. The best premium mesh Wi-Fi system
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TP-Link Deco S4 Mesh Wi-Fi
5. Best Affordable Mesh Wi-Fi System
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With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the best options if you’re considering going the mesh Wi-Fi route. We tested these models considering range, speed, ease of use, and cost and found them worthy of a spot on our list.
Best Mesh Wi-Fi Systems: Our Picks
ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)
1. Best Overall Mesh Wi-Fi System
Deliver powerful performance
300 dollars 400 dollars Save $100
If you’re looking for blazing speeds, Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) is your best choice for a Wi-Fi mesh system. Understanding the more advanced settings will help you get the most out of it.
- fast
- Great security and parental features
- easy setup
- You can only have two routers
- expensive
Are you serious about speed? The Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) mesh system deserves a spot at the top of this list. The system supports up to 2 routers while providing strong connectivity to cover every corner of your home. Even gamers can cope well with this mesh network.
To give you a quick overview, the Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8) is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 system with one 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz bands. Each router has 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 2.5 Gigabit WAN, and USB 3.1, so there’s an extensive list of ports available. Using the smartphone app, setup takes just a few minutes.
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Another advantage is ASUS’ AiProtection Pro software. This includes comprehensive parental controls and anti-malware protection, both of which can help keep your entire family safe online. The best part? You don’t have to pay a monthly fee to use it.
Google Nest Wi-Fi
2. Mesh Wi-Fi system that is extremely easy to use
outstanding performance
$127 $158 Save $31
A good mesh Wi-Fi system with a beautiful design is user-friendly and easy to set up.
- high speed
- Easy setup and control
- Google Assistant works like a dream
- There are cheaper alternatives
- Fewer configuration options
- Built-in speaker sound is not loud
It took Google several iterations to perfect its mesh product, but its Nest Wi-Fi is something special. Setting up the system is surprisingly easy. With just a few taps on your phone, you get an enhanced network with smart speaker capabilities and the option to expand with a unit that also has Google Assistant.
Google Nest Wi-Fi: A great mesh network with the bonus of Google Assistant
For those looking to improve their Wi-Fi weaknesses, the Nest Wifi mesh system is great, with the added bonus of Google Assistant voice control.
The system’s design is clean and minimalist. The device blends into the background of your home’s surroundings and offers the benefit of being quiet. Plus, convenient parental controls make it perfect for people with children.
The Nest Wi-Fi system isn’t the cheapest on the market, but it’s still affordable. And since it’s Google, you’ll have reliable software support for years to come. Sometimes the biggest companies know what they’re doing and Google hit a home run here.
Amazon Eero Pro 6E
3. Best 6E Wi-Fi System
Fast, reliable and easy to set up
Amazon Eero Pro 6E is simple, fast, and covers up to 6,000 square feet for over 100 connected devices.
- Easy to install
- We offer comprehensive and reliable coverage
- Also functions as a Zigbee hub
- Eero Secure has an additional charge
- Other systems offer better range
A very affordable option from the Amazon-owned brand, this new version of Eero’s system is incredibly easy to install. It takes a few minutes to get up and running, but that’s also because the app is clearly laid out and easy to navigate.
Amazon Eero Pro 6E Mesh: Creating Mesh 6E
Don’t need Amazon’s latest Wi-Fi 6E-enabled system, or should you choose the cheaper Pro 6?
The Eero Pro 6E’s 6,000 square feet operating range isn’t the best in the industry, but it’s still pretty good. Connect over 100 devices at any time. In our experience, Eero is one of the most reliable mesh networks. In my testing, it rarely dropped connections and greatly increased speeds to every corner of my house.
There are many other features worth talking about. For example, these units can act as Zigbee hubs to control all your smart home technology, or if you have a separate Echo device, you can control them with Alexa. Eero Secure also protects all your devices from malicious websites for a monthly fee.
Netgear Orbi 6E Mesh System (RBKE963)
4. The best premium mesh Wi-Fi system
expensive but powerful
If you don’t mind spending a little more, the Netgear Orbi 6E Mesh System (RBKE963) will significantly improve your network and eliminate weak spots and dead spots.
- Coverage up to 9,000 square feet
- Connect over 200 devices
- simple setup
For those who don’t mind spending a lot of money on a network that guarantees good results, consider the Netgear Orbi 6E (RBKE963). While its price may make your eyes water, it also offers one of the most scalable systems on the market.
Ideal for large homes, it can cover up to 9,000 square feet and support over 200 connected devices simultaneously at speeds of up to 10.8Gbps. The unit has a multi-giga WAN port and a LAN port, but I can’t find any USB connectivity.
As soon as you set up this system, you can use basic parental controls. You also have the option to pay for a Netgear Smart Parental Controls subscription to add controls like age-based web filters, browser history reports, and internet time perks.
TP-Link Deco S4 Mesh Wi-Fi
5. Best Affordable Mesh Wi-Fi System
If you want stable Wi-Fi on a low budget
$115 $150 Save $35
TP-Link keeps it simple with this streamlined and intuitive mesh system. Ideal for homes that require sufficient coverage.
- Easy to install and use
- excellent coverage
- Reasonable pricing
- Not a ton of app control
- Minor security concerns
- No whitelist of MAC addresses
For those who need a relatively affordable solution for a large home, TP-Link’s Deco S4 is worth considering. I found the coverage to be good enough to cover my house without suffering from serious drop-offs when moving away from the access point. It doesn’t have the rich quality of life or parental settings that more expensive options have, but it’s enough to satisfy most basic users looking to make tweaks to maximize speed and performance. We think there is something.
However, be sure to look into the technical details regarding mesh configuration security, if necessary. Although we mostly enjoy the bare-bones functionality of the settings, there are some security features (like allowing MAC addresses or being able to hide network names) that we think are overlooked. there is.
Conclusion: What is the best mesh Wi-Fi system?
According to our research and testing, the best mesh Wi-Fi system currently available is the ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8), thanks to its robust system and user-friendly setup. If ease of use is your priority, both the Nest Wi-Fi Kit and Eero Pro 6E Kit are easy to install in your home and, more importantly, allow for troubleshooting if you end up having connectivity issues. Become. For a more budget option, consider his Deco S4 Mesh Wi-Fi from TP-Link. It doesn’t offer the most comprehensive setup, but it’s great value for a system that costs about $150 before discounts.
ASUS ZenWiFi AX (XT8)
300 dollars 400 dollars Save $100
How to choose a mesh Wi-Fi system
There are many reasons why you might want to add a mesh system to your home network, but whatever your reason, there are some important areas to consider before choosing your option. That’s one of the things we appreciated.
Figure out the following qualities of your home setup.
- Where are your blind spots in your home?
- How many square feet do I need to cover?
- Need to control the devices that connect to your Wi-Fi?
- Check your router’s basic connection speed.
Why should you buy a mesh system?
The number one reason you need a mesh system is signal dropouts. If you have areas in your home where your router’s signal either doesn’t reach you at all or is unstable and doesn’t provide fast enough speeds, you’ll need a mesh system. Mesh systems are often also great parenting tools because they allow you to control which devices can connect to your Wi-Fi.
How important is speed when choosing a mesh Wi-Fi system?
A big question when deciding between different mesh systems is regarding speed. How fast is your base connection, and how much of that speed do you need to translate to the farthest reaches of your home? If you have gigabit internet, your options are limited, but say 500MB/s. If you’re willing to accept the speeds of (pretty good speeds in our opinion), you have more options.
How much range does a mesh Wi-Fi system need?
Another big question we’re thinking about is how far to extend the network. There are two ways this can change your selection. Firstly, how much distance each satellite can cover will influence which model you choose, but it will also influence how many satellites you choose initially. The best options hit the sweet spot of large coverage areas without requiring a large number of different satellite points.
Does a mesh Wi-Fi system require an Ethernet port?
Finally, a side question about good old wired internet. If you want to be able to connect something like a console or gaming PC to Ethernet from a satellite point, you should check carefully whether this is possible as some options do not have this capability.
