Best Mesh Wi-fi Systems
If you’re constantly battling to get good Wi-Fi coverage in your house, then getting a top mesh system powered by the best Wi-Fi network is the best solution. Mesh routers can give your home better, more substantial internet coverage than any solo router or Wi-Fi extender. Since many devices share a single network, a mesh system is the best way to fix missing signals. Another reason to install mesh systems is that our homes are getting smarter, and many devices need an internet connection. A sound mesh system automatically routes your connection as you move around the house.
A fast mesh Wi-Fi system is also ideal for large properties. The reason being, it covers every corner and room and provides a network to different floors in multi-story houses. This also includes your backyard and garage. Whether you need a mesh system to get a good connection in your home or to get security for all your connected devices, here are some of the best options you can consider while buying.
What is a mesh Wi-Fi system in the first place?
For many years Mesh Wi-Fi has been used in places like offices and business bases where security is more concerned. Recently, mesh Wi-Fi has entered the consumer market. Mesh Wi-Fi eliminates the dead zones in your house and provides a strong network with consistent speed. When you link one unit to the modem, it becomes the main hub, and the rest of the units are called nodes. Mesh Wi-Fi works by using two or more nodes to create a network. One node is connected to an internet modem, and the rest are placed throughout your house to create a strong system.
Nest Wi-Fi
If you want a secure and strong mesh Wi-Fi system, Google’s Nest Wi-Fi is the best you can get. With superb performance, it can cover a small home to a large estate. The setup process is very straightforward, but what makes Google’s Nest unique from the other mesh system available in the market? It has a built-in smart speaker. The compact unit lets you control the router through voice commands, with every smart device set up in your house from smart bulbs to your smart TV.
The lack of Wi-Fi 6 support might be a downside, but Nest Wi-Fi does include support for modern features like 4×4 MU-MIMO connections and device grouping and prioritization. The Nest is easy to use, easy to set up, and very reliable. Additional nest extensions allow you to add more Google units in another room, giving you a voice assistant in every room. All in all, it’s an all-rounded Mesh System to bring home for a better connection. If you’re tired of the color white, it is also available in mist and sand colors.
What we like
-
- It provides great app support.
- It gives super signal strength.
- Very simple to use.
- Google Assistant built-in.
What we don’t like
-
- It requires a subscription for premium features.
Netgear Orbi AX6000
It’s quite an expensive option to recommend but if you are ready to spend that amount of money, look no further. It comes with support for Wi-Fi 6 and a second 5GHz band that works as a backhaul connection for the router and the satellites. In some tests, it gave a result of nearly 900mbps when kept in a close range. The only problem is the price, which is quite expensive for some folks.
The design looks pretty good. It is curvy and large but can fit in any modern house without someone noticing it. Wi-Fi 6 is not just about great speed, but about brains, as it manages houses with many connected devices. Nowadays, when smart speakers, smart bulbs, lights, and music systems have made their place in every household, Orbi AX6000 can manage up to 100 connected devices. Yes, of course, having Wi-Fi 6 gadgets will take advantage of it, but if you have those with old Wi-Fi standards, Orbi 6 will intelligently provide the connection as per the demand. The model is so expensive not because it is Wi-Fi 6 but because it provides a stable connection that gives faster coverage in your home.
Moving on, Netgear has added the Orbi 6 range with an upgraded QuadCore 2.2 GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and 512MB NAND Flash. Like other routers, Orbi 6 can be set up entirely using the Android and iOS apps and by IP address. To get started, you have to plug in the router and satellite, choose a network name, and set up the password. This process takes hardly 10 to 12 minutes.
What we like
-
- It has excellent Wi-Fi speed and range.
- The setup process is relatively easy.
- Great coverage
What we don’t like
-
- Very expensive for most households.
Eero Pro 6
Each system is priced for the value it gives. You get a three-piece setup with a two-range extending satellite at a price that competitors charge for a two-piece system. We’d recommend you Eero 6 if you live in a huge house and you need your mesh system to cover a lot of ground. Eero 6 will cost you around $599 for a three-piece system.
It sports a tri-band design with two 5 GHz bands, which is considered an important aspect of mesh performance. It’s also a great choice for Alexa Users. The built-in Zigbee radio lets you connect your smart bulbs, speakers, etc., and control them with a voice command. The Eero Secure plan that comes for $2.99 and $29.99 for a year can create individual user profiles, apply a content filter to restrict access to adult sites, and block pop-up ads. The plan also prevents you from visiting a malicious page.
The Pro 6 uses the same Android and iOS apps and supports Alexa voice commands. The home screen will show you the network name, the status of the internet, and the name of all Eero nodes. You can measure the upload and download speeds and check which clients are connected to the system.
The price isn’t very high for a three-piece pack, with a tri-band router and full support for Wi-Fi 6. In our opinion, Eero 6 is a worthy and sensible upgrade for modern homes.
What we like
-
- It’s very easy to use and to set up.
- It comes with a built-in Zigbee radio that pairs devices with Alexa.
- Steady network performance
What we don’t like
-
- Comes with one spare Ethernet Jack
- Not fast enough to take advantage of gigabit speed.
Netgear Nighthawk MK63
The Netgear Nighthawk MK63 is a three-piece mesh router system with two secondary satellites and one primary router. These give excellent coverage to houses up to 3500 sq ft. The new Netgear Nighthawk MK63 looks very similar to the Orbi Whole Home RBK13; the only difference is that square Nighthawks are designed in black instead of Orbi’s white.
The compact design of Nighthawk makes it easy for them to stay on any shelf or window, and the fact that Nighthawk comes with a 2 m Ethernet cable that you can easily move around has impressed us very much. According to Netgear, the Nighthawk can’t connect to 25 devices simultaneously, but of course, to take full advantage of it, you have to use phones and computers that support Wi-Fi 6. Still, Wi-Fi 6 is also compatible with gadgets using 802.11ac Wi-Fi, so no need to rush for new devices.
Netgear’s app makes it convenient to set up the Nighthawk MK63. It automatically detects satellites and the primary router for you. After this, you can simply scan the QR code to connect to your new network. Just make sure you set a strong password while logging into the app and a few security questions in case of any emergencies. Apart from this, you can add the guest network, take a speed test, and see all the connected devices to the router. However, you don’t get any specific parental controls like those mentioned in other models in our list. You just get a simple on and off button to disconnect an individual’s device.
What we like
-
- Easy to set up
- Great coverage
What we don’t like
-
- Poor parental controls
- Best suited to home over 2000 sq ft.
Asus ZenWi-Fi AX
You can’t buy Asus ZenWiFi directly from Asus, but it’s available online. The two-piece system covers an extensive area of 4400 sq ft. Each router has three extra Gigabit Ethernet ports for gadgets that require a wired network connection, along with a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for high-speed Internet connections. It also has a USB 3.1 so that you can share a USB storage device on your system.
One thing that may bother you is that the setup procedure isn’t quite straightforward, as we have seen in other mesh systems. The Asus app is handy as you can set parental controls. Also, you can set profiles for members in your home under 18. These features allow you to set content filters to block adult material and create an Internet Schedule.
Buy Asus Zen Wi-Fi if you want a strong Wi-Fi as the ZenWiFi AX can make a high-speed ‘backhaul’ that, in turn, connects the two mesh routers and gives 2.4GHz and 5.0Ghz bands for high-speed video streaming, gaming, and music.
What we like
-
- Versatile app with great security features.
- Good parental controls.
- Excellent coverage
What we don’t like
-
- Quite expensive
- No three-piece router is available.
- Complicated setup process.
Wrapping Up
Mesh Wi-Fi gives you the best of both worlds – long-range connectivity and powerful speeds. These were the best Wi-Fi routers in terms of coverage, speed, and budget. Though some of them are quite expensive, they’re worth spending if you really need fast Wi-Fi. You can analyze your needs, the number of devices you want to connect, and how big your house is before deciding which model is perfect for your home.
