I’m sure you’ve heard it said before that a microwave can affect Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals?Ī mesh router is specifically designed to eliminate dead zones and broadcast a signal to a much wider area. Traditional routers don’t necessarily do a poor job of this, but there are a lot of factors they must contend with like total traffic, available bandwidth, distance, objects or obstructions, and even walls or appliances. It has to juggle all connections simultaneously. So, when you’re using a phone in your living room and your spouse is using a laptop in the bedroom, both devices are connected to the router in the office. There’s generally only one access point and all your devices connect to that single hub, which juggles pretty much all internet traffic. But a major drawback of regular routers is the signal they broadcast is exclusive and limited. The technology has since been adapted for the consumer market, so you can take advantage of mesh networking in your home.īoiling it down to extreme basics, a conventional router takes the internet signal and broadcasts it to a small area. The technology works similarly to cell phone towers that allow people to stay on the phone despite moving around large areas. Traditionally, mesh networks and related equipment have been used by corporations and organizations to cover large areas, like office buildings, with a singular network so that employees can move around without losing a consistent internet connection. Mesh routers are routers that have multiple access points on a single network. So, what do you do? How can you expand coverage to the rest of your home or property? Let’s dive in and find out! It’s great for a quick fix if you have an old router and don’t want to spend more money, but it’s not a comprehensive solution. I did this and it works, but it steals bandwidth from other devices around the house and honestly isn’t that reliable. You can always take an old router you have and turn it into a repeater by installing custom firmware like DD-WRT. In my master bedroom, or on my patio at the back of the house, it’s a different story altogether. For example, I get a great signal – and speeds – near the front of my house where my office and main router are located. If you live in a building or home with more space, you may have spotty coverage. If you live in an apartment or small home, your Wi-Fi coverage is probably great. Best Mesh Routers for 2022 (WiFi 6, Gigabit, & Large Homes)

Best mesh router for mac