WiFi Mesh networks are the fastest way to optimize and improve the performance of wireless home connections. If you want to squeeze your internet connection and the local network itself, you are interested in knowing what they are, how they work, advantages and disadvantages and situations in which you could take advantage of them.
What are Wifi mesh networks?
Wifi Mesh networks or meshed networks are a type of technology that came from the professional environment. The reduction of costs and advances in consumer technology allowed these devices to reach any home and with them all its advantages. But, let’s go in parts.
A mesh or mesh network, without entering into a very theoretical definition that confuses more than clarifies, is a network composed of a router or base station plus different satellites . All these devices have the ability to connect to each other, resulting in a single network with the same identifier and password.
That it is a unique network is a great advantage, but first it is important to clarify some doubts that could arise. This is not the same as the classic router configuration plus repeater. In mesh networks all elements are able to connect to each other simultaneously, while repeaters are only “understood” with only one device at a time.
How a Wifi Mesh network works
Now that you know what a wifi mesh network is , let’s see how it works . Initially we need a base station or router. This connects to your cable modem or ADSL / Fiber router that your operator facilitates when you hire the service.
If with the use of this base you already get enough coverage and improvement in the performance of the Wi-Fi network you will not have to do anything else. But the great advantage of this type of networks is in the use of satellites , devices that you can connect according to needs.
Each of these satellites not only connect to the base, they also do it between them. This allows us to expand the coverage area of the network much more and with the advantage we have before: being a single network with a unique identifier and password.
In addition, both the base station and the satellites have the ability to manage both the devices connected to the network and the traffic in the most intelligent and optimal way possible. If a node or satellite is saturated with several devices or the traffic that is generated, it automatically passes the management of one or more to the node that it considers most optimal.
All this in a transparent way for the user and without any type of micro cut as those that occur when you jump from the coverage that a router gives to that of a repeater.
Advantages and disadvantages of Wifi Mesh networks
You already know what Wifi Mesh networks are and how they work, you have also seen some advantages, but there are more. And yes, also some other disadvantages that you should consider before investing in one.
Advantages of Mesh networks
- Improved performance of the local network and the internet connection itself
- Optimal coverage in any area of the house
- A single network that avoids those small cuts in the service of other solutions
- Devices with a more aesthetic design
Disadvantages of Mesh networks
- Ideal for large areas with coverage problems
- Expand the scope, but interference problems due to construction materials do not prevent
- Economic investment higher than that of a traditional router or reptile system
Basically what you read above would be the advantages and disadvantages of Mesh networks. Even being a highly recommended technology, it is true that they will not solve the problem of all types of users. And the cost of investing in a system with a base station plus one or two satellites is high for which many are willing to invest. So think about it and determine if it really is what you need. But if you are going to use several satellites, not having cuts in the connection when passing from one to another is its main value.
How to get the most out of it
Wifi Mesh networks are a type of solution that anyone advises today, but that does not imply that it really is something for everyone . That is, if with your current router you do not have coverage problems and in every corner of the house you connect without problem, the way to improve performance is not so much to obtain a mesh base station but a better router – which may or may not offer the technology mesh-.
Therefore, there will be situations in which by acquiring only a good router you will solve problems and improve the performance of the internet and local network connection.
The meshed networks are designed for those users who need the best coverage in each corner and, in addition, make use of a large number of devices connected to the pair. That’s where more performance is taken from these networks. They can also be the way to minimize the problems that many times cause the building materials of each building or house.
So, our advice is that you opt for Wifi Mesh networks when the coverage is not good and the performance when connecting to the internet or transferring files locally is poor. Also if you are one of those who have a good number of connected devices, such as phones, tablets, laptops, consoles and smart speakers among other gadgets.
Wifi Mesh systems to consider if you’re thinking of buying one
Mesh technology has become popular and virtually any manufacturer of network devices already offers its own solutions. Even so, there are some manufacturers that have been proving that they are a safe purchase option. Some of these systems, composed of base and one or two satellites are:
- TP-Link Deco M4 , system with base plus two satellites.
- Eero , Amazon’s Wifi Mesh system has good prices and good design. There is option with a single unit or three units.
- Google Wifi , they are not the most economical option but they perform well and there is a pack of both a single device and three units.
- Ubiquiti Amplifi , a classic and one of the mesh devices most valued by users.
Are there more Mesh solutions? Yes, here it is a matter of assessing what you are looking for and need, if you are more attracted to one type of design or another. But with these proposals you guarantee a very high performance and all the advantages of such technology.
