What is Mesh WiFi? How does Mesh WiFi work?

The disadvantage of a regular WiFi network is that the WiFi signal cannot cover every corner of the house. But in large hotels, you can go from the 1st to the 11th floor, from the room to the entertainment area kilometers away, and still use the hotel's WiFi. Or just a single WiFi network can still be connected seamlessly from the bedroom to the living room and out to the garden with very stable signal strength.

That's thanks to WiFi mesh technology (also known as mesh WiFi network). So how exactly does WiFi Mesh work and how is it different from a traditional WiFi extender? Let's find out right away.

What is WiFi mesh?

WiFi Mesh is a network architecture that connects WiFi access points within a wide range (up to kilometers) together, and these access points will connect to each other to provide a unified network of access points and can cover the entire area, the data is automatically routed to optimize connectivity and stability. In addition, when one of the access points encounters a problem, the other points automatically add traffic and take over the position of the faulty access point until it is completely fixed.

Think of a WiFi Mesh system as a network of WiFi extenders, but much easier to set up, and without multiple network names or any other requirements. All you have to do is plug in the routers in the system and follow a few simple steps in the accompanying apps. Once everything is set up, managing your network is also much easier because most of the complex, advanced features are out of the reach of the average user, while the important features that everyone uses are easily accessible and usable.

In short, WiFi mesh is a network system of WiFi hotspots, connected together in a unified manner and capable of broadcasting WiFi over a very wide range. For example, you are at home, then go to the market about 500m away from home, you still have WiFi and go to eat, 500m away from the market, you can still use WiFi as usual.

How is using a WiFi mesh system different from using a signal booster?

WiFi boosters have long been a popular option for solving WiFi dead spots - areas where your home WiFi signal is not strong enough to reach. However, the emergence of WiFi Mesh systems in the past few years has attracted the attention of many ordinary users because these systems are especially easy to install and use.

One aspect that many users don't realize about mesh WiFi systems is that they can completely replace your current router. So while WiFi extenders simply help boost the WiFi signal strength of your main router, mesh WiFi systems actually create a completely new WiFi network that is completely separate from the WiFi network from your current router.

Plus, if you can manage your mesh WiFi network entirely through simple smartphone apps, instead of having to access complex router admin pages, it makes changing settings and generalizing your home WiFi network much simpler.

Mesh WiFi systems also allow routers in a system to communicate with each other in any order. Traditional WiFi extenders can only communicate with your main router, and in case you have multiple WiFi extenders set up, they often cannot communicate with each other. This is a huge advantage of mesh WiFi systems.

For example, if you set up the first and second mesh units in your home, you won't have to worry about placing the third unit near the first, as it will simply pick up the signal from the second unit you set up, allowing you to create much larger coverage than WiFi extenders.

Furthermore, if you open a WiFi analyzer app, you will notice that your mesh WiFi system is actually broadcasting separate WiFi networks from each unit in the mesh network you have set up. This is also how traditional WiFi extenders work, but with extenders, you will often have to manually switch between networks (e.g. between Network and Network_EXT).

A mesh WiFi system, on the other hand, still operates as a single network, so your devices will automatically switch connections between the transmitters in the network. Of course, some WiFi extenders can do this too (like the D-Link DAP-1520), but they still have a clear drawback: they use WiFi signals to communicate with the router and connect to your devices, which can result in a slight slowdown in network speeds.

In summary, the advantages of the WiFi Mesh system are:

1. High security, new technology
2. Consistent connection, no interruption during use
3. No need to run network cables through each Access point
4. Extremely wide WiFi range (up to kilometers)
5. Using cloud computing technology, along with a series of advanced features such as WiFi Marketing, specifying WiFi hotspot locations

Why do you need WiFi mesh?

Mesh WiFi excels in environments where there are too many things to obstruct the wireless signal (metal, brick, concrete, etc.) or the space is too large for a router or extender to realistically cover. When you have a dead WiFi spot, you can fix it with two or three nodes in a mesh network.

You don't have to run any Ethernet cables, and if you need more, you can just buy another node. Setup for most mesh WiFi systems is quick and easy with an app on your phone. Mesh WiFi makes things easy and saves you the time spent figuring out where to place your extenders.

Is WiFi mesh worth the investment?

Whether mesh WiFi is worth it depends a lot on your expectations. Mesh WiFi is overkill in small apartments or for people who don't really need a building-wide connection. Modern routers do a lot of the work without much fuss. But if you have a large space with a lot of people or need more signal to targeted locations, mesh WiFi starts to compete with extenders, as they're much easier to expand in the future.

Some mesh WiFi kits allow both wired and wireless connections to a gateway or router, which can determine what kind of speeds you get. If you have a connection speed higher than 1Gbps and want to keep it close to that over WiFi, you'll need to look at products that specifically offer dual 5GHz bands or are labeled as tri-band. However, for anyone with internet speeds around 400Mbps or lower, there are plenty of options to get started with mesh networking.

However, price can be an issue with mesh networks. Popular options like Amazon's Eero and Google's Nest WiFi start at $100 and go up to $500 depending on how many nodes you need. Meanwhile, a single extender costs around $50.