Mesh WiFi is a whole home WiFi system. The term “mesh” implies that all of the devices are working together. A mesh system includes a mesh router that connects directly to your modem and series of devices often called nodes that are placed throughout your home. These nodes create a “blanket” of WiFi that provides full coverage in your home.
Even though the router, modem and nodes are placed in separate places in your home, they all are part of a single mesh network. They all share the same SSID and password, unlike a traditional WiFi router network.
Traditional WiFi vs Mesh WiFi
The difference between a traditional WiFi network and a mesh WiFi network is that on a traditional network your device connects to a single router. All communication passes through that single router. The farther you are from the router, the weaker the WiFi signal. With mesh WiFi, communication passes through the whole system, including the router and nodes throughout your home.
A mesh network creates a blanket of coverage in your home. On a traditional network, you can use WiFi boosters like range extenders to get more coverage.
How Mesh WiFi works
With mesh WiFi, you place the nodes in whichever rooms need the added coverage. If you need to extend the reach of the WiFi signal, you add more nodes. The pro is that mesh WiFi is flexible and scalable. The con is that it can be expensive.
The other thing that a mesh network can do is “self-heal” and re-route communication if one point goes down. Since all of the nodes are connected, communication will reroute itself to still get from point A to point B.
Does Mesh WiFi work on a wired network?
Mesh WiFi typically works wirelessly. However, some mesh WiFi systems can still connect nodes together using an Ethernet cable if your home is already wired with Ethernet cables in each room. Whether a mesh system is wireless or wired, you will still be able to get a signal to the difficult places, like the garage, basement, backyard or other far away rooms.
Is it wrong to use a range extender instead of mesh WiFi?
No way! You can still get reliable WiFi using a WiFi booster like a range extender. Mesh WiFi is just a different solution to the same problem: weak WiFi coverage.
WiFi range extenders are also a more budget-friendly solution and are a better option for those that have a temporary living situation such as when renting an apartment.
Hitron’s offerings of WiFi Boosters eliminate dead spots and work with Ethernet, MoCA, or WiFi. So, if you are on a traditional router network, ask your Internet service provider (ISP) about Hitron’s WiFi boosters today. Want more like this? Check out Hitron’s Learn Page for more.