Kane Dane
Is Mesh Wifi Better?
Do you live in a house where the Wifi works in a building and the signal strength in some offices is not as strong as in offices?
Imagine walking from the sitting room to the kitchen and you just realized that the internet page you are working on stopped.
Many issues can cause this and there are different measures you can take to improve your internet connection. One of them is to increase the coverage of the WiFi signal.
What is Mesh Wifi?
Mesh router system, mesh networking, or whole-home WiFi system (as you may choose to call it) is a system that consists of several routers that are functioning in a network. A router broadcast internet signals from a WiFi moother dem and others rebroadcast it. What makes it different from a normal Wifi is that a mesh wifi has multiple routers.
In mesh networking, the main router links with the Wifi modem and becomes the main access point for the internet signal. Other routers are then linked with the main router. These other routers form the satellite access points. The number of satellite points depends on the complexity of the building. The satellite points receive internet signals from the main access point and rebroadcast them.
How to Increase Your Signal Coverage
One common way to extend the range of WiFi signals is by using an extender. As the name implies, an extender extends the coverage of a WiFi signal. But there is a limit to which an extender could increase the range of WiFi. Also, it is not effective in big houses. If you are experiencing a dead zone, then it means they are areas in your home where the WiFi cannot be detected at all. This could also mean that the wiFi strength varies significantly from one part of the building to another. If you are experiencing any of the above, then it’s time to consider a Mesh WiFi system.
Who needs a mesh wifi?
You need a mesh WiFi if the distance between the location of the router and any other part of the building is significantly enough to affect the strength of the signal in that part of the building. You may also need it if the walls are so thick to obstruct WiFi signals. People living or working in the following type of building may benefit from a Mesh router:
- Buildings with abnormal shapes.
- A building that consists of many stories
- Large buildings with many rooms that might be far apart.
- Buildings with thick walls
- Buildings with walls of steel or other thick metals
How does it work?
Mesh networking uses multiple routers to broadcast the internet signal. The routers are linked in such a way to ensure that every part of the building gets signal at full strength. The main router is connected to the WiFi modem and broadcasts the signal at full strength. This is called the main access point. As you move away from the main router, the strength decreases.
To overcome this, another router will be linked with the main router. This router forms the satellite access point. The satellite point will receive a signal at full strength from the main point and rebroadcast it. Hence the signal becomes strong again. As you move away from this satellite point and the signal starts decreasing, you may need to connect more satellite points.
Why Is It Better?
There are many reasons to choose mesh WiFi over ordinary Wifi. Benefits of mesh networking are:
- It makes internet signals available at full strength in every part of the building
According to one source, Mesh networking cannot increase the strength of a WiFi, but it will ensure that the signal remains as strong as it is around the WiFi modem as it is in any other parts of the building. Mesh WiFi ensures there is no dead zone in a building and that every part of the building receives internet signals at full strength. But that is not the only advantage of mesh WiFi.
- It decentralizes connectivity
Mesh WiFi enables multiple access points. Hence, different devices can receive signals from different access points against a single point. This, therefore, offers faster internet speed.
- It gives you easy control over your internet service
Mesh WiFi comes with an application. The app gives you easy control over the management of your WiFi. With your app, you can control the settings of the wifi. You can change the password, monitor who is using the wifi, grant access, or limit access. You don’t even need to be within the wifi network before you can control it. From anywhere you are, you can control your wifi on your phone.
- It is safe and secure
The fact that mesh WiFi comes with an application puts its security in your hand. At any point in time, you can see what is happening on your network. It is easy to block unauthorized access and hence grant the WiFi good protection. The app also comes with a cybersecurity scanner to give you better protection.
- It is cost-effective
It may be expensive to install different access points in a mesh networking but after the installation, there will be no further cost for maintenance. You will only need to continue your normal WiFi subscription. Hence it is cheaper to install mesh wifi than to be paying for multiple wifi accounts. Within a short time, the once-off initial cost of installation will be compensated for by the lower cost of a single subscription. Mesh networking, therefore, offers cheap internet access to a big office or people living in a big house.
- Links with the WiFi modem and broadcast signals
The system’s main router links with the WiFi modem and broadcast signals while other routers in the network link with the main router and rebroadcast the signal at full strength. The number of satellite access points for effective networking depends on the area of the building and the nature of the partition.
- Mesh WiFi app
Apart from ensuring that the signal is of the same strength irrespective of the distance from the WiFi modem, it comes with an app. This app gives you better control over the management of your WiFi system. With the app, you can change your password, control access, and scan for cybercrime. You can even use the app outside the coverage of the WiFi.
Conclusion
As a matter of fact, mesh Wifi is beneficial to people living in big houses; especially houses with many stories, or with abnormal shapes. It is also useful to people working in complex office buildings with walls of thick bricks or strong metals. The networks of routers create multiple access points and decentralize access points. In fact, this prevents dead zones and the dropping of signal strength. It brings better internet speed and provides more reliable internet signals.
Finally, mesh WiFi is safe and the installation of the routers is a once-off cost. With it, you only make a regular payment for a single subscription but enjoy WiFi over a large range of coverage. Hence Mesh WiFi is cost-effective.
