Mesh WiFi routers are set up to blanket your home in WiFi. So you will never need to worry about coverage gaps ever again. It extends coverage much further than a traditional router would. It’s kind of like having three routers in your home, except it’s all the same network. Mesh WiFi routers also have a pretty simple setup these days. Making it super easy, even for the most technology illiterate person to set up.
Mesh WiFi vs Range Extenders
You might be wondering why you would want a Mesh WiFi system over a range extender? Well there are a couple of reasons why. The big one being the fact that range extenders “repeat” your signal. This results in more coverage, but slower speeds. Mesh WiFi is better in this regard, because it doesn’t repeat the signal, and in a lot of instances, you will get faster speeds than your ISP actually markets for your plan. For example, I pay for the 300Mbps plan from Comcast. But I can usually pull down around 375Mbps.
Top 7 Best Mesh WiFi Routers
Best overall Mesh WiFi Router
Nest WiFi
Nest WiFi is by far the best mesh WiFi router. It offers up a very easy setup process. Basically download the Nest WiFi app, and it’ll walk you through the setup process. It’s also great for blanketing your home in WiFi. This two-pack can cover 4,400 square-feet. Additionally, you can add more Nest WiFi routers to your setup, if you need a bit more coverage. Nest WiFi is also really good about moving devices from the 2.4GHz network to the 5GHz network when needed. It can handle up to 200 devices on the network. Nest WiFi makes it very easy to setup a guest network and even share your WiFi password with others.
Best for larger homes
eero 6 Mesh WiFi
With eero, not only do you get better coverage and better speeds, but it’s also great for controlling smart home devices. Particularly the eero 6, as it has a built-in Zigbee hub. Making it super easy to set up your smart home. This single eero 6 will cover around 1,500 square-feet of your home. And provide speeds up to 900Mbps. You can also buy the extender, which is $199 total. And purchase more eero’s to go around your home, if 1,500 square-feet is not quite big enough for you.
Best for gigabit WiFi
Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine
Ubiquiti is really well-known for doing WiFi networks for large office spaces. And now, the Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine can be in your home, running your WiFi network. It’s best for those with faster internet speeds, like gigabit speeds. It has a managed 4-port Gigabit switch as well. As you’d expect from Ubiquiti, it has advanced security gateway with IDS/IPS and DPI. it also has the UniFi Network controller with intuitive User Interface. This is a very powerful Mesh WiFi router and will provide some really great speeds for your home.
Best WiFi 6 mesh router
NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System
If you’re familiar with NETGEAR Orbi, then you’ll be familiar with this Mesh WiFi Router. It offers the same great performance as other Orbi options, but with WiFi 6 support. Meaning that it is going to be future-proof for a little while. Allowing you to really get a router and not worry about upgrading it for at least five years, or even longer. With the Orbi, you are able to use this two-pack to cover 5,000 square-feet and up to 60 devices. It will automatically move devices from 2.4GHz to the 5GHz network. So if you have a smart doorbell on your network, it will keep it on the 2.4GHz network as it needs coverage more than the speed. So 2.4GHz works better for it. Much like the others on this list, the Orbi is also great at setup, and control through the Orbi app. Allowing you to kick off devices you don’t want on your network and much more.
Best for gamers
AmpliFi Gamer’s Edition WiFi System
This is the gamer’s edition of the AmpliFi, which includes a mesh WiFi router that has an easy-to-use touchscreen display. It also includes two MeshPoints to maximize coverage and eliminate dead zones in your home. AmpliFi has included four gigabit ethernet ports here, as well as a WAN port, and an ethernet cable. This setup can cover up to 10,000 square-feet. The MeshPoints can be plugged in, anywhere in your home. As these do not need a table to sit on, they just plug into the wall. Which means you won’t need to worry about them being on the ground, not getting the right signal.
Best mesh WiFi router with advanced cyber threat protection
Netgear Orbi Whole Home Mesh WiFi System
The Netgear Orbi Whole Home Mesh WiFi System has a few different integrations included, which makes it really great. Like the advanced cyber threat protection. So you can keep your network and the devices connected to it safe. Thanks to Netgear Armor. It also has support for Disney Circle, which is going to allow you to set parental controls for your kids. With the Orbi, you are able to use this three-pack to cover 7,500 square-feet and up to 60 devices. It will automatically move devices from 2.4GHz to the 5GHz network. So if you have a smart doorbell on your network, it will keep it on the 2.4GHz network as it needs coverage more than the speed. So 2.4GHz works better for it. Much like the others on this list, the Orbi is also great at setup, and control through the Orbi app. Allowing you to kick off devices you don’t want on your network and much more. Netgear Orbi Whole Home Mesh WiFi System
New kid on the block
TP-Link Deco X20
The TP-Link Deco X20 is the newest mesh WiFi router out, and it can cover up to 5,800 square-feet with this three pack. It’s also fairly inexpensive at under $300 for this three-pack. The Deco X20 supports WiFi 6, so it is future proof, and will offer you some insane speeds. You’ll also be able to connect up to 150 devices on the X20. So it’s great for those that have a smart home, with loads of products connected to their network.
