Do you need a WiFi Extender or a Mesh WiFi System? Read on to learn their pros and cons – both designed to improve WiFi connections in your home. They both extend WiFi in different ways, here we explain the difference between the two.
A good WiFi signal is essential whether you’re streaming movies, browsing the web, or playing games online. But what do you do if your signal is weak or spotty? You could try a WiFi extender or switch to a mesh WiFi system.
What is Mesh WiFi?
Mesh WiFi systems uses multiple devices around your home to create one seamless network. Each of these is called a ‘node’ and they all work together to extend your WiFi signal to your whole home. One node usually connects to your home router via Ethernet cable, and the rest of the nodes are placed around your home to where you need WiFi. You don’t have to manually switch to another network, the nodes automatically keep you connected to whichever node has the strongest signal, giving you seamless coverage everywhere.
Mesh WiFi networks are very easy to set up, and are good for:
- Getting the fastest WiFi speeds in large spaces.
- Extending your WiFi to your whole home or bigger offices.
- Moving around at home and always staying connected to your Wi-Fi.
- Removing all signal dead zones.
As you’ve gathered, mesh WiFi can give you a better range than a WiFi extender. But that’s not all they also offer benefits such as:
- Easy to Set Up
One of the main benefits of mesh WiFi is that it is very easy to set up. After initial setup, your mesh router is ready to connect to its preconfigured satellites. Moreover, you can simply plug in the first node and then add more nodes as needed. Adding satellites is much easier than setting up multiple WiFi extenders, which each needs to be configured independently from the router. - Flexible Coverage
Another benefit of mesh WiFi is that it offers flexible coverage. You can add or remove nodes as needed to change the coverage area. This is perfect for people who move often or have a large home or office. - Better Speeds
Mesh WiFi systems offer better speeds than WiFi extenders because the mesh router and satellite nodes are specially tuned to create a unified network. They also cooperate by instantly handing-off connections to devices to the fastest point as they move around the home. The nodes in a mesh network communicate wirelessly, so the WiFi signal does not have to travel from the router to the node and back out again. - Very Reliable
Mesh WiFi systems are also very reliable. This is because they use multiple nodes, so if one node is too far away or goes down, the others can still provide a WiFi signal. WiFi extenders, on the other hand, only have one device. If that device goes down, you will not be able to connect to the internet. - Easy to Scale
As your WiFi and connectivity needs increase, you’ll have to increase capacity to match usage. This one of the things that makes mesh WiFi systems ideal as they’re easy to scale. You can simply add more nodes to the mesh network as needed. This is perfect for businesses that are constantly expanding. - Minimizes Dead zones
Mesh WiFi systems are also good at minimizing dead zones. Dead zones are areas in your home or office where the WiFi signal is weak or non-existent. This is because mesh WiFi systems use multiple nodes that communicate with each other wirelessly. So, even if one node is in a dead zone, the others can still provide a WiFi signal.
What is a WiFi Extender?
A Wi-Fi extender is one simple device that extends your Wi-Fi signal by rebroadcasting it further into your home. Wi-Fi extenders are also sometimes called Wi-Fi ‘boosters’, or ‘repeaters’, but they mean the same thing – they extend your Wi-Fi signal coverage. You have to manually switch from your home router’s Wi-Fi network to the extender’s WiFi network.
WiFi extenders usually connect to your home router via WiFi, but certain models also allow Ethernet or Powerline connections.
WiFi Extenders are good for:
- Bringing WiFi to rooms out of reach of your router’s signal.
- Removing signal dead zones.
- Having two separate networks, one for your router, one for the extender.
- Trading some WiFi speed for range.
If you’re having trouble with your connection, a WiFi extender can help. And as a WiFi solution, it also offers numerous benefits, including:
- Easy to setup
Even if you have no prior experience with a WiFi extender, installing it will be hassle-free and fast. Although you’ll have to configure it to your existing network, it’s only one device unlike with a mesh system which uses multiple devices. - Inexpensive
If you’re on a budget, WiFi extenders are an excellent choice. They are inexpensive and can be found for as little as RM60-RM100 for a very basic extender. - Portability
WiFi extenders are small devices that you can plug into any outlet. You can quickly move them around your home. Extenders will rebroadcast the signal as long as they can connect to your router.
