(Last Updated On: December 22, 2017)
A mesh router system is one of the latest advancements in the field of Internet networking and is being made available at a mass level. The mesh router network is basically a combination of multiple routers working together to create a network within your home of office. At first these mesh router systems were only used at corporate level as they were very expensive and not very practical for home use now even Google’s Wi-Fi system is proving to be a very good match for domestic use.
Mesh Router System
We are all familiar with conventional single router system, the single router system is a important part of the home networking solution as it provides us the ability to share resources and connect to the Internet at the same time. The single router system works well in a four bedroom normal sized home and provides good coverage throughout the house but when the house has a bigger covered area than 1000sq.ft that is generally where the conventional single router gives in and the mesh router system come into play.
Mesh router system consists of multiple routers which work in collaboration with each other to provide faster and efficient network connectivity throughout your home. One of the routers act as the base router while other act as a router node which is receives the signal from the nearest node to pass it onto connected devices. The routers are not just working to pass on signals from one node to another they are also dividing the work load of the whole network.
Benefits of Using Mesh Router System
Mesh Router System has it’s benefits and there are some cons to it as well but we all know no technology is ever 100% perfect and what matters is how well it outperforms it’s predecessor.
The first benefit we noticed is that even though you will have multiple nodes and routers and they will be providing your home the network connectivity you will be needing, the SSID of your Internet connection will remain only one. Unlike Wi-Fi extenders if you are using multiple devices you will have multiple connections in your home to connect to.
These routers are smart as you roam around your house connected to the Internet the nodes will determine the strongest possible connectivity to your device and will connect your device to that node which is transmitting the strongest signal. In other words you don’t have to worry about getting a weak signal anywhere within your home or office.
The nodes in mesh router system are not just a signal extending devices like the Wi-Fi Extenders they are proper routers supporting each other and almost in every case they will have the same specifications of the base router with minor adjustments. This will benefit you in this way that you will not have dip in performance levels or have any issue with performance lag if you compare nodes signal transmission to the base router’s signal transmission. This is not the case when it comes to Wi-Fi Extenders which affect your Internet Connection’s performance when transmitting the signals further.
Difference Between Mesh Router Systems
There is no considerable difference among the Mesh Router Systems available in the market as all of them work on the same principle. The only thing you have to keep in mind that if you install one of these systems you have to stick with them for a while. If you want to upgrade or change the system every device will be replaced so basically it’s all or nothing.
Only minor difference you will find among the mesh router systems is that one type of mesh routers will be able to work with your current wireless router and the other one will take over from your current wireless router.
This is useful if you have a powerful wireless router in your home and you don’t want to replace that one but to enhance it’s capabilities you can select the mesh router network which can work in collaboration with your previous wireless router.
Speeds
Your conventional high-end powerful wireless router produces speeds of around 500mbps if your device is connected to it in close proximity and if you connect to conventional wireless router with a brick wall obstruction in between you’ll get around 300mbps of speed and that drops down to 100mbps if you are connecting to it from upstairs room or a room on the same storey with two or three brick walls obstructing the performance.
Now if you are using mesh router system in your home and you have base router at ground level and other nodes at first and second stories of your house you will, on average, will get 300mbps speeds consistently. Because of the large coverage from these devices the consistency is enough for you to connect multiple devices to the Internet and surf the web and stream videos simultaneously.
The speed factor has a limitation which you have to address. Your devices and the mesh router system should support the latest wireless standards, if there is difference between them, you will not be able to experience high speeds on your connectivity because one of the devices either the router or the mobile device will be operating at older wireless standard that limits the speed it can handle.
Downsides
There are not much downsides of the mesh router system as such, it’s very easy to install and there is not much maintenance to do after installation either.
The downside is a matter of choice, if you are a avid gamer and play games online you will require the best internet connectivity at all times to experience real time gameplay. The wireless connectivity is not the best option for online gaming to start with because of the loss of signal when transmitted and you will not get the best ping times if the signal has to travel a distance to reach your gaming console. The best option for online gaming is the hardwire.
The second downside you will experience if you are tech geek that the mesh router system is not very flexible when it comes to customizing your network experience you don’t get a web interface all you have to make do with is a mobile app which is not very much to make do with.
Alternatives
If you have read through all of this publication you must have realized by now that mesh router system is a glorified Wi-Fi extender but without the performance dip factor that you experience in a Wi-Fi extender. One of the alternatives to mesh router system that we suggest is the Wi-Fi extender as it is cheaper to own and will do the job of extending the range of your wireless router as well that is if you can bear the latency factor.
The other option is the good ol’wired connection. If you are experience a poor signal problem in your home you can just get Ethernet cable measured out for the distance between your router and the area of poor signal. The only limitation you will have to make do with is that you will not be able to improve wireless connectivity in that area but you will have the same powerful performance in the form of wired connection.
The other alternative is that you can use an old wireless router and create a new access point in your home. The old wireless router will receive the signals from the new wireless router and you will be able to increase the range of wireless connectivity in your home as well.
What Does Future Hold?
Mesh Router System is still in it’s infancy and in the near future we will witness cheaper and more efficient mesh router systems. The only thing we can do right now is to wait and anticipate and make do with what we have got.