Wi-Fi Extender vs. Mesh Network: What’s the Difference?

 

Large homes, homes with unusual layouts, homes with more than one story, homes with basements, homes with interior brick walls, homes with lath and plaster walls, all of them can have one frustrating thing in common. Areas with poor Wi-Fi signal or none at all. Traditionally Wi-Fi extenders have been a popular option to help with these connection issues but over the past few years Mesh Wi-Fi systems have become increasingly popular due to their ease of use and spectacular results.

Wi-Fi extenders work by linking the Wi-Fi signal from your router and re-broadcasting it out as an additional Wi-Fi signal, thereby extending the range. This comes with certain drawbacks; these devices can sometimes interfere with other devices in your home, including your router because they both broadcast on the same frequency. Another drawback is that extenders broadcast with a separate Wi-Fi name, moving around the home with a mobile device will cause you to regularly connect and reconnect back and forth between your extender and router depending on what device is in range.  Placement is also an issue in large homes when more than one extender is needed, as adding additional extenders exacerbates the above problems.

Mesh systems are two more devices that work together to broadcast a single Wi-Fi network. Using the latest Wi-Fi 6 and 6E technology, mesh extenders work in conjunction with your router to provide a unified network. Think of this technology like adding more lanes to a highway and making each lane wider, allowing more traffic the ability to travel to their destination more efficiently than ever before. The router and extender cooperate to “steer” your device to the strongest available network. This is handled seamlessly, with the consumer being unaware that a change has even happened. Not only does this provide the best speed, but best reliability when combating dead zones. Additional mesh units can be added to the home to expand coverage even further to outdoor areas such as patios and garages.

If you have been thinking about expanding your homes Wi-Fi coverage and don’t know where to start, give us a call to set up your mesh extender installation. Our knowledgeable technicians will take all the guess work out of device set up and proper extender placement. As always if you need help with anything streaming or smart home related you can contact us at 309-778-8611 or by emailing us at OneSource@midcentury.com