AC1900 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System (2024)

FAQs

Is 1 WiFi mesh enough? ›

For those who aren't sure if they need a mesh Wi-Fi system, or plan on moving into a larger home soon, you don't have to commit to a pack of two or three mesh units to benefit from the expandable coverage of mesh Wi-Fi.

A quick guideline to follow for how many WiFi pods you need is that most often, two WiFi pods will be enough for homes between 1,500 and 3,000 sq. ft. You may add more if your home is larger (3,000 sq. ft. or more) or if you have a multi-level home including a basem*nt, three or more floors, or four rooms or more.

Learn > WiFi Boosters > Does a Mesh System Replace a Router? While a mesh system certainly can replace your traditional router, it doesn't replace a router altogether. Just like with a traditional router/modem network setup, a mesh system has a specific mesh router.

Based on Wi-Fi coverage performance, you can't go wrong with a mesh router. For example, even if you live in a small apartment or house, some have materials in their walls that can attenuate wireless signals and make a traditional router less effective. Mesh routers also offer a smoother experience.

How far away can mesh nodes be? You can place the second node halfway between the router and the dead zone as you would with a WiFi range extender. Ideally, you will limit the distance to no more than two rooms, or about 30 feet apart.

In a mesh network, every link, or “hop,” between routers will decrease the bandwidth by half. This happens because wireless links can only do one thing at a time - transmit or receive. In a long “chain” of mesh links, this results in a very slow connection from end to end.

If your home is larger than 3,000 square feet: Consider a mesh-network system. Mesh networks are the best choice if you need to provide reliable Wi-FI coverage for a bigger house, or if you have dead zones in heavily trafficked rooms that are far from your main router.

A Mesh network is a better fit for larger homes than small living spaces like an apartment unit. This is because Mesh WiFi is designed to provide full-home coverage and can typically cover up to 2,000 to 5,500 square feet.

If a single router can handle 30 devices, then five nodes in a mesh system can take up to 150 devices.

Mesh WiFi systems are specifically designed to replace your existing router and work with mesh satellites. However, you can use mesh with your current router if you need to, but you won't get all the features that mesh has to offer.

Can I add a mesh system to my existing router? ›

You can add a mesh network to an existing router, but this is best done with dedicated mesh devices. Comparable results can be achieved with powerline adapters. The short answer is, “Yes, you can.”

For most mesh nodes, you should place the next node within 30-60 feet of the previous node so that it can receive a strong signal. You also want to avoid placing your nodes next to things that block radio waves, such as appliances, fish tanks, bookcases loaded with books, and other metal or high-density items.

One of the main disadvantages of mesh WiFi systems is that they are more expensive than WiFi extenders. This is because they replace both your router and any WiFi extenders, so you will have to purchase a package of 2 or more devices at once. And they also tend to be more expensive than traditional WiFi routers.

Where should you put your mesh router? Mesh routers and other Wi-Fi devices perform their best when they're located out in the open, and up off of the ground.

Benefits of Mesh WiFi

Traditional routers lack fast speeds and adequate range, which causes weak signals or dead spots within a home. A Mesh WiFi system can help overcome these obstacles by delivering reliable, fast, and secure WiFi throughout your home, backyard, and garage.

Mesh WiFi systems are specifically designed to replace your existing router and work with mesh satellites. However, you can use mesh with your current router if you need to, but you won't get all the features that mesh has to offer.

Maximum number of Wifi routers or points

We recommend a maximum of 5 Wifi devices in a single network. Adding more might be detrimental to Wi-Fi performance. The Google Home app supports only one primary Wi-Fi network per home, but you can create up to 5 homes with a single Wi-Fi network in each.

Unless multiple people in your home are using a lot of bandwidth in various parts of your home all at the same time, a mesh network may be overkill. If you want to make sure your laptop can connect to the Internet anywhere inside your home, purchasing a mesh network might be more than you need.

Depending on the Deco Mesh WiFi system you choose, you can connect up to 200 smart home, gaming, and streaming devices.