Blanketing your whole home with Wi-Fi signals is not always easy, especially when you live in a large house with many floors (and walls). If you only use one router and encounter Wi-Fi dead zones around your home, tried adding multiple network nodes and tired of complicated Wi-Fi set-up and management, or always lose connection while walking around your house, then you may want to consider getting a mesh Wi-Fi network.
What is mesh Wi-Fi network?
In a traditional home network, one router connects to the internet and broadcasts Wi-Fi signals, which usually cannot cover every corner of the house. Sometimes one or more network nodes (such as range extenders or powerline devices) may connect to the router to extend the Wi-Fi coverage. However, each device forms a separated network with different Wi-Fi settings. In a mesh Wi-Fi network, multiple network nodes work together to form a single, unified network that shares the same Wi-Fi settings. These include network name, password, access control settings, and more. This system provides your entire home with Wi-Fi coverage.
Compared with a traditional one-router network, a mesh Wi-Fi network uses multiple network nodes to cover every corner of your house. You can always get a stable connection, whether you’re in the basement, garage or yard. Compared with a traditional multi-node network, a mesh Wi-Fi network provides the following benefits:
Seamless roaming: Mesh devices share the same wireless network name and password, and support IEEE 802.11k/v to ensure a seamless roaming experience. Some mesh devices may also support IEEE 802.11r to further accelerate roaming. Your phone or tablet connects to the fastest mesh device as you move through your home. Switching from one mesh device to another is so smooth that it’s unnoticeable, even during streaming.
Speed and reliability: Working as a unified Wi-Fi system, a mesh network chooses the network node and band with the strongest signal for your data, guaranteeing a fast connection no matter where you are in your home. If one mesh device has an issue, the system will automatically reroute data via the other devices to make sure you stay online.
Easy set-up: Use the Deco app for configuring and managing your whole home Wi-Fi network. The Deco app can be installed on your smartphone (IOS and Android) and is user friendly, allowing you to change the settings with just a few touches, like changing SSID and passwords. It also offers parental control, which can be used to limit the kids’ usage of Wi-Fi at home.
TP-Link’s whole-home mesh Wi-Fi devices: Deco M9 Plus — AC2200 Smart Home Mesh Wi-Fi System — three pack delivers Wi-Fi to an area of up to 6,500 square feet. The Deco P9 — AC1200+AV1000 Whole-Home Hybrid Mesh Wi-Fi System, comes with a powerline, there are no distance limits and the three packs maximise the Wi-Fi range up to 6,000 square feet/560m2. The Deco M5 — AC1300 Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System — three-pack delivers Wi-Fi to an area of up to 5,500 square feet. The Deco M4 — AC1200 Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System — three-pack delivers Wi-Fi to an area of up to 4,000 square feet. Deco E4 — AC1200 Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System — three-pack delivers Wi-Fi to an area of up to 4,000 square feet. Deco E3 — AC1200 Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System — three-pack delivers Wi-Fi to an area of up to 4,000 square feet. Need more coverage? Simply add more Deco’s to the network anytime. It can handle traffic from even the busiest of networks, providing lag-free connections for over 100 devices.
