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Comparison of Mesh WiFi Systems
Wi-Fi everywhere!
What is Mesh WiFi and how does it work?
Mesh WiFi systems vs. signal amplifiers
Mesh network - application
Advantages of the Mesh System - a grid of interconnections
Mesh System Comparison
Summary

Comparison of Mesh WiFi systems

Comparison of WiFi mesh systems

Wi-Fi everywhere!

The popularity of smart home devices, mobile devices, multifunctional devices and countless services such as Netflix and Spotify have made wifi networking throughout the home a necessity. Unfortunately, many traditional wireless routers available on the market are not able to provide sufficient signal coverage for the whole house. There are many "white spots" and even signal amplifiers, commonly called repeaters, are not able to guarantee that the wifi coverage will be sufficient. You can also use Access Points, but they usually emit different SSIDs, which means that you have to manually log on to a different network to when you move from one place to another. In such a situation WiFi Mesh System comes to our aid!

What is Mesh WiFi and how does it work?

A mesh system usually consists of three (or more) devices connected together - the main router and several satellites. All elements are connected with each other by wireless means and therefore we can place each element in any place in our house. Of course we do all that without the need to connect individual elements of the mesh network with each other.

Mesh WiFi systems vs. signal amplifiers

Unlike signal amplifiers that communicate directly with the main router in the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, mesh topology elements talk to both the main router and each other. Each node works as a jump point (hop) for the other nodes of the mesh system, so the nodes farthest from the main router are still able to provide a strong WiFi signal. The fact that there is more than just point-to-point communication with the main router is what makes this system so successful.

Mesh network - application

The Mesh WiFi system is ideal for places where you want to cover a very large area with WiFi coverage, like a large detached house or apartment, and a traditional router is not enough. It will also work well in offices and company buildings. In short, the wifi mesh topology will do well in any place where there are so-called white spots, places where there is no WiFi coverage.

Advantages of the Mesh System - a grid of interconnections

The mesh system is a very modern, reliable and convenient solution, which enables trouble-free use of the Internet in the whole home network. It is worth knowing what advantages a network based on mesh topology has.

Better coverage at home or in the company - a great advantage of devices working in wifi mesh topology is that they can be placed in virtually any place in our home. Thanks to that we have range in all rooms and can comfortably use the Internet.
Lossless signal transmission - individual nodes of the mesh system communicate both with the main router and with each other. The user moving around the house or apartment is automatically switched between the individual nodes and thus always has a good signal.
Stable operation - another advantage of mesh topology is stability. Nodes communicate with each other and not just with the main router. Therefore, if one element of the network fails our wireless network still works properly.
Plug & Play Installation - the devices are ready to use right out of the box. What's more! They already have the appropriate mode of operation set by default. All this means that no specialist knowledge is required from the user to configure the mesh system. The devices are of the Plug&Play type -> they work right out of the box.

Scalability and easy expansion - this is undoubtedly the greatest advantage of any mesh system! At any time and in any place we can add another node to extend the range of our wireless network. All of this is done without having to configure anything.

Mesh System Comparison

I have chosen those products that I think deserve the most attention from among many mesh systems available on the market. Below you will find specifications and most important features of the selected products. I think that everyone should get familiar with a product before buying it.

Extralink Dynamite Wi-Fi Mesh System (3-pack)

802.11ac AC2100 wave2
4x4 MU-MIMO
Chipset: MT7621A+MT7615N+MT7603E
Antennas: 4x3dBi 5GHz + 2x3dBi 2,4GHz
Flash memory: 128MB
SDRAM: 1Gb
TouchLink - guest network management
USB: Samba Sharing
MeshGO application!
Coverage: up to 1000m² (3-pack)

Tp-Link Deco M5 (3-pack)

802.11ac AC1200 wave2
2x2 MU-MIMO
Chipset: Qualcomm IPQ4019
Antennas: 2x3dBi 5GHz + 2x3dBi 2.4GHz
Flash memory: 32MB
SDRAM: 256MB
Deco Application
Coverage: up to 500m² (3-pack)

Tenda Nova MW6 (3-pack)

802.11ac AC1200 wave2
2x2 MU-MIMO
Chipset: RTL8197FS + RTL8812BR
Antennas: 2x3dBi 5GHz + 2x3dBi 2.4GHz
Flash memory: 16MB
SDRAM: 128MB
Application Tenda WiFi
Coverage: up to 500m² (3-pack)

Asus Lyra Trio Mesh WiFi (3-pack)

802.11ac AC2100 wave2
2x2 MU-MIMO
Antennas: 2x3dBi 5GHz + 2x3dBi 2.4GHz
Chipset: Qualcomm IPQ4019 + QCA9886
Flash memory: 128MB
SDRAM: 256MB
Application: Android, iOS
Coverage: up to 500m²

D-Link Mesh WiFi COVR-C1203 (3-pack)

802.11ac AC1200 wave2
2x2 MU-MIMO
Antennas: 2x3dBi 5GHZ + 2x3dBi 2.4GHz
Chipset: Atheros QCA9563 + QCA9886
Flash memory: 16MB
SDRAM: 128MB
Application: Android, iOS
Coverage: up to 500m²

Summary

When looking for a suitable mesh system for our home we should take several aspects into account. I think that not only the design is important, although the appearance of the device also plays an important role. First of all, we should pay attention to the hardware capabilities such as coverage, supported WiFi standards, MU-MIMO technologies and thus wireless transmission speed. Equally important are the chipset, Flash memory, RAM memory and the ability to use a mobile application. To sum up the systems working in the mesh network described above, we can safely say that Extralink DYNAMITE Mesh System stands out significantly from the competition. It is the only one that supports 4x4 MU-MIMO technology and has a considerable amount of Flash memory and RAM (up to 1Gb!). Additionally, Extralink DYNAMITE has been equipped with a Mediatek chipset, thanks to which the whole system works very efficiently and, what is most important, provides very large coverage, up to 1000m². The price is also important! Choose the device that has the best price/quality ratio. In order to get acquainted with the prices of individual sets, I invite you to contact our traders. Your opinions on these products are also invaluable! You can share your impressions, opinions and remarks with other users on our FORUM.

Author: Leszek Błaszczyk

Call us at (+48) 34 361 04 48 or write to [email protected]

Products from the article

Extralink Dynamite | Mesh System 3in1 | AC2100, MU-MIMO, Home WiFi Mesh System

214,42 GBP

with VAT

TP-Link Deco M5 3-Pack | WiFi Router | MU-MIMO, AC1300, Dual Band, Mesh, 2x RJ45 1000Mb/s

188,46 GBP