What is a WiFi Mesh? Our Guide to Unbeatable Home Fibre Coverage

Whether you're working from home, streaming your favourite shows, or gaming online, having gaps in your Wi-Fi coverage is the worst. Some routers will inevitably struggle, especially if you have a large home, thick walls or multiple floors. But there is a solution beyond reorganising your home to fit where your Wi-Fi works best. Mesh Wi-Fi systems are a great internet booster for home Wi-Fi. But what is mesh Wi-Fi? How does it work? And will it really improve Wi-Fi connection?

What is Mesh Wi-Fi?

A Mesh Wi-Fi is a system designed to provide blanket Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home, ensuring there are no black spots and giving you a seamless home mesh Wi-Fi connection. Where traditional routers rely on a single device to send signals, a mesh system for Wi-Fi uses multiple nodes, or units, that work together to create a network. A mesh system for Wi-Fi ensures your Wi-Fi signal is strong and consistent, regardless of where you are in your home.

How Does a Mesh Wi-Fi Work?

A Mesh Wi-Fi system is one the best Wi-Fi network extender solutions for your home. They typically consist of a main router which connects to your modem and then a series of satellite modules or nodes which you place around your home. These nodes communicate with each other to form a single, cohesive network to improve Wi-Fi.

Benefits of a Mesh Wi-Fi System

Improved Coverage

The main reason for choosing a mesh Wi-Fi system is to improve Wi-Fi connection throughout your home. Normal routers may struggle to reach every corner of your home especially if the signal has to cover a large area. A mesh system for Wi-Fi eliminates black spots in your home by using multiple nodes to distribute the signal evenly.

Enhanced Reliability

With a Mesh Wi-Fi system, you don’t have to worry about losing connection if you move from room to room. You can roam your entire home and the nodes will work together to ensure your devices are always connected to the best possible signal, reducing dropouts or buffering, and maintaining a reliable connection. If you’ve got a lot of smart devices, this will really help to ensure that they’re always up and running when you need them to be; no awkwardness trying to reconnect your wireless speakers or being disconnected mid-call as your phone switches between network coverage and Wi-Fi.

Easy to Expand

Whenever you might need it, adding more nodes to a Mesh Wi-Fi system is simple to ensure complete coverage. This scalability makes it an excellent choice for growing households or those with complex layouts.

Simplified Management

Most Mesh Wi-Fi systems come with user-friendly apps that make it easy to manage your network. These allow you to see which devices are connected, run speed tests, or even set up guest networks, so you can be assured your Wi-Fi is always running at its best.

How to Boost Wi-Fi Signal with a Mesh System

If you’re struggling with weak Wi-Fi signals in certain areas of your home, a Mesh Wi-Fi system is one of the best options for a Wi-Fi signal improver. Here’s how to boost Wi-Fi signal and get the most out of your mesh system:

Strategic Placement

The placement of your nodes is important to get the best home mesh Wi-Fi system. Place the main router in a central location and position the satellite nodes in areas where the signal is weak. To maintain a strong connection, make sure each node is within range of one another.

Minimise Interference

Electronic devices, walls, and even certain types of furniture can interfere with Wi-Fi signals. To avoid this, try to place your nodes in open spaces and away from any potential sources of interference, such as microwaves and cordless phones.

Regular Updates

Keep your mesh system’s firmware up to date to ensure you have the latest features and security improvements. Most systems will automatically update, but it’s still good to check periodically.

Use Quality of Service (QoS) Settings

Many Mesh Wi-Fi systems offer Quality of Service (QoS) settings that allow you to prioritise certain types of traffic. For example, you can prioritize video calls or gaming to improve Wi-Fi in a specific area of the house.

Choosing the Best Home Mesh Wi-Fi System

When selecting the best home mesh Wi-Fi system, there are several factors to consider. Most important, is to make sure the system can cover your entire home; most manufacturers provide guidelines on the coverage area. Consider your internet speed requirements and choose a mesh system that can handle your high-speed internet plan. At Hey!Broadband, we’ve specially selected the Linksys mesh Wi-Fi to work in tandem with our supplied routers so if your home needs a helping hand, we’ve got the solution for you.

The number of nodes needed will depend on your home's size and layout, with larger or multi-floor homes requiring more nodes for complete coverage. Look for features like parental controls, guest networks, and device prioritisation, which can enhance your experience and provide greater control over your network.

Whatever your requirements, home mesh Wi-Fi can help to extend your high-speed fibre broadband connection to all parts your home so everyone in your home is free to enjoy uninterrupted streaming, gaming or calls.