Bratton McGregor was tired of dealing with a bad WiFi connection.
He is a small business owner and lives outside of Mobile, Alabama. I just wanted to watch Netflix and occasionally play a video game on the family iPad. But he couldn’t do it until he switched to a mesh router.
“Mesh has been the salvation for my whole house,” he said in a recent interview. “If I had known, I would have spent the money on that years ago.”
This technology, which is still relatively new, uses multiple routing units (often sold in packs of three) that work together wirelessly to spread the WiFi deeper and more widely. more uniform throughout the home compared to a traditional single unit router.
The base station connects directly to the modem that connects your home to the Internet. The other units, called satellites or beacons, can be moved around until a configuration is found that eliminates dead spots , for example in the bedroom or home office .
You can always add more satellites as needed.
“Mesh is very close to being the magic bullet,” says Richard Fisco, which oversees electronics testing for Consumer Reports.
When testing mesh routers, we measured performance (or the speed at which data travels) at three distances (close range, medium and far) to simulate a typical home environment.
Near range is router speed at 8 feet and mid range is 28 feet. The far range figure is an average of the speed at 44 and 100 feet. Long distance tests are measured from outside our test house, simulating what it would be like to work on your laptop while sitting in your backyard.
Of course, all kinds of things can have an impact on the performance of your wireless router, from the materials used in the construction of your house (metal pipes and plaster can interfere with a WiFi signal) to the presence of large appliances or even a fish tank (water it is also an obstacle). But with well-placed mesh routing units, you can almost always direct the signal over or around those obstacles.
And while mesh routers have been shown to be significantly more expensive than their non-mesh counterparts (a high-scoring option in our ratings sells for $ 500), a variety of options can now be found smart for a price less than $ 250.
So if you’re tired of going Crazy because your Zoom calls keep dropping or The Adventures of Mando won’t load on your TV, these inexpensive mesh routers, sorted by price, may be the solution.
Netgear Orbi AC 1200
This pack of three (one base station and two satellite units) performed well in our tests, but does not score as well as other mesh routers in this overview when It is about speed over medium and far distances.
However, considering its low price, there are many positives you might like, such as a simple app-based setup, a single built-in Ethernet port (useful for connecting a device, such as a printer or a game console) and automatic firmware updates , which will protect you from hackers, malware and other security vulnerabilities.
The model supports WiFi 5, the WiFi standard that debuted in 2013. It was replaced in 2020 by WiFi 6 (which offers better performance as you add more devices connected to the network). Therefore, the Orbi AC 1200 does not have the latest technology, but it is still a good option even for the near future.
TP-Link Whole House Deco
This three-pack is very effective, with a simple configuration based on an application and six built-in Ethernet ports, allowing you to connect laptops, printers and other devices directly to the router network.
It is a WiFi 5 model that supports two frequency bands ( 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks), which helps improve your WiFi connection in high traffic areas such as apartment buildings.
However, the model does not support automatic update firmware, which means you should check with the manufacturer periodically for new security patches.
Eero Home WiFi (2nd Gen)
Eero, which is owned by Amazon, helped popularize the very concept of networks mesh. And although the manufacturer creates more powerful models (see the PRO ), this is a good option for most consumers.
We tested the previous generation model, not the one introduced in November 2013, and it offers fast signal speeds, convenient setup application-based, automatic firmware updates, two built-in Ethernet ports, and support for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks using WiFi 5. Newer Eero models support WiFi 6.
Why should you go for the more expensive Eero models? They can provide faster speeds in larger homes.
Netgear Nighthawk AX 1800
This three-unit package performed well in all three benchmarks, making it a great choice for consumers who need fast, reliable speed in a home. big. It has many of the useful features you would expect to see in a top-notch router, such as configuration via an app, automatic firmware update, and support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks.
It also supports the WiFi 6 standard. This is somewhat rare among mesh routers in our ratings, so you are preparing for the future.
WiFi 6 is designed for people who have a large number of devices (smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart speakers, etc.) connected to their home WiFi networks.
However, our testers noted that the This model does not have built-in USB ports, which means that you will not be able to connect a printer, game console, or external hard drive.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier worl d. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with the advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent nonprofit organization that works with consumers to create a just, safe, and healthy world. CR does not endorse products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.