Mesh Network vs Range Extender: Which Is Best?

Mesh Network vs Range Extender:

If there are dead zones in your house, then you need a wireless repeater, so that your router's signal can reach those dead zones. The main job of wireless repeaters in to extend the signal to the areas which are beyond your router's area of operation.

Another option that you are available with is to install a mesh network. For this, you need to keep router-like devices in various rooms for serving Wi-Fi in your entire house. 

Wireless Repeater vs. the Mesh Network

It is easier to increase the range of network in your house using a wireless repeater. For this, all you are required to do is to attach the wireless extender to your present network and increase the Wi-Fi signal to extend the range. 

This approach is extremely useful if your house is not huge. Moreover, using wireless extenders is cheaper in comparison to mesh Wi-Fi systems such as Asus AiMesh and Google Wi-Fi. Moreover, you can still use the router that you are presently using. 

Nevertheless, there are a few disadvantages. Setting up a range extender is not easy and they are not seamless like the Mesh network. 

When you use a Mesh network, there are different hubs located around the house, which communicate with one another and provide complete coverage in the range of every hub. These Mesh devices are extremely useful as you only need to buy a few at once. Plus, you will receive complete Wi-Fi coverage in your house if the hubs are close to one another. 

So, if you have a huge house, then the mesh network is the perfect choice for you. They are easy to set up and have central management. These hubs are more like separate routers instead of just repeating the signal. 

However, there is a downside. Mesh Networks are a lot more expensive in comparison to wireless repeaters as you need many devices around the house. 

Check Where the Wi-Fi Signal is Dropping? 

Determining the size of the building is an important step as it helps you decide which device you should buy. In case you are not getting a reliable network connection at a particular spot in your house and moving the router is not possible. Then, in such a case, you must first determine where the signal is dropping or is not as strong as you want it to be.  

If you rarely get a signal and most of the time the signal drops, then placing a wireless repeater between that space and your router can help you get the signal in the dead areas. In case you find that the signal is not strong enough in the dead areas of your house. Therefore, in this case, you don't need Mesh devices. 

In case you find that the signal is weak in the area that is close to the router and the rest of the house is not getting any Wi-Fi signal, then placing a repeater won't solve your problem. Therefore, you need a mesh network in such cases. 

Which One is Easier to Use and Manage? 

The Mesh Wi-Fi network is very easy to set up. You can easily set it us using a mobile app and bring all the hubs together. The hubs are programmed in such a manner that they work with one another. Therefore, you just need to turn them on and then set up network settings. The setup process is going to take around 15 minutes. 

Now, walk into your house and automatically connect to the one that is providing the best signal. Hence, there is only one network that is used by all the hubs simultaneously. As a lot of Mesh networks use centralized management, it is easier to create guest networks and block devices from connecting to the internet. 

On the other hand, range extenders are difficult to set up. These extender devices work with a router manufactured by a different manufacturer. Also, you need to connect these extender devices to the main router manually. Hence, the process of setting up an extender is a lot more complicated and time-consuming.