Are you over the WiFi dead zones in your home? It’s like the digital yellow spot on your wireless internet lawn that won’t seem to turn green no matter how much you water it. Though they’re an easy target to blame, the cause of the dead zone might not be your router’s fault. Bigger homes and old apartments with brick, steel, plaster and other impeding structural features, could very well be the cause of your dwindling WiFi signal. But you aren’t going to move because the WiFi signal in your home is lackluster. Luckily, there is a solution; the best mesh WiFi routers can replenish that yellow spot in your digital yard with glorious vibrant, green, full-strength WiFi grass from end to shining end.
Ok, enough yard talk. So, what is a mesh WiFi router? The best way to think of it is to compare it to a multi-speaker system in your home. The device playing music, such as your phone, tablet or computer, is like the router, while the speakers that are evenly spreading music throughout your home are the nodes in a mesh router system. Except the WiFi signal jumps from one node to another, helping spread a strong signal across your home. This helps the node farthest from the main router to spread strong WiFi throughout the house.
And don’t worry about complicated installations — mesh WiFi systems were created with the user in mind. Most of them have phone apps to help walk you through the setup. They will even tell you where to place each node in your home for maximum WiFi coverage. You don’t have to be a tech savant to get a great WiFi signal throughout your home. Most of them look fairly sleek, too, so you don’t have to worry about hiding them throughout your home like easter eggs.
Related Stories
Below are some of the best mesh WiFi systems we found to get you the best signal coverage throughout your home.
1. Asus ZenWiFi AX Mesh WiFi 6 System
BEST MESH WIFI ROUTER OVERALL
If you don’t mind paying a little extra for great coverage and speedy data speeds, the Asus ZenWiFi AX mesh router system is a great buy. Two nodes cover a huge 5,500 square foot home. Just one node blankets your home with 2,750 square feet worth of coverage. And that WiFi coverage includes WiFi 6, 802.11ax technology (the latest and fastest WiFi available), as well as WPA 3 encryption to protect your data. With maximum data rates of 574Mbps, it’s not quite as speedy as the Orbi RBK852 or Amazon Eero Pro 6, but it’s plenty for most homes.
For additional features, you get a lifetime subscription to Asus’s AiProtection Pro, which scans all of your data and protects against harmful attacks against your system. Through this service, you also have access to comprehensive parental controls that allows you to not only grant and deny access to specific websites but also see individual online usage rates. This is a comprehensive mesh router system making it worth the hefty price tag.
2. Linksys Velop AX4200 Mesh WiFi 6 System
RUNNER UP
We were able to get our hands on the Linksys Velop and we were deeply impressed with this the ease of use and relative affordability for a tri-band, WiFi 6 router. Furthermore, each node contains multiple ethernet ports and a USB port, giving you plenty of option when it comes to network connectivity around the house. The setup process is simple and ahould take less than 30 minutes. There’s also a companion smartphone app which has a handful of WiFi features including bandwidth prioritization and some parental controls, although, it’s not an extensive list of parental features.
But the true bread and butter lies in the performance, and the Velop 4200 doesn’t disappoint. The signal strength provided by the Linksys Velop rivals the Netgear Orbi RBK50 wireless router able to eliminate deadspots and, when paired with a gigabit connection, deliver top speeds. Large homes with funky layouts need a strong mesh router system to provide a signal hard to reach places, and this one does exactly that: each node can cover 2,700 square feet. 92% of Amazon users gave this a four or five-star rating, praising its reliability. So, if your big house has dead spots throughout, this is one of the best mesh WIFi options you can find.
3. Netgear Orbi RBK752 Mesh WiFi 6 System
BEST VALUE
Netgear’s Orbi mesh WiFi routers offer some of the best performance you can find when it comes to signal strength, coverage, throughput and ease of use. But that often comes at a price, especially if you’re talking their WiFi 6 product. The Netgear Orbi RBK 752, however, offers the best of both worlds, delivering serious bang for the buck compared to the best mesh Wifi 6 systems. Easily capable of covering 5,500 square feet and delivering near-gigabit speeds over WiFi, Orbi products are also great for its software interface, which lets you control security preferences, QoS settings and other network management features, such as parental controls. As long as you aren’t in search of multi-gig throughput over WiFi (which very few of us are at this point), and aren’t interested in fine tuning every last WiFi setting, this is a great mesh WiFi option whose combination of price and performance can’t be beat.
TP-Link Deco X20 Mesh WiFi 6 System
BEST BUDGET WIFI 6 OPTION
TP Link has always made quality networking gear, but in the last few years, it has reached the level of Asus, Linksys and Netgear when it comes to delivering products that not only perform well, but are easy to use and have an attractive design. It’s most recent mesh WiFi router, the Deco X20, is one of the best budget options around, providing enough throughput and coverage for the average household, while still offering a reliable and easy-to-use experience that has set TP-Link products apart from the pack. While the AX1800 throughput and 4,000 square feet of coverage may not compete with our top picks, the fact remains that you won’t find a better mesh WiFi 6 system for less than $200.
5. Amazon Eero Pro 6 Mesh WiFi System
BEST OVERALL
Joining the WiFi 6 technology party is the Eero Pro 6, which now has faster speeds and more coverage than its predecessor. One Eero 6 covers a 2,000 square foot home with WiFi coverage, which is better than most. The system uses machine learning to prioritize where you use the most WiFi. This reduces drop-offs when you’re gaming, streaming, or video conferencing. And with up to one gigabit of data speeds, you’re not only getting great coverage, but also some of the fastest.
Thanks to the built-in Zigbee smart home hub, you can easily connect the Eero to an Alexa-enabled device, and control connected devices with your voice. Plus, you can connect up to 75 different devices to this mesh WiFi system. This is about as good as it gets when it comes to home wifi mesh routers.
3. Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 RBK852 Mesh WiFi 6 System
BEST MESH WIFI 6 PERFORMANCE
When your household uses a lot of WiFi and needs the strongest WiFi available, it’s worth shelling out the $700 or so for the Netgear Obri RBK852 system. Equipped with the latest WiFi 6 technology, it has lightning-fast data rates that cover 5,000 square feet and WPA3 encryption keeping all of that data safe. If you place a node in your office, you can connect the Internet straight into your computer thanks to multiple LAN ports on the back of each node.
Even though this mesh WiFi router system produces great speeds, it does lack some additional features like usage prioritization, virus protection and parental controls, although there are workarounds to block unwanted websites using the Netgear web console. That being said, it is still one of the most powerful and easy-to-set-up systems, making it one of the best mesh wifi routers available.
4. Google Nest Mesh WiFi System
MOST STYLISH
The Google Nest router and nodes have soft, rounded edges and look more like living room decor than Internet routers. This makes them easy to place without worrying about having a tech eyesore in your home. As far as performance goes, the router plus one node covers about 3,800 square feet. Adding another covers 5,400 square feet. The data rates reach 400mbps with this system, which is good for most households, but power users and serious gamers might opt for something more speedy like the Orbi RBK852, which ramps up the maximum data rates to 1,200mbps.
Google ups the ante by including Google Assistant voice technology with the system. Every node placed throughout the home becomes a central hub to quickly access connected devices. You can turn your lights on and off, turn the volume up on your speakers, and control other connected devices all with your voice. The app is equally as easy to navigate and control. Here, you’ll be able to set WiFi schedules and parental controls for any kids in the home. It’s not the most powerful router, but it looks great and comes with a ton of extra features at a good price.
6. Netgear Orbi RBK50 Mesh WiFi System
ALSO GREAT
If you are looking for great internet coverage, and a simple installation process, this is the mesh router that you want in your home. The Netgear Obri RBK50 has been tested to successfully spread WiFi throughout a 5,000-square-foot home. The installation is as simple as putting the base where your internet connection is and then putting the other in the middle of your home. That’s literally all you have to do. The two-unit configuration does better at spreading a strong WiFi signal than most mesh routers do with three units.
And if you live in a gigantic household, it works just as well. The Netgear Orbi is easily expandable. You can add another node to the system and configure the system just as easy as the two-node setup. On the back of the hub, you’ll find four ethernet inputs and a USB 2.0 port. This will make anyone with a slightly more complicated home network happy to find an influx of Ethernet ports on the back. Most mesh WiFi routers feature only one. Amazon user reviews suggest overall great experiences with the router. Only a small percentage have experienced disconnecting issues, but 81% of the four to five-star reviews suggest that this is a great buy.
7. Google WiFi
BEST FOR SMALLER HOMES
Google’s mesh WiFi system is one of the most sought after mesh systems around. If your apartment or townhouse is experiencing dead spots in internet coverage, you can opt for the single unit Google router which will only run you about $100. If you need a little more juice, the three-pack provides excellent coverage for small to medium sizes places. The setup isn’t as simple as the Netgear Orbi RBK50, but it’s close. Using the free mobile app, you will need to scan the QR codes on the bottom of the router, and any additional nodes to help the system configure. Then you can name the individual nodes. The app also allows you to see who is connected to the internet and where. You can grant and deny access to anyone in your network. So, if little Timmy has been marathoning too much Netflix, you can take control of his access.
You can also prioritize internet access throughout the system. So, if you need a little more WiFi speed while you game, you can prioritize the node that is closest to you. It won’t provide you as great a WiFi performance as the Netgear Orbi, but it’s a great internet solution, especially if you like having all of your components within the Google ecosystem.
8. TP-Link Deco
BEST VALUE
The TP-Link Deco two-piece system doesn’t provide the throughput speeds like Google WiFi or the Netgear Orbi RBK50, but the single, double and triple-node system are more inexpensive than the former, so you can get good WiFi coverage in your home, without forking over too much cash. Like the previously mentioned devices, the installation is simple, so even the least tech-savvy person can get these functioning fairly quickly. You will need to download the accompanying app and register for an account, but the installation is still simple.
The app provides network security options including who is on the network, as well as parental controls to help you keep an eye on what your kids are viewing. Each node has two Ethernet ports, providing extra connectivity for those who are looking for a wired connection close to a node. The performance in really big houses just isn’t great with this system though, even with the three-node unit. For more speed and efficient coverage, you’ll want to look at the Linksys Velop .
10. Eero Pro Mesh WiFi System
BEST FEATURES
There is a ton to like about this nifty mesh router system. From the sleek design to the intuitive app, it’s a smart choice, especially when you consider all of the features. The hub is a bit bigger and more rectangular than the nodes (or beacons as the company addresses them). The hub has two Ethernet ports, while the nodes are strictly wireless. The satellites plug directly into the wall and have a nightlight that can be controlled with the phone app, which is a neat little feature.
The app is about as intuitive as any on this list. The internet pause feature makes it easy to simply “shut off” the internet come dinner time, or you can program the app to schedule an internet pause for a specific time of day. For an additional cost, you can buy additional parental control features, but we feel what’s on the app is enough for most users. Even without all the nifty features, it is a solid WiFi mesh router system. It works well in both smaller and bigger houses, and it is expandable, so you can add other nodes to the system as you need. It doesn’t boast as much signal strength as Netgear or Linksys systems, but for the combination of all the things you get — a sleek-looking system, nodes that plug into the wall, a great application — it’s a solid mesh WiFi system.
Want a Reliable Computer? Here's Why Reviewers Are Down With Dell