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Title: The best mesh Wi-Fi systems of 2025

Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:01:26 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/best-mesh-wifi-syste...

A Wi-Fi mesh system is one of the best upgrades you can make to improve your
homeΓÇÖs internet coverage, especially if youΓÇÖve ever struggled with dead
zones, buffering or dropped video calls. Unlike a single router that
broadcasts from one central point, a mesh system uses multiple access points
spread throughout your space to blanket your entire home with a strong,
seamless Wi-Fi signal. Whether you're working on multiple laptops, streaming
4K video in the living room or gaming online in the basement, a mesh setup
helps ensure you get reliable Wi-Fi wherever you are.

These systems are designed to handle the demands of modern households,
offering features like dual-band or even tri-band connectivity to balance
your bandwidth across devices, and automatic updates to keep your firmware
current. Many also support high-speed internet plans and include options for
a wired connection if you need extra stability for gaming or work. With easy
setup, smart app controls and long-term future-proofing, the best mesh Wi-Fi
router systems can eliminate the need for clunky Wi-Fi extenders and give you
fast, dependable Wi-Fi connections across your whole home.

Table of contents

Best mesh Wi-Fi systems for 2025

What to look for in a mesh Wi-Fi system

Other mesh Wi-Fi router systems we tested

How we test Wi-Fi routers

Mesh Wi-Fi system FAQs

Best mesh Wi-Fi systems for 2025

What to look for in a mesh Wi-Fi system

LinksysΓÇÖ CEO Jonathan Bettino told Engadget why mesh systems are an
ΓÇ£advancement in Wi-Fi technologyΓÇ¥ over buying a single point router. With
one transmitter, the signal can degrade the further away from the router you
go, or the local environment isnΓÇÖt ideal. ΓÇ£You can have a small [home],
but thereΓÇÖs thick walls [...] or things in the way that just interfere with
your wireless signal,ΓÇ¥ he said.

Historically, the solution to a homeΓÇÖs Wi-Fi dead zone was to buy a Wi-Fi
extender but Bettino said the hardware has both a ΓÇ£terrible user
experienceΓÇ¥ and one of the highest return rates of any consumer electronics
product. Mesh Wi-Fi, by comparison, offers ΓÇ£multiple nodes that can be
placed anywhere in your home,ΓÇ¥ says Bettino, resulting in ΓÇ£ubiquitous Wi-
FiΓÇ¥ that feels as if you have a ΓÇ£router in every room.ΓÇ¥

Rather than having one main router in your home, having a ΓÇ£router in every
roomΓÇ¥ is the biggest selling point for mesh Wi-Fi given how reliant we all
are on the internet. Each node is in constant contact with each other,
broadcasting a single, seamless network to all of your connected devices.
ThereΓÇÖs no separate network for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, just a single
name that you connect to.

ItΓÇÖs a good time to buy a mesh Wi-Fi system since the latest standard, Wi-
Fi 6E, represents a big leap in the technology. Matt MacPherson, Cisco's
Chief Technology Officer for Wireless, said Wi-Fi 6E is a big ΓÇ£inflection
point,ΓÇ¥ using much more of the wireless spectrum than its predecessors.
ΓÇ£If youΓÇÖre using that spectrum with a Wi-Fi 6 [device],ΓÇ¥ he said,
ΓÇ£youΓÇÖre going to get significant gains [in speed.]ΓÇ¥

MacPherson added Wi-Fi 6E will likely ΓÇ£carry you for a long timeΓÇ¥ thanks
to the fact its ΓÇ£top throughputs now typically exceed what people can
actually connect their home to.ΓÇ¥ In short, with a top theoretical per-
stream speed of 1.2 Gbps, Wi-Fi 6E is fast enough to outrun all but the
fastest internet service.

What do all these Wi-Fi numbers and letters mean?

IΓÇÖm sorry folks, we need to get boringly technical for one paragraph, but I
promise you itΓÇÖs worth it.

Wi-Fi is governed by International Standard IEEE 802.11, and every few years
a letter gets added onto that name when the technology evolves and improves.
Until 2019, routers were sold under their IEEE name, leaving users to pick
through the word soup of a product labeled 802.11 b/g/a/n/ac and so on.

Mercifully, wiser heads opted to rebrand the letters as numbers, so rather
than 802.11 b/g/a/n/ac, we have Wi-Fi 1, 2, 3 4 and 5. Right now, weΓÇÖre in
the middle of one of those Wi-Fi generations, with most of the gear on sale
right now supporting either Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E.

WhatΓÇÖs the difference between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi uses chunks of the radio frequency spectrum, with Wi-Fi 6 using the
2.4GHz and 5GHz bands to pump data around. In fact, back in the old days, it
was likely your home router would offer you the choice of the 2.4GHz or the
5GHz network, as separate bands to access. These days, all of the spectrums
are tied together as one thing, and Wi-Fi 6E has the added ability to use the
6GHz band as well. ThatΓÇÖs a big chunk of extra wireless real estate that
isnΓÇÖt as cluttered up as the 2.4 and 5GHz bands.

YouΓÇÖre going to talk about wireless frequencies now, arenΓÇÖt you.

Each Wi-Fi band had tradeoffs, because the slower radio frequencies have
greater range but less speed. 2.4GHz signals will travel a long way in your
home but arenΓÇÖt quick, while 6GHz is blisteringly fast but can be defeated
by a sturdy brick wall. A lot of Wi-Fi-enabled gear you own, like smart home
products, only use the 2.4GHz band because the range is better and itΓÇÖs a
lot cheaper. But it means that the band is also overcrowded and slow, making
it great for your doorbell and robovac, but lackluster for Twitch streaming.

So, what am I looking for?

Right now, the market is full of mature Wi-Fi 6 and 6E devices, and most new
systems available to buy are capable of taking advantage of the faster speeds
they offer. This guide focuses on Wi-Fi 6E gear since itΓÇÖs what we think
itΓÇÖs more than enough to satisfy almost everyoneΓÇÖs at-home Wi-Fi needs.

What about Wi-Fi 7?

WeΓÇÖre now seeing the first generation of Wi-Fi 7 devices available to buy,
but we donΓÇÖt recommend you do so immediately. The Wi-Fi 7 standard is still
so new that thereΓÇÖs little to no reason for you to rush out and buy one for
your home. The hardware is tremendously expensive and while Wi-Fi 7 will,
eventually, offer some great benefits over 6E, itΓÇÖs not as transformative
an upgrade as 6E. Not to mention, Wi-Fi 7 is so new that almost none of your
homeΓÇÖs devices will be able to take advantage of its big-ticket features.
IΓÇÖd estimate you wonΓÇÖt need to worry about upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 for at
least five years, if not longer.

Range and speed

All Wi-Fi routers boast a theoretical broadcast range and a theoretical top
speed, and in some cases external antennas to boost signal directionality ΓÇö
but these figures donΓÇÖt mean much. After all, manufacturers canΓÇÖt control
your ISPΓÇÖs real speed, the materials and layout of your home or where you
put your Wi-Fi gear. Raw speed isnΓÇÖt everything, either, and you likely
need a lot less than the internet speeds your provider is advertising. What
matters more is how consistent your connection is between rooms and across
devices.. After all, Netflix needs just 15 Mbps to push a single 4K video
stream to your home. As cool as it is to say youΓÇÖve got all these hundreds
of Mbps, factors like latency and reliability are far more crucial to a happy
internet life. And unless you have Gigabit internet that can reach speeds of
up to 1 Gbps, you wonΓÇÖt need a mesh router that offers that spec.

Backhaul

Mesh Wi-Fi systems work by connecting every hardware node to a single
wireless network, letting them all communicate with each other. Imagine four
people in a busy, noisy restaurant all trying to order their dinner from a
weary staff member, all at once. Now imagine, while this is going on, that
four more people at that same table are also trying to tell a funny anecdote.
ItΓÇÖs no surprise that it might take a long time for the right information
to reach its intended destination.

To combat this, higher-end mesh routers offer dedicated wireless backhaul; a
slice of the spectrum for node-to-node communication. So rather than everyone
talking at once in the same space, the conversations are essentially
separated, reducing the invisible clutter in the air. Because thereΓÇÖs less
confusing cross-chatter, everything moves faster, offering a significant
performance boost to those systems.

Connectivity

These days, even your washing machine can have a wireless connection, but
that doesnΓÇÖt mean you should ignore the joys of wired internet. No matter
how fast Wi-Fi is, a hard line will always be faster, and some gear, like
PhilipsΓÇÖ Hue bridge, still needs an ethernet connection. Plenty of routers
can also use these hard connections as backhaul, eliminating further wireless
clutter.

ItΓÇÖs convenient for spread-out systems and power users, but it will mean
running more wires through your home. The most common standard is Cat 5e, or
gigabit ethernet which, unsurprisingly, has a top speed of 1 Gigabit per
second (Gbps). Since Ethernet cables are backward compatible, you should be
able to easily find one that works with your system. However, to get the most
out of your mesh routers, itΓÇÖs worth investing in an Ethernet cable that
meets the standard your router uses ΓÇö if itΓÇÖs Cat 5e, use a Cat 5e cable.
You can check your routerΓÇÖs specs via the manufacturerΓÇÖs website to be
sure.

Flexibility and scalability

Mesh routers enable you to add (or subtract) modules from your home network
to suit your needs. D-LinkΓÇÖs Alan Jones said users should ΓÇ£check how
scalable the prospective product isΓÇ¥ before you buy. This sense of scale
doesnΓÇÖt just apply to the number of nodes on the network, but how many
simultaneous connections it can handle.

ItΓÇÖs also worth looking at ASUSΓÇÖ AiMesh products, which can combine mesh
Wi-Fi gear and its standard ΓÇ£spiderΓÇ¥ Wi-Fi routers. If youΓÇÖve got a
tricky part of your home, you can bolt on an ultra-power standalone Wi-Fi
router to a compatible mesh.

Placement

Mesh networks replace one big piece of hardware with a series of identical
nodes that you scatter around your home. You connect one to your modem
(usually over ethernet), and then scatter the rest around the place for the
best coverage. A good rule of thumb is to place each node no more than two
rooms away from the last one, rather than sticking them at the far ends of
your home.

Bear in mind, every physical obstacle between a Wi-Fi node, its siblings and
your devices will hurt your overall performance. You should aim to place
them, at the very least, at waist height on furniture in open air, without
too many obstructions. The reason many mesh Wi-Fi products are designed to
look like an inoffensive white doodad is so you donΓÇÖt feel compelled to
hide them behind your TV.

Other mesh Wi-Fi router systems we tested Amazon Eero Pro 7

Eero built its reputation on easy to use yet powerful mesh systems that offer
a lot of good in a relatively small and affordable package. Setup is
effortless, the app running things is clean and simple, and you get the added
benefit of backwards compatibility with older hardware. Sadly, the issue with
every Eero system is that so many basic management features, like parental
controls, are paywalled behind the companyΓÇÖs Eero Plus subscription for
$100 a year.

Amazon Eero 6E

Eero Pro 6E is an ΓÇ£easyΓÇ¥ device, the sort a total novice can set up on
their own and thrive with for years on end. ThereΓÇÖs little brainwork
required to get things set up, and the app has a clean UI with plenty of hand-
holding. But, as with the Eero Pro 7, the fact that so many basic management
tools are paywalled irks me, especially since you can get plenty of them for
free with GoogleΓÇÖs rival offering.

Netgear Orbi 960

The Orbi 96T0 (RBKE963) is NetgearΓÇÖs flagship mesh Wi-Fi product, which the
company calls the ΓÇ£worldΓÇÖs most powerful Wi-Fi 6E system.ΓÇ¥ ItΓÇÖs also
one of the most expensive consumer-level kits on the market, setting you back
$1,499.99 for a three pack. It's a fantastic piece of gear, but it's worth
saying that the subset of people who could, would or should buy it remains
far smaller than you might expect. Ultimately, I feel that if youΓÇÖre paying
luxury prices, you should expect a luxury product. There were plenty of times
during testing that I went looking for a feature that was either only
available via the web client, or behind a paywall. While, yes, much of your
cash is going to the superlative hardware, but for this sort of money, the
fact you have to pay extra for some table-stakes features is insulting. If
youΓÇÖre looking for a new Wi-Fi system and arenΓÇÖt prepared to spend almost
$1,500, itΓÇÖs worth considering our other top picks for the best Wi-Fi
routers and mesh systems.

How we test Wi-Fi routers

My home covers around 2,200 square feet across three stories with the office
on the third floor. ItΓÇÖs relatively long and thin, with the living room at
the front of the house, the kitchen at the back and the three bedrooms on the
first floor. Its age means there are a lot of solid brick walls, old-school
lathe and plaster as well as aluminum foil-backed insulation boards to help
with energy efficiency. There are two major Wi-Fi dead zones in the house:
The bathroom and the third bedroom behind it, since thereΓÇÖs lots of old and
new pipework in the walls and floors.

For mesh routers with two nodes, I place the first in my living room,
connected via ethernet to my cable modem with the second on the first floor
landing in the (ostensible) center of the house. For three-node sets, the
third goes in my kitchen, which IΓÇÖve found is the optimal layout to get the
bulk of my house covered in Wi-Fi. Fundamentally, my home poses enough
challenges that if it succeeds here, it stands a very good chance of
succeeding in your place.

Each mesh is judged on ease of setup, Wi-Fi coverage, reliability, speed and
any additional features that it advertises. I look at how user-friendly each
companion app is from the perspective of a novice rather than an expert given
you shouldnΓÇÖt need to be a network engineer to do this sort of thing. Tests
I do include checking for dead zones, moving from room to room to measure
consistency of connectivity and streaming multiple videos at once to
replicate common usage patterns.

Mesh Wi-Fi system FAQs

This is the section of our mesh Wi-Fi buyerΓÇÖs guide where we talk about the
stuff that most people just glide past. If youΓÇÖre not familiar with
technology, it can be intimidating if people talk about these things as if
youΓÇÖre expected to already know. So hereΓÇÖs a very simple, very basic
rundown of some of the stuff you might have missed in very basic terms.

WhatΓÇÖs the difference between a Wi-Fi router and a mesh router?

A Wi-Fi router is a box that usually sits close to wherever the internet
comes into your home and pumps out information over radio waves. A mesh
router, meanwhile, is a set of smaller devices, one of which sits next to
your internet connection while the rest are scattered around your home. A
single Wi-Fi router is great if your home is small, your needs arenΓÇÖt too
demanding, or if your home doesnΓÇÖt have many radio-blocking obstructions
that mean those signals canΓÇÖt reach every corner of your home. But, much
like standing next to a radio transmitter and then walking away from it in a
straight line, after a while, the signal will degrade.

ThatΓÇÖs the problem a mesh system is designed to solve, since it will take
the signal from your modem and pump to the other mesh devices, known as
nodes, in your home. That way, instead of having one big router in one part
of your home, you have several small ones that ensure you have good Wi-Fi
connectivity all over. It also helps ensure that thereΓÇÖs no risk of
dropping your connection as you move around ΓÇö a mesh router system makes it
easy to, for instance, walk from room to room watching Netflix and know you
wonΓÇÖt miss a single frame.

What's the difference between a Wi-Fi extender and a mesh system?

Oh boy. Wi-Fi extenders, or repeaters, are small devices designed to push Wi-
Fi a little further than your Wi-Fi router can stretch. TheyΓÇÖre cheap,
compact and often come in the form of little boxes that sit on your plug
sockets with the hope of pushing Wi-Fi to a signal-sparse corner of your
home. They are, and I canΓÇÖt put this delicately enough, often a big pile of
rubbish and are often not worth your time. Especially since the price of mesh
routers has fallen to within most peopleΓÇÖs budgets.

What is a wireless backhaul?

As we explained above, mesh Wi-Fi systems work by connecting every hardware
node to a single wireless network, letting them all communicate with each
other. Imagine four people in a busy, noisy restaurant all trying to order
their dinner from a weary staff member, all at once. Now imagine, while this
is going on, that four more people at that same table are also trying to tell
a funny anecdote. ItΓÇÖs no surprise that it might take a long time for the
right information to reach its intended destination.

To combat this, higher-end mesh routers offer dedicated wireless backhaul; a
slice of the spectrum for node-to-node communication. So rather than everyone
talking at once in the same space, the conversations are essentially
separated, reducing the invisible clutter in the air. Because thereΓÇÖs less
confusing cross-chatter, everything moves faster, offering a significant
performance boost to those systems.

Is it better to hard wire instead of using a mesh Wi-Fi system?

This is a great question that doesnΓÇÖt have a simple answer.

It is (almost) always preferable to connect devices with a wire, in this case
Ethernet, than to use Wi-Fi. The speeds are faster, itΓÇÖs more reliable and
your data is less vulnerable to the slings and arrows of the laws of physics.
Hell, I spent about a year trying to work out how to build an iPhone to
Ethernet connector back in the bad old days of Wi-Fi.

But your ability to do so depends on your level of DIY skills and / or how
much money you want to spend on contractors. Wiring your home for Ethernet if
you donΓÇÖt have the infrastructure already can be a costly and time-
consuming process. Particularly if you donΓÇÖt want ugly wires running along
your baseboards and under your carpets or across your hardwood floors.

If youΓÇÖre building your own home or can do some serious DIY, then hard
wiring is a fantastic thing to have. It goes wonderfully hand-in-glove with
mesh networks too, since youΓÇÖll be able to hook up your nodes to the
network for even better speeds.

But if IΓÇÖm honest, advances in Wi-Fi technology mean IΓÇÖd only go for hard
wiring if I really believed I needed the sort of speed it offers. Unless
youΓÇÖre a Twitch streamer running your own 24/7 content studio, itΓÇÖs
probably overkill.

When we started renovating our 140-year-old home, I had Ethernet installed in
the living room, the master and second bedroom and in my office, all at the
front of the house. I canΓÇÖt use it for my mesh since IΓÇÖd need to put the
wiring through the middle of the house. If I ever had the wiring done again,
I would do so as I know IΓÇÖll instantly see a meaningful improvement in both
my connection speed and reliability. But I wouldnΓÇÖt spend several thousand
pounds to have it done just for the sake of it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-
mesh-wifi-system-130028701.html?src=rss

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