What is mesh WiFi?
Mesh WiFi utilises multiple WiFi access points to create a combined and seamless Wireless Local Area Network. This method overcomes WiFi dead zones and removes the need to disconnect from one access point before connecting to another when the device moves around your property. Also known as whole home WiFi, mesh WiFi was previously restricted to business and enterprise customers due to the cost of equipment and the difficulty to configure, but this has all changed with a whole range of consumer tier mesh WiFi products now being available.
DO I NEED MESH WIFI?
Traditionally, users accessed the internet with a desktop computer or laptop which would usually remain in a fixed location. When using smart phones and tablets, users tend to move around their home whilst using the internet and this may mean disconnecting from one WiFi access point and connecting to another. If you tend to use your internet connection in one room such as an office, you may not benefit from mesh, but for those users who access the internet throughout their property, this method is the way forward. Mesh also allows for easier sharing of data between devices on your network, as all devices are connected to a single network; an example would be accessing a WiFi printer or multimedia files from a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device to stream music or video on a smart TV.
OTHER BENEFITS OF MESH WIFI
As technology advances, more devices have features that require an internet connection for full functionality. Mesh WiFi is paving the way for the easier roll out of technology belonging to the Internet of Things (IoT), which can see a whole raft of wireless enabled smart devices talking to one another or the internet.
Home networks in particular are benefiting from mesh technology as it allows for rapid and reliable roll out of whole home WiFi, replacing previously ad hoc networks that combined several technologies to deliver internet connectivity to every room (wireless router(s), wireless access points, power line adapters, ethernet).
HOW DOES MESH WIFI WORK?
Mesh WiFi allows two or more Wireless Access Points to talk directly to one another. With one Wireless Access Point acting as a master connected to your broadband router, each Wireless Access Point acts as a node broadcasting the same wireless network to devices within range. It is the ability of mesh to extend WiFi around obstacles that is one of the key features that makes the technology a game changer; for this you need to ensure that the Wireless Access Points have line of sight to one another or a good overlapping signal quality. The number of Wireless Access Points you require will thus depend on the size of the property and the number of obstacles within it.