Written by Daniël
Edited on
19 January 2024
·
15:37
Compare a router to a mesh WiFi
Mesh WiFi promises that you can be online without issues anywhere in your home. With your smartphone, tablet, laptop, and smart TV. Not just you, but everyone in the house. At the same time. What's the difference between a router and mesh WiFi? I found that out for you and I'll list the most important differences.
Main differences between routers and mesh WiFi
| Router | Multi-room WiFi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you want a strong WiFi network in your entire house? | No | Yes | |
| Don't want to run network cables in your house? | No | Yes | |
| Want to set up the Internet without knowing a lot about networks? | No | Yes | |
| Want to set up a separate guest network? | Yes | Yes | |
| Want to prioritize games using Quality of Service? | Yes | Yes |
WiFi everywhere in your house?
Range up to the second floor
A router's WiFi signal generally doesn't reach past the second floor of your house. You can extend the signal with an access point or powerline adapter. Because the WiFi signal of your router downstairs reaches far, it stays visible for your laptop or tablet for a long time. That means you stay connected to the weak signal. You'll only switch when the old signal is completely gone. That's something you'll notice when walking around your house while making a video call for instance.
Strong WiFi network in your whole house
Mesh WiFi consists of a base station and multiple satellites. You put them in different spots throughout your house. You won't have to run long network cables, since the devices share a strong WiFi connection. The router and satellite distribute the internet traffic. As a result, multi-room WiFi lets you switch networks before losing the signal.
