Dead zones are one of the most frustrating parts of Wi-Fi.Mesh systems fix that by letting your devices switch seamlessly between nodes as you move around your home, but their price tags can easily make you think twice.Here’s the good news: there’s a decent chance your current router already supports some form of mesh, and you just don’t know it yet.
Before committing to a full upgrade, it’s worth checking—you might be able to extend your Wi-Fi coverage for far less than the cost of a new mesh system.How mesh can fix your home Wi-Fi Before we talk about how to figure out if your router supports mesh, let's first go over why you should even care about mesh support.Mesh Wi-Fi systems are often hailed as the ultimate solution for home Wi-Fi coverage—and when set up correctly, they truly live up to the hype.
Traditional extenders and repeaters come with several drawbacks: they often cut your bandwidth in half, the extra hop between router and extender adds small delays, performance can be inconsistent, and most importantly, they don’t support seamless roaming.Many devices, like phones and tablets, tend to cling to the first AP (access point) they connect to, even as you move farther away from it and closer to another.This is exactly the problem mesh systems are designed to solve.
Their nodes communicate with each other, allowing devices to switch intelligently between APs.They can even balance the load across nodes, keeping each device connected to the most optimal one at all times.Related Your Wi-Fi 'extender' is actually cutting your speed in half Stop buying Wi-Fi repeaters: Why they are worse than dead zones Posts 5 By Ismar Hrnjicevic A surprising number of old and budget routers already support mesh Wi-Fi While mesh Wi-Fi is undoubtedly effective, it has one major drawback: price.
A basic three-node set, like the TP-Link Deco W4500, can cost around $100, and many feature-packed models run two to three times that much.If you've already spent good money on your router, you might not want to upgrade to an expensive mesh system just yet.At the same time, you probably don't want to live with repeaters and extenders, as they often cause more problems than they solve, like sluggish performance and dropouts as you roam.
Fortunately, mesh support is more common than you think.Even cheap routers that launched years ago often support a form of mesh Wi-Fi out of the box, or perhaps they've received a firmware update that added mesh support without your knowledge.To give you a real example, I’ve had my TP-Link Archer C6 wireless router for five years, and I only discovered last month that the $30 router I bought back then supports TP-Link OneMesh.
The feature was never heavily advertised, and if I recall correctly, there was no mention of it on the router’s box at all.I bought it because it was cheap, from a known brand, supported MU-MIMO, and was dual-band, upgrading me from my landlord’s single-band unit.Just like me, you might have a mesh-capable router and not even be aware of it.
Luckily, there’s a very easy way to check.How to check if your current router can be expanded into a mesh system There are two ways to check if your router has mesh support.If you know your router's exact model number, or if the router is in an easily accessible are and you can just flip it around to check the label, then you can look it up on the manufacturer's website and check the product page as well as the specifications.
In many cases (like mine), the product page won't mention mesh support, but the specifications page most often will.A somewhat easier (and often more reliable) way to check for mesh support is to log in to your router’s settings.Open a web browser and enter "192.168.1.1" in the address bar, or "192.168.0.1" if that doesn’t work, assuming you haven’t changed the router’s default IP address.
The login credentials are typically something simple like "admin," "password," or left blank, unless you’ve set your own.Once you’re logged in, make sure your firmware is up to date.After that, browse through the router settings and look for any mention of “mesh,” such as AiMesh, OneMesh, or EasyMesh.
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You may have to dig a bit to find it.For example, on my TP-Link router, EasyMesh was buried surprisingly deep—I had to go to Advanced>Wireless>OneMesh to find it.When you find the option, simply toggle it on.
Once you know which mesh system your router supports, you can go out and buy a compatible extender, repeater, or even another router in some cases.Related Can You Mix and Match Mesh Network Hardware? Mixing and matching mesh network hardware ranges from easy-peasy to agonizing.Posts If you like the mesh experience, consider upgrading to a dedicated system If you’re dealing with one or two dead zones, turning your existing router into a mesh system may be all you need to get solid coverage throughout your home.
However, if you live in a complex, multi-floor space with thick walls and still experience buffering, dropped signals, or general sluggishness, it may be worth considering a “proper” mesh system instead.Dedicated mesh routers often support features that more basic, router-based mesh setups don’t, such as dedicated wireless backhaul (DWB).This uses a separate 5GHz band exclusively for node-to-node communication, resulting in more consistent performance and faster switching between nodes.
And if you’re already planning to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7, that’s an ideal time to make the jump to a full mesh system.Eero 6+ Mesh Wi-Fi 3-Pack With Wi-Fi 6 support, automatic updates, and an integrated smart home hub, it's tough to beat the value of this mesh Wi-Fi pack.$300 at Amazon Expand Collapse
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