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Multiple Ethernet ports: Ethernet ports on a mesh kit’s satellites let you connect devices such as TVs, streaming boxes, and gaming consoles away from the base unit, giving them the benefit of unfettered access to the internet bandwidth you’re paying for.A great mesh kit minimizes that wait even if the network is busy serving other devices.
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Latency-or lag-is the time spent waiting for the next thing to happen.
#Best mesh router system download#
In our tests, network speed-or throughput-varies from “This YouTube video will never finish loading” to “You can download a video game in an instant.” Generally, we looked for the mesh kits that performed above average, and we dismissed the slower routers.
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Good speed test results: Speed claims on the box don’t mean much in the real world.You should be able to get your home on the internet in less than half an hour with a mesh network. Ease of setup and administration: Setting up a new network is often hard, but it doesn’t need to be.Wi-Fi 5 laptops, phones, and other devices will continue to dominate your home for the next few years, and you can save some money while you take care of existing needs.
#Best mesh router system upgrade#
While we think this year’s new standards of Wi-Fi 6 or 6E are the best options for most people (both our main and upgrade picks are Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems), based on our tests and research, we continue to recommend a Wi-Fi 5 (aka 802.11ac) mesh system as our budget alternative. Most people, however, don’t need mesh Wi-Fi, and if you live in an average home or apartment, a regular router is just fine. Mesh-networking systems take the weight off just one router, instead spreading multiple access points around your house to improve the range and performance of your Wi-Fi.Īfter spending hundreds of hours evaluating and testing 64 Wi-Fi mesh-networking kits in home and lab environments over the past four years, we’re confident that the Eero 6 system is the best mesh router for most people who need one. Wi-Fi that sucks can be more frustrating than no Wi-Fi at all, and the culprit in many cases is one router trying to cover too much house.
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