If you are in the market, shopping for WiFi routers, you might have seen advertisements for Mesh Wifi Routers. If you don’t exactly have the idea of what a Mesh router is, here’s everything you need to know.
What is a Mesh Router?
Mesh routers are made to cover your home if your house is a big one – at least 3000 sq. feet, or if you have an unusual layout or brick walls inside your house. If your house matches any one of the descriptions above, it’s very likely that you must have been facing dead spots in your house where the wifi signal would just drop, resulting in unstable connectivity.
How is it different from a Standard router?
This is a question that has been asked many times and here’s the answer. The problem with the standard router is the range of the signal that is sent out. It’s very limited. You can only move so far from it before the signal starts to fade out, and eventually, it’s going to cut out altogether. And in larger office buildings where there are 2-3 floors, a standard router cannot output signal to all the floors efficiently. This is where the mesh router comes to play as it blankets your home/office with proper coverage.
How does a Mesh router work?
Instead of a single output point, a mesh router connects to multiple access points (also called nodes) and not just one. One of the points connects to the modem, and then the other points capture the modem’s signal and rebroadcast it again resulting in wider coverage and better speeds throughout the house.
Most of the mesh router systems use an App for the setup. The app will also find the dead spots in your house so that you can place the nodes in the correct spot for optimal results.
Best Mesh routers available for purchase in India.
Reliance Jio launched its ‘Jio WiFi Mesh Router’ just today at a price of Rs. 2,499. The coverage area of the router is 1000 sq. feet.
Airtel has also partnered with Linksys to provide its Velop Wi-Fi Mesh System under Airtel’s Xstream Fiber Plus Mesh Plan. The plan is priced at Rs. 1,499 per month (Rs. 25,000 per year) with 500GB of data, at speeds of 300mbps. The coverage area for the mesh system is mentioned to be around 3,500 sq. feet.
TP-Link Deco M4 Whole Home Wifi Mesh System is also a good option which is available for purchase through Amazon.in at a price of Rs. 12,999 (Pack of 3). This mesh system also has Alexa integration which means you can operate the device with the help of Alexa. It also has features like parental controls, wifi booster. The coverage area for the mesh system is 5,500 sq. feet.
Google’s Mesh Wifi system is also up for purchase on Amazon India but retails at a super high price of Rs. 78,880 (Set of 3). A single point retails for Rs. 18,900. The coverage area for every single node is 1,500 sq. feet and it also has Dual-Band support.
Tenda Nova MW3 Whole Home WiFi Mesh Router System is also a decent option for your mesh needs. A set of 2 nodes retails for Rs. 7,499 on Amazon India. It also has features like App Control, Time Scheduling for particular devices, etc. The coverage area for each node is 1000 – 1500 sq. feet.
The Linksys AC 3900 Dual-Band Mesh Router can also be a great purchase. Priced at Rs. 21,260, a pack of 3 nodes is available on Amazon India for purchase. It also has additional features like Alexa Integration which means you can ask Alexa to turn the system ON or OFF. The coverage area for the mesh system is 4500 sq. feet.