We have all been there – you bought a top-of-the-range phone or tablet, but when you are at home using the Wi-Fi, the signal is either non-existent or slow in some parts of the house. Your first idea of moving the router to a more central location in the house is usually not feasible due to restrictions of where the cable comes into the house, or perhaps you have a PC or laptop that needs to be physically connected via an ethernet cable. So, this leaves the burning question: what to do?
Nturally, the next move is to get an extender. A Wi-Fi extender is a great way of boosting your signal to those hard-to-reach places around the home so that the whole family can have strong and easy access. But how many do you need? To get sufficient coverage, you may need quite a few – and this approach does have its drawbacks, with placement not being the least of them. Each extender essentially creates its own mini-network, and this can cause you issues when moving from one room to another.
Enter Mesh
Mesh works on a single network, so there is no need for your device – be it a laptop, tablet, or phone – to be constantly searching for the best network to latch on to. There are in-depth explanations of wifi extender vs mesh and the pros and cons of both regarding internet use – and knowing the limitations of the two will help you make the best choice.
Wi-Fi extenders do a reasonable job, but if you have a large home or wish to be able to access Wi-Fi in the garage, for instance, knowing where to place yours is going to be challenging. Plus, extenders need to be always checking in with the main router, so the loss of bandwidth results in slower speeds.
On the other hand, as it works on the same network, mesh will be a lot more viable. Mesh is a new concept that has evolved out of the extender’s technology, and at present, it can cost a lot more than an extender. Although it’s a little pricer, the results seem to outweigh the cost issue if your signal strength is important to you. Of course, as time moves on and mesh becomes more popular, the cost will, like all things new, eventually drop.
What Does The Future Look Like?
Technology moves so fast these days, with many new advancements being launched on what seems to be a daily basis. For example, 20 years ago, the idea of TVs that stream directly from the internet or cell phones that can access the web at the same speed as a home ethernet-connected PC or MAC was science fiction. But such futuristic capabilities of tech are not feats and inventions existing in storybooks and movies; they are real.
Mesh is one of these new technological innovations that has the ability to handle whatever the future can throw at it, keeping you connected around your home with ease in the process – and it can only improve as more advancements are made.
As internet speeds get faster and the need to utilize that speed grows, humans genuinely need to be able to stay on top of their need for speed. Thus, hopefully, with the information and tips featured in this article, you’ll be better equipped with the knowledge to make the most out of your internet use and solve your Wi-Fi woes as a result.
