Reliable WiFi is a non-negotiable need for most Aussie households But if you’re struggling to get a strong signal in every room of your home, simply switching broadband plans may not be enough to improve your WiFi performance.
There are several solutions out there for this problem, including WiFi extenders, WiFi over powerline, or ethernet systems throughout the home. However, a more effective solution is mesh networking. If you’re new to mesh WiFi, find out below how it works and how to find the best mesh WiFi systems and routers for your home.
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What is a mesh WiFi system?
A mesh network (or mesh WiFi) is a system that transmits WiFi evenly through a home via a network of devices. Mesh networking spreads your WiFi signal out evenly across your home, giving you a stronger connection without sacrificing speed. A mesh WiFi system usually includes a modem-router, along with satellite units to extend the signal across multiple rooms.
For the best mesh WiFi performance, you should place these satellite units evenly around your home to help distribute the wireless signal uniformly. You may want to place one in each room throughout your home, located in spaces where coverage is weaker. These units will all need to be powered individually.
There are two kinds of WiFi mesh: fully connected mesh and partially connected mesh.
- Fully connected mesh: Your WiFi network is spread evenly across all of the mesh WiFi units in use, with no one node stronger than the others.
- Partially connected mesh: The strongest signal all comes from a single point (the modem-router).
You’ll typically get better results with fully connected mesh, but partially connected mesh is generally cheaper.
What are the benefits of a mesh WiFi system?
Investing in mesh WiFi can greatly improve your home internet experience. Some of the benefits of setting up a home mesh WiFi network include:
- Increased WiFi range: Mesh WiFi can give you a strong, reliable connection in every room of your home. It’s also flexible, as you can tweak or concentrate your WiFi coverage by moving your satellite mesh units as needed.
- Improved performance: A mesh WiFi system doesn’t guarantee faster speeds. However, if your speed is lagging, optimising your home network may allow you to achieve a performance that’s closer to the maximum speed available on your broadband plan.
- Easy to setup and manage: You shouldn’t need to setup each individual unit, and you can control the whole system easily from one app or web portal.
What is the best mesh WiFi system in Australia?
If you’re looking for the best WiFi mesh network for your home, there’s a wide selection of products on offer. Capabilities range from product to product, as do prices. You’ll find that the big modem-router brands offer WiFi mesh systems, such as TP-Link and ASUS, although Google also produces a mesh network system of its own.
We’ve listed some notable WiFi mesh system brands in the table below. Prices include modem-routers, mesh WiFi units may be sold separately.
| Mesh Wifi brand | Router prices from |
|---|---|
|
ASUS |
$379 |
|
D-Link |
$199 |
|
eero |
$199 |
|
Netgear |
$379 |
|
TP-Link |
$199 |
|
Google Nest WiFi |
$269 |
Source: JB Hi-Fi. May 2024.
What is the cheapest mesh WiFi system?
Mesh WiFi networks can typically range between $100 and $2000, with the price going up depending on how many mesh WiFi units you purchase for your home.
Internet not fast enough? Consider a new NBN plan
Mesh networking can be a great boost to your home WiFi perform, but can only take you so far if your NBN plan isn’t up to speed. See the table below for fast NBN plans from a range of NBN providers, or use our free internet comparison tool to find the right NBN plan for you.
The following table shows a selection of sponsored unlimited data Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50), and Premium Evening Speed (NBN 100) plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners.
 |
1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $105) Typical evening speed of 97Mbps
|
Unlimited Data/month |
$105 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
 |
1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $79.99) Typical evening speed of 96Mbps
|
Unlimited Data/month |
$79.99 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
 |
1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $75) Typical evening speed of 50Mbps
|
Unlimited Data/month |
$75.00 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
Unlimited Home Standard (NBN 50) Plans
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Unlimited Home Fast (NBN 100) Plans
The table below shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Mesh WiFi vs WiFi extenders
A WiFi extender or booster is another tool that can be used to increase your WiFi range. Extenders are a popular way to improve WiFi signal and speed in alrge homes, or in areas where the router placement just isn’t ideal.
While mesh WiFi and WiFi extenders are a similar, a mesh WiFi network will typically be more capable. The best mesh WiFi networks transmit your internet’s full WiFi capabilities throughout your home, as long as you have the units placed accordingly.
A WiFi extender simply picks up the WiFi signal from your modem-router and transmits it further down the line. This means the signal just isn’t as powerful, and not part of a larger network of devices.
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