When looking to broaden your Wi-Fi’s range and capabilities, you’ll often compare Mesh versus Extender.
With the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart homes becoming popular, more people are trying to ensure their homes have ample Wi-Fi coverage.
Whether you’re using Starlink or a cable-based ISP, Wi-Fi interference can hinder any home’s network.
There are a few options you can use to address dead spots or boost your home and office Wi-Fi range and speed.
In the following guide, we’ll compare Wi-Fi Mesh Systems to Wi-Fi Extenders. We’ll explore their capabilities, differences, etc.
Why Are Mesh Networks and Extenders Necessary?
Wi-Fi routers have a limited range. Even if the space you hope to use the router in doesn’t exceed the range, many elements may still impede its signal.
For instance, your house (or office) may have thick walls and contain material or other technology that interferes with Wi-Fi signals.
While you can try repositioning the router or switching the router’s channel, these remedies may not be enough to address all dead spots.
It may be time to consider a Wi-Fi Range Extender or Wi-Fi Mesh Network/System. What’s the difference between the two?
Setting Up a Wi-Fi Router
What is a Wi-Fi Extender
Wi-Fi range extenders allow you to add another network that connects to your original network.
They essentially function like wireless routers that relay network traffic back and forth to your main router.
Of course, they perform this passively. When you add an extender to your network setup, it creates a new Wi-Fi network with its own unique name and password. It’s a little similar to how Wi-Fi HotSpots work.
Pros of Wi-Fi Range Extender
There are a few reasons why you may elect to use a Wi-Fi Range extender.
For instance, they are typically one of the least expensive solutions, and they are relatively easy to install.
Furthermore, they do not require replacing your entire wireless (and wired) network setup. You can simply add them as an additional node.
You also don’t need to reconfigure your original router in any way.
And You can simply plug the range extender into your power outlet and wired connection and configure it.
Wi-Fi Extender Connecting To Power Outlet
Cons of Wi-Fi Extenders
Since a Wi-Fi range extender introduces an additional network connection point, it forces you to switch between Wi-Fi networks when one network’s signal grows weak.
In most cases, you’ll have to do this manually on your device unless it has an automated network switching feature.
Regardless, you can expect network interruptions whether the switching process is automatic. This also makes Wi-Fi extenders unideal for larger homes as they may not be able to cover all corners and dead spots.
Simply adding more extenders to your setup just increases its complexity and slows it down.
Wi-Fi networks use half-duplex transmission.
As such, they can only perform one-way transfers at any given time. They can either send or receive – not both simultaneously.
Since extenders add a network that repeats everything from the main router, switching from send to receive takes much longer.
This can slow down your internet connection substantially.
Finally, while they are easy to set up from a hardware standpoint, extenders can be quite difficult to configure from a software standpoint.
Some extenders require you to be connected to the internet or your local network to configure.
Adding and using an extender means you’ll have to worry about managing the router’s software and the extenders.
All in all, the disadvantages seem to outnumber the advantages.
Two Wi-Fi Range Extenders
The Difference Between an Extender and a Repeater
People often confuse Wi-Fi extenders with repeaters. They both work similarly.
Whereas the extenders traditionally used a wired connection, repeaters were completely wireless.
Today, there are modern extenders that connect wirelessly, too. Wi-Fi extenders expand the range of coverage.
On the other hand, Wi-Fi repeaters rebroadcast and boost Wi-Fi signals.
What is a Wi-Fi Mesh?
Wi-Fi Mesh Networks or Mesh Wi-Fi systems are more sophisticated alternatives to router/extender setups.
They consist of a main hub, typically a router or router-modem combination, and a set of nodes/satellites.
The main hub evenly distributes its Wi-Fi backhaul across its satellites. Where an extender introduces new networks, Wi-Fi mesh systems act as a single Wi-Fi network.
While it’s best to completely replace your router and current network infrastructure, you can use it with your current router.
ISPs such as Starlink restrict users from completely replacing the router/modem as it’s a power source for the satellite base.
Nonetheless, using an ethernet adapter to bypass the router and connect a Wi-Fi mesh.
Each node in a Wi-Fi mesh acts as an access point. Some Wi-Fi mesh systems feature nodes with ethernet ports.
As you roam around your home, the mesh system automatically switches you between nodes.
Manufacturers like TP-Link use AI and machine learning to ensure seamless transitions.
The latest and most expensive mesh systems use Wi-Fi 7, allowing them to deliver throughputs greater than 40Gbps. Where extenders and repeaters may strangle or bottleneck your bandwidth, Wi-Fi Mesh systems do not.
Wi-Fi Mesh System Satellites
Pros of Wi-Fi Mesh
Since Wi-Fi Mesh systems act as one unified network, you don’t have to manually switch from access point to access point.
They have a reputation for being stable and reliable. Even if a single node were to fail, you’d still have Wi-Fi access.
You can easily extend your Wi-Fi coverage by adding more satellites/nodes.
Adding more nodes won’t negatively impact your network’s speed in the same way adding an extender or repeater would.
Moreover, you can easily move each node from place to place. Thus, expanding your home or moving its furniture around will not impede Wi-Fi network performance.
This makes Wi-Fi mesh networks far more flexible than wired extenders.
Wi-Fi Mesh Network Satellites on Brown Table
Cons of Wi-Fi Mesh
Most Wi-Fi nodes don’t use traditional power cables that plug into outlets. Instead, many use USB cables and, in some rare instances, batteries.
This can be seen as an advantage by some – especially if you have USB ports on your wall sockets. However, it can be limiting.
For instance, battery-operated nodes must have their batteries replaced or recharged regularly.
You may not have enough USB ports to accommodate and charge all your Wi-Fi mesh satellites.
Nevertheless, the biggest disadvantage of Wi-Fi mesh systems is their price tag.
They cost substantially more than extenders and repeaters.
A decent Wi-Fi 7 mesh system with three nodes can cost you as much as $1999.99.
Mesh Versus Extenders: Final Verdict
So Wi-Fi mesh versus extender – which one is better? In most cases, how well a piece of technology functions depends on the use case.
For instance, you may live in a relatively small apartment with a single dead zone. In this case, a Wi-Fi extender would suit you best.
They’re more affordable quick solutions than Wi-Fi mesh networks.
However, Wi-Fi mesh systems are more effective for larger areas and spaces. They’re ideal for office spaces and large houses.
They’re more efficient in how they extend Wi-Fi coverage. But they’re quite expensive.
Despite the price tag, Wi-Fi mesh systems are far superior to extenders and repeaters.
This makes them far more suited to helping you extend your Starlink coverage.