Our testing team is made up of enthusiasts who value efficient hardware and cool features, even when it comes to something as intangible as WiFi. We keep our fingers on the pulse of what's new in networking, whether it's innovative new firmware updates or the release of a revolutionary WiFi mesh system. We know that not everyone is excited about WiFi as we are — it's totally understandable if you just want some guidance on which WiFi mesh system to buy so you can get whole-home coverage without any extra headache. That's why we took it upon ourselves to buy the best mesh systems on the market and test them based on five crucial metrics: Node speed, range, router speed, ease of setup, and jitter and latency.
Node Speed
Your internet speed depends first and foremost on what you receive from your internet service provider. Secondly, it depends on how much throughput your router can handle. If you pay for 1,000 Mbps download speeds, but your router can only put through 700 Mbps, then that will be your practical limitation. When connected to the network wirelessly, your connection becomes weaker the further you are from the router. Using extension nodes will boost the range of your signal, but getting a strong signal at a significant distance depends on the effectiveness of the mesh system's nodes.
We tested node speed by monitoring performance at various distances from the node using iPerf3 software. Considering that it's most common to use devices from around 35 feet away from the node, we weighed performance at that distance most heavily. We assigned a higher score for systems that dropped off signal strength the least over wider ranges.
We also evaluate how stable the connection to a node is based on the average number of dropouts we experience and the frequency of dips below 100 Mbps during a 30-minute testing period. A system with stable node performance can support demanding tasks such as competitive online gaming or livestreaming with minimal latency or missed inputs, even at great distances from the router.
The speed and performance of a node depend heavily on the quality of the system's backhaul. In the context of WiFi mesh systems, backhaul refers to the direct communication link between the router and the nodes. We test backhaul to get a clear idea of why a system may or may not have excellent node performance. Using the same iPerf3 software that measures connection speed, we can gauge the quality of backhaul by monitoring the amount of jitter and packet loss experienced at the node. In the best cases, a mesh system will utilize a dedicated communication channel for backhaul, rather than sending communications along the same channels as other network traffic.
Range
Using a WiFi mesh system is not just about getting a strong signal at a great distance — sometimes it's about simply covering as much distance as possible. We test the maximum range of a system so that we can give you an idea of whether a product will adequately cover your entire home or office space. To thoroughly gauge performance, we measure the maximum distance at which our device can receive a usable signal, and test how many devices can perform strenuous online tasks at that distance. In the absolute best case scenario, we were able to stream 4K videos to two separate devices at a total of 135 feet from the main router.
Router Speed
The defining feature of a WiFi mesh system is its use of extension nodes to boost the signal range, but there are still many scenarios when you or others in your home or building will connect to the main router instead. This is actually preferable for your most important or strenuous tasks because the main router will broadcast a stronger signal than its extension nodes. To test router throughput for our WiFi mesh systems, we followed the same method that we used for measuring node throughput: monitoring connection speed at various distances using iPerf3 software.
Ease of Setup
During actual everyday tasks, most people won't notice the difference between 100 Mbps and 500 Mbps download speeds. Unless you frequently download large files or play online games at a high level, you may be perfectly happy with a WiFi system that's easy to put together and is simply good enough for your daily use. That's why we designed an “ease of setup” test that involves measuring the amount of time it takes to get each WiFi mesh system up and running from the moment we open the box. We also rate based on the number of configuration options available during setup and how complex or frustrating they may be to use.
Jitter and Latency
Jitter and latency are measured in “ping” and “packet loss,” and they convey how much delay and stuttering your connection experiences. We tested this by monitoring ping and jitter for each WiFi mesh system using the iPerf3 software, but there were wild and unpredictable variances in our findings. There are many external factors that can affect jitter and latency, so it wouldn't be fair to fully judge a product when uncontrollable variables affect our testing. We ultimately excluded our jitter and latency results from our final ratings, but suffice it to say that every system we tested proved reliable enough for consistent 4K streaming, video calls, and smart home functionality, with only some occasional hiccups that might affect online gaming.
