How to
(^14) Use It
THE BEST MESH WI-FI SYSTEMS
94 March/April 2022
TREVOR RAAB (NEST); COURTESY TP-LINK (DECO); COURTSEY AMAZON (PRO 6)
BEST PERFORMANCE
EERO PRO 6
Price: $399 | Includes 2 routers |
Speed: Up to 4,200 Mbps |
Coverage: Up to 3,500 square feet
The Eero Pro 6 delivers gigabit
speeds, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and
tri-band coverage for up to 150
devices. If your internet speeds
are above 500 Mbps and you have
a gadget-heavy household, the
Pro lineup ensures better support
for simultaneous device usage.
Naturally, if you want the best in
performance, you’re going to have
to pay for it.
BEST VALUE
TP-LINK DECO X20 AX1800
Price: $179 | Includes 1 router, 1 satellite |
Speed: Up to 1,775 Mbps | Coverage: Up to
4,000 square feet
Offering the stability of Wi-Fi 6 and wide
coverage, the Deco system is both affordable
and simple to expand over time. Unlike many
other mesh systems, it provides two gigabit
Ethernet ports in every node, so any can act
as a wireless router. The system’s expansive
coverage comes at the cost of slower overall
speeds. But this is a great option for creating
a comprehensive network if your internet
demands are less than 300 Mbps.
BEST OVERALL
GOOGLE NEST WI-FI
Price: $269 | Includes 1 router, 1 node with
Google Assistant | Speed: Up to 2,200
Mbps | Coverage: Up to 3,800 square feet
Google’s Nest Wi-Fi system covers 3,800
square feet with a router and a single node.
Inside of that node is a built-in Google
Assistant, helpful for getting information
on the fly or kicking off smart home
actions, and the Google Home app makes
it easy to use and manage your network.
While it lacks the Wi-Fi 6 standard, this
system can handle up to 200 connected
devices and is fast enough to stream
multiple 4K videos at a time.