The Best Mesh Wi-Fi Network Systems of 2024

Best Overall

TP-Link Deco X20

$160 $130 at Amazon $17 at Walmart $160 at B&H Photo Video

TP-Link has built a reputation for itself recently with some surprisingly affordable Wi-Fi 6 routers, and the Deco X20 is no exception. This small but mighty mesh system represents a way to get into Wi-Fi 6 technology without emptying your wallet.

The X20 is a good choice for users who need broad coverage, with three units handling homes of up to 5,800 square feet. The dual-band AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 support offers a comfortable 1.8Mbps bandwidth, although this is only partially on par with some of the pricier alternatives in this list.

But more importantly, the Deco X20 lacks the dedicated backhaul channel on more advanced mesh Wi-Fi systems. This means it may not perform as well on busy and heavily congested home networks — those with a dozen or more devices gaming, video calling, and streaming in 4K—but it should be more than enough for the online needs of smaller families.

The Deco X20 is a breeze to set up, thanks to TP-Link’s aptly named Deco app, which can help even the most inexperienced home networking users get up and running within a few minutes. It also includes TP-Link’s new HomeCare security suite, powered by Trend Micro. It offers anti-malware features and parental controls to keep your home network safe against intruders and kids away from the internet's darker corners. Each unit includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports to connect non-wireless devices, but sadly, there aren’t any USB ports for sharing external storage devices.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: HomeCare, WPA3 | Standard/Speed: AX1800 | Bands: Dual-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 2}

Best Parental Controls

Netgear Orbi Home Wi-Fi System

$22 at Walmart View on Lowe's $330 at Staples

Netgear’s Orbi strikes an almost perfect balance of performance, price, and features among mesh Wi-Fi systems. With only two units, Orbi can provide fast and stable Wi-Fi over an area of up to 5,000 square feet, and this range can be easily extended by adding additional units.

Netgear promises that Orbi can deliver at least 150Mbps anywhere in your home, which was more than evident in our testing. You’ll enjoy smooth online performance throughout your living space without worrying about buffering Netflix 4K UHD streams or stuttering Zoom calls.

Orbi accomplishes this by dedicating the fastest of its three Wi-Fi bands as a backhaul channel. Remember that in a mesh network, data to or from your device may pass from one access point to the following multiple times before it reaches your router and moves on to your Internet Service Provider network. The backhaul channel provides dedicated bandwidth for this pass-through traffic, ensuring you’ll get the same excellent wireless performance whether your devices are closer to the central unit or one of the satellite units.

This also makes the collection of four Gigabit Ethernet ports found on each unit even more helpful, as you can plug in things like a TV and not see a drop in speed. Each also has a USB 2.0 port for sharing printers around your home. The partnership between Netgear and Circle with Disney offers advanced security and parental controls.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: NETGEAR Armor, WPA2, Guest Wi-Fi Secure Access, Circle with Disney | Standard/Speed: AC3000 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

Best Range

Linksys Velop MX12600

$179 at Amazon $24 at Walmart $500 at Apple

When getting maximum coverage out of your mesh Wi-Fi system, Linksys’ Velop system will give you the best bang for your buck. The MX 12600 bundle includes three identical Wi-Fi 6 capable AX4200 mesh units (three times 4,200 is 12,600, see?) for less than most other systems charge for only two. This means solid and reliable performance for homes of up to 8,100 square feet at an affordable price.

You’ll designate one of these units as the primary router that hosts your broadband connection, then place the other two wherever you need the best and strongest coverage in your home. The Velop system also features a “dynamic” backhaul channel: The system intelligently decides which of the three Wi-Fi bands is best suited to move traffic between the mesh stations and which should be available for your Wi-Fi clients.

Each unit also includes four Gigabit Ethernet ports, letting you hardwire in non-Wi-Fi devices. And thanks to a high-speed USB 3.2 port on the back of each unit, you can connect multiple hard drives or other storage devices for sharing files or even streaming media.

Linksys’ mobile app also makes the system a cinch to set up, walking you through getting the first unit online and then joining the other two into a single mesh network. Although you’ll need to use the mobile app for the initial configuration, you can manage the system from the more familiar web interface once the mesh has been configured.

The MX12600 system offers all the basic networking features you’d expect from a modern router, including elementary Quality of Service (QoS) support (which prioritizes devices based on the type of service they’re using. There are rudimentary parental controls, but they should be enough for most typical users. However, those hoping for advanced features like a built-in VPN server or online malware protection will want to look elsewhere.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: WPA3 | Standard/Speed: AX4200 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

Best Splurge

Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 System

$500 $399 at Amazon $700 $36 at Walmart View on Dell

Thanks to its use of Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax technology, the AX6000 is one of the fastest mesh network solutions available, even when you have a lot of devices on your network; the much higher network capacity offered by Wi-Fi 6 means it can easily handle up to 100 devices without breaking a sweat.

The Orbi system offers 6Gbps of total bandwidth, and we found it can maintain these impressive speeds even at the edges of its range. Since a two-unit system will give you 5,000 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage (which can be expanded by adding up to five more satellite units), you'll be sure to see consistently fast speeds anywhere in your home.

Netgear has also packed in four Gigabit Ethernet ports on each station, so you'll have plenty of room for wiring in devices like game consoles for maximum performance. The main router on this higher-end model also offers a high-speed 2.5Gbps Wide Area Network (WAN) port to ensure you're ready for the fastest home broadband connections.

One disappointing aspect of Netgear's newer Wi-Fi 6 solution is the omission of the USB ports found in earlier Orbi versions. The lack of advanced configuration settings may also let power users down compared to other Wi-Fi 6 routers. But if you want to maintain the best performance possible, even if it means sacrificing some network management features, this is the mesh system for you.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: WPA3 | Standard/Speed: AX6000 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

Best for Gaming

Asus ZenWiFi XT8

$330 $260 at Amazon $18 at Walmart $330 at Adorama.com

Although Asus' AiMesh technology will let you join almost any combination of Asus routers to form a mesh network, the company's ZenWiFi XT8 takes that further. It's a "mesh-first" system that works right out of the box to give you maximum coverage and performance throughout your home with minimum fuss. The Asus mobile app makes it so easy to set up you won't even notice how much power it packs under the hood.

The ZenWifi XT8 offers cutting-edge 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 technology and packs many gaming enhancements that have become synonymous with Asus routers. The low latency means you'll get lag-free performance in your favorite online games. While the ZenWiFi system lacks the full suite of game optimization features found on Asus' ROG routers, it still includes the adaptive QoS feature to boost gaming traffic.

A single ZenWiFi unit can cover up to 2,750 square feet by itself, so each one you add increases that accordingly, meaning a standard two-pack is good for up to 5,500 square feet. Even better, Asus' AiMesh technology means you can easily add other Asus router models or the ZenWiFi system to your existing wired Asus router.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ax | Security: AiProtection, WPA3 | Standard/Speed: AX6600 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}

Best for Smart Homes

Google Nest Wi-Fi

$283 at Staples

Google’s Nest Wi-Fi is a straightforward mesh system that provides excellent integration features for users of Google Assistant and Google-compatible smart home devices. The second generation of Google’s mesh solution, Nest Wi-Fi’s satellite units (called “point” units) double as Google Assistant smart speakers. So, it’s an especially great choice for anyone already invested in the Google ecosystem. You can issue voice commands to control smart appliances, check the weather, send messages, and set up calendar appointments.

Three units—the central base station and two points—provide up to 5,400 square feet of coverage. Google’s Home and Wi-Fi apps make this an absolute cinch to set up and manage. It even lets you set up a guest network for your friends and other visitors and let them get online simply by scanning a QR code.

The main downside to Nest Wi-Fi is that the base station includes only one Ethernet LAN port, and you won’t find any at all on the satellite points, so you’ll need to add your network hub if you want to hardwire in some of your devices at the router. And if you need to wire in devices at the points, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Additionally, the Nest doesn’t support the newer Wi-Fi 6 standard like some of the other systems here, so if you need maximum performance or are a stickler for future-proofing your network, the Nest may not be the best option.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: WPA3 | Standard/Speed: AC2200 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 2}

Best Design

Linksys Velop AC6600

$15 at Walmart View on Pcrichard.com $440 at Newegg.com

Linksys' first whole home Wi-Fi system, the Velop Tri-Band AC6600, is one of the more attractive designs we've seen. Each sleek white node is roughly the size of a tower of Jenga blocks, and they look nice enough to sit on display rather than being hidden away. Linksys sells Velop nodes individually or in packs of two or three; each will give you about 2,000 square feet of coverage. So, a complete system can blanket a 6,000-square-foot home.

The Velop AC6600 system includes tri-band Wi-Fi and dedicates the second 5GHz band as a backhaul channel. This means it can keep traffic moving smoothly between all units for maximum performance throughout your home, even if one is under heavy usage. The downside is that your devices won't be able to take advantage of the extra 5GHz band, so even though each of these AC2200 routers can theoretically provide 2,134Mbps of throughput, only 1,267Mbps of that total is available to your devices.

The Velop offers a simplified setup process thanks to the Linksys smartphone app. However, if you like to tinker with your network settings, you'll probably want to look elsewhere since it has limited configuration options. There's also no malware protection, and parental controls are confined to blocking websites and manually restricting internet access from specific devices.

_{Wireless Spec: 802.11ac | Security: WPA2 | Standard/Speed: AC6600 | Bands: Tri-band | MU-MIMO: Yes | Beamforming: Yes | Wired Ports: 4}