Best mesh Wi-Fi systems: the best options to eliminate dead spots

The internet has become an essential part of the fabric of modern life, and our homes are full of connected devices that need a strong and reliable internet connection to function. It can be frustrating, then, when the wireless signal from your router doesn’t reach far enough to cover all the areas of your home. Even if the area you’re trying to cover isn’t particularly large, you may find that thick walls are blocking the signal to some rooms.

Thankfully, mesh Wi-Fi networks can help solve this problem. Rather than having one central router serving your entire property, mesh networks work by establishing a series of interconnected nodes placed throughout your home, all connected to each other. This allows devices to automatically connect to whichever one offers the best signal, meaning you can move around freely without your connection dropping.

This is different from the best WiFi extenders, which offer a lighter touch when expanding the reach of your existing internet connection. 

If this sounds complex, don’t worry - modern mesh networks are designed to be easy to set up and manage via user-friendly mobile apps. There are options to suit a wide variety of needs and budgets, and we’ve rounded up our picks for the best mesh Wi-Fi networks to help eliminate Wi-Fi dead spots in your home.

The best mesh Wi-Fi systems in 2024

Best mesh Wi-Fi system overall

Our top choice for the best mesh Wi-Fi system is this Wi-Fi 6  kit from Linksys. The MX8400 offers impressive performance, albeit at a decidedly expensive cost. The triple-band Wi-Fi 6 setup gets you a very capable level of range and speeds, and with a generous complement of four gigabit Ethernet ports and one USB port per node, you won’t be short of physical connections for other devices. 

It is, for our money, one of the most distinctive mesh kits around. Each mode is a square column standing just over 24cm high, which may make them tricky to fit into a bookshelf or tuck out of the way. The app-based setup is nice and straightforward, though, so you should have little trouble getting up and running.

Best mesh Wi-Fi system for smart homes

Google’s design philosophy is based on simplicity above all else, and that’s certainly the case with its Nest Wi-Fi system. These almost featureless rounded pods are unassuming enough to fit into almost any room and come in three flavors. There’s the main hub unit, which connects to your modem to handle routing duties, and smaller satellite units that are placed throughout the rest of the house.

The smaller nodes hide a clever secret, though: they also act as smart speakers, with built-in functionality allowing you to do things like control smart home devices, play music, or set timers. For most people, this may go some way to making up for the lack of Wi-Fi 6 support, which means that newer devices won’t be able to take advantage of quite as much speed and coverage as with other systems on this list.

• Having trouble connecting? Here's our guide to what to do when you're left asking 'what is wrong with my WiFi?!'

Best value Wi-Fi 6 mesh system

While the cylindrical white design of TP-Link’s Deco X20 kit may be somewhat uninspired, reminiscent of a coffee can if Apple created it, its price tag is more attractive. What’s more, it comes with three nodes, which can be spaced out around the house for increased coverage. They support the latest Wi-Fi 6 standards, too, which gives a further boost to both coverage range and connection speeds.

While the Deco X20 system isn’t the fastest in terms of raw performance, there’s plenty of headroom to have multiple people streaming 4K video, conducting video calls, or gaming online without stuttering or lag, and TP-Link also includes additional features to help take care of security, as well as a suite of parental control tools.

One drawback is a comparatively limited number of ethernet ports on each device, however, so bear this in mind if your home network has a lot of devices you’d like to connect physically.

Best mesh Wi-Fi for easy setup

Amazon’s answer to the likes of Google's Nest Wi-Fi, the Eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 kit, offers solid (if unremarkable) speeds at a reasonable price. They’re also among the smallest and least obtrusive units we’ve seen and are easily placed around the home without drawing too much attention. 

The system’s real strength, however, is in how easy it is to set up and manage via the companion smartphone app. There’s also an optional security subscription, for which a year’s free trial is included with the purchase. It’s not a stand-out system in any one particular area, but it represents an excellent all-rounder for those that want fuss-free Wi-Fi throughout the home.

Best mesh Wi-Fi for large houses

What the large, imposing lozenges of the Netgear Orbi RBK752 system lack in subtlety, they make up for in range. Connection speeds with most routers will start dropping the further you get from the access point, but the Orbi remains remarkably consistent when roaming around the house. Speeds are strong, too, although not the absolute fastest available, and Wi-Fi 6 compatibility ensures that your network will be in good shape to support any new devices you buy in the next few years.

You’re paying a premium for it, however, and it’s one of the more expensive kits on this list, particularly considering that additional features like parental control systems are in short supply. With that having been said, however, these extra bells and whistles often feel like gilding the lily, and if all you need is bulletproof wireless coverage for a large property, the RBK752 delivers in spades.

Best budget mesh Wi-Fi system

If you’re looking for mesh Wi-Fi on a budget, then look no further than the Tenda Nova MW6. This three-node kit is the cheapest on this list, but the price does come with some compromises. For starters, it’s using the older Wi-Fi 5 standard, so don’t expect it to be as fast or to cover as much distance as newer Wi-Fi 6 systems, and it’s not the most visually appealing system we’ve seen.

On the other hand, however, although it’s a little long in the tooth compared to some of the other entries on this list, it's hard to argue with the value the MW6 system represents, and it’ll still provide perfectly capable coverage for most homes, particularly if you’re not covering a large space or trying to support a large number of simultaneous downloads.

How to choose the best mesh Wi-Fi system for your home

How we chose the best mesh Wi-Fi systems in this guide

The entries on this list were chosen through comparing user reviews, tapping into team Livingetc's breadth of knowledge in the home tech realm, and digging down into the specs and design elements of the most popular models across a range of price points.

While we attempt to have direct experience with and independent reviews for everything we include in our guides, this is unfortunately not always possible, so some of our guides are put together using the writer's research and existing expertise. We will return to this guide regularly to update the models included, whether due to the latest releases and moves in the industry or the opportunity to test the best mesh Wi-Fi systems in person and judge them accordingly.

Models we have tested will be clearly signposted within the article, so you can trust us to be transparent with our choices. You can head to our dedicated page to learn more about our review process.