What to Do Before Installing a Mesh Network
Before you install your mesh network, prepare your home for optimal results:
Internet coverage area: Determine the square footage of the area you want to receive Wi-Fi, including outdoor spaces like patios and front porches. A typical router offers greater distance line-of-sight than when the signal must pass through dense objects like brick walls or metal objects. Buy as many mesh nodes as you need to cover your network’s intended square footage, accounting for architectural barriers to signal propagation. Router location: Find the ideal location for the router. The best location is one where you have maximum reach in all areas you need Wi-Fi, with satellite nodes filling in the edges. Usually, this location is in the center of the house, but not near an obstruction like a fireplace. Node location: Find the best location in your rooms for each satellite node. Nodes connect to electrical outlets. Nodes should also be away from possible sources of interference, such as cordless phones and microwave ovens. Mounting nodes: If possible, measure a place to mount the node where it will be out of the way. Nodes that need to reach through ceilings should be placed higher up, while nodes that need to reach through floors should be lower down. Mesh network specifications: Examine the specifications of each mesh network you’re considering. Pay attention to the maximum range of each satellite node, and plan node placement to be, at most, two-thirds of that distance, if possible. You can always add more nodes to the network as needed.
How to Set Up a Mesh Network
Although each mesh network vendor’s setup process differs in detail, all follow the same general procedure:
Why Install a Mesh Network?
The typical Wi-Fi router is designed to deliver a signal to a standard, single-family home. However, building materials, home design, and home size can often frustrate the most powerful routers. This fuzziness becomes evident when you attempt to use Wi-Fi at the edge of a router’s effective range. As appliances become smarter and phones, tablets, and computers use more data, a single router can struggle to keep up with all the requests at once, especially as those devices sit at the extreme edge of the router’s range. Mesh networks mitigate these common problems by distributing your router across your home. The key node of the mesh network is connected to the router and connects to other nodes as you install them. Nodes are constantly connected to each other and help each other move traffic over Wi-Fi signals. If, for example, you stream music on your phone and walk through your house, instead of your phone staying in touch with the router the entire way, it would hand off that traffic to closer nodes. This architecture limits connection losses and ensures the router doesn’t become overloaded by too many requests at once. However, proper configuration is necessary to ensure the best results.
