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When it comes to smart home technology, I’m constantly on the hunt for ways to enhance my setup by experimenting with new smart home gadgets that I’ve never heard of before.
I also like replacing my old gadgets with newer, better-performing models that are available on the market.
In my front yard, I just put a smart garage door opener, as well as a floodlight camera with a motion sensor.
In part, this was due to the restricted range of the router, which caused both devices to become disconnected from my home network.
Consequently, I made the decision to purchase an outdoor mesh Wi-Fi router since the traditional router I received from my Internet Service Provider was no longer adequate in terms of range, speed, and dependability.
After hours of study, we were able to narrow down our choices and identify the Best Outdoor Mesh Wi-Fi Routers.
When making my picks, I took into account many variables, including technical support, ease of setup, signal strength, and ease of use.
Pros
Cons
Wi-Fi 6 (also known as 802.11ax) has here, and Netgear has updated its Orbi mesh networking kits to take use of it. The RBK852 is a lot simpler to refer to. An oval-shaped cooling tower-like design is still present in the RBK852’s design, making it difficult to conceal. The TP-Link Deco X20 and Google Nest WiFi are small in comparison to the RBR850 and RBS850’s 10.0 x 7.5 x 2.8-inch dimensions.
If you want to put the RBK852 devices up against the wall, you’ll need to buy an adapter. Instead of depending on third-party accessories, Netgear introduces a wall mounting bracket ($19) for its devices.
There is a single LED band on both the router and satellite that serves as a status indication. While the gadget is first powered on, it has a white backlight that becomes blue when data is being sent back and forth. When the light turns purple, there’s a problem and it has to be fixed.
With 1GB of RAM and 512MB of flash memory for firmware and settings, Qualcomm’s Networking Pro 1200 Wi-Fi processor powers the Orbi RBK852. At a maximum speed of 2GHz, a quad-core CPU powers everything. It is rated AX6000.
In my 100-year-old 3,500-square-foot house, the RBK852 set established a bustling Wi-Fi network with good performance using Ixia’s IxChariot networking benchmark software. Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and many Wi-Fi 6 routers were no match for it.
At 15 feet away, the RBR850 router was able to transfer 883.6Mbps. If you’re looking for anything that can keep up with high-performance routers like the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 or even Netgear’s Nighthawk AX80 (RAX80), this isn’t going to cut it. However, it easily outperforms comparable mesh kits like the TP-Link Deco X20 or even Netgear’s Nighthawk AX80 (at 820.3Mbps).
At 50 feet, its throughput plummeted to 124.4Mbps, while the Deco X20 was the clear winner with 255.4Mbps. At 75 feet, the Deco X20 still outperformed the Orbi RBR850, at 112.7Mbps compared to 85.9Mbps. Despite the Deco X20’s 95-foot range, it lost contact at 85 feet, 10 feet shy of that distance.
Pros
Cons
A two-channel mesh router with a long range, the ASUS RT-AC88U is excellent for small to medium-sized apartments. It is also available as a standalone device.
It has been developed to prioritise gaming by improving the route that links you to your game server, allowing you to enjoy more uninterrupted gaming time.
It does this entirely on its own, making it simple to set up and operate. When playing Battle Royale games such as PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, I’ve always had a small slowness in the game.
However, with this router, I was able to hit my headshots with relative ease, and the signal strength prevented me from being forced to leave the game midway through it.
Aside from being a gaming-oriented router, the ASUS RT-AC88U delivers a dependable and broad network connection that is capable of handling a variety of other duties as required.
If you have a bigger area to cover or there are any dead zones in your flat, you may utilise other AiMesh compatible routers to set up a home network to cover the whole building.
Even though the device does not come with weatherproofing, I would not recommend placing it outside due to the lack of weatherproofing. However, due to the fact that it is a long-range router, it will still give out plenty of signals to the outdoor region even if it is located indoors.
When I was having problems getting to the LAN ports, Asus’s tech support was really helpful, telling me that I could just remove and reconnect the antennas.
Pros
Cons
It is compatible with current Internet Service Providers, and I have tested its compatibility with Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, and CenturyLink, to name a few examples.
Furthermore, both the extension nodes and the router itself are rather small and may be tucked away inconspicuously in the network.
Each device also has a built-in Google Home, which enables you to manage your router as well as the smart devices in your home using voice commands, making it simple to use.
The Google Nest Wi-Fi was simple to set up, and I had no trouble connecting to and controlling all of my smart gadgets with it.
Throughout the process, from turning on the lights to triggering the good morning ritual to locking the garage door at night, everything was smooth.
Google’s Tech Support anticipated my questions and answered them immediately, which was a lifesaver for me.
In order to provide you total control over your home network, the Google Nest Wi-Fi mesh router, a newer version of Google Wi-Fi, has been built to function in conjunction with Google Assistant.
With the aid of satellites, it is possible to expand your Wi-Fi network to cover areas ranging from a huge estate to a tiny residence.
A 2200 square foot area is covered by the preconfigured router, and each node lets you to expand coverage by an extra 1600 square foot area.
The Nest Wi-Fi enables you to extend your network without having to sacrifice bandwidth or signal quality in the process.
Pros
Cons
In addition to being the company’s most recent mesh router, the Linksys Velop is also created with the express aim of extending Wi-Fi to every corner of your house.
It makes use of a tri-band Wi-Fi technology, which results in exceptional signal strength. The system’s versatility enables you to extend your home network as far as you desire, making it an excellent choice for homes with many floors or multiple stories.
Because I didn’t have a very vast region to serve, the two Wi-Fi satellites and one existing router included in the package were more than sufficient.
After finding it to be rather simple to set up, I placed the hub in my kitchen, one of the nodes in the living room, and the other in the front entry.
I was able to connect to the internet from my front yard, porch, garage, and the lobby in this manner.
You may simply put one of the nodes outside if you have a bigger house, since they are weather-resistant and can withstand the elements.
This gadget is equipped with a ZigBee radio to connect to the network and nodes to connect to IoT devices, similar to the Google Nest Wi-Fi, which makes it simple to operate.
Surprisingly, the corporation has not yet enabled this capability out-of-the-box, despite repeated requests. Furthermore, neither gadget is equipped with USB ports for connecting to a computer. You may, however, link them together via ethernet.
The technical support provided by Linksys was excellent. I wasn’t expecting much since I assumed they would be more familiar with Enterprise networks, but they were able to adapt quickly to my circumstance and improve my network for me.
Pros
Cons
The No items were found. is a fantastic low-cost but highly efficient mesh router system with a tiny form factor and low power consumption.
When I was putting up my hub in the kitchen, I was able to tuck it away to the side of the cupboard with relative ease.
The finest thing is that its compact size has no impact on its overall performance. The signal strength and throughput performance are both excellent.
Even if the range isn’t the most broad, you may make up for it by adding additional nodes. I had to acquire a couple of them in order to get rid of all of the dead zones.
The method of configuring this mess router is likewise really straightforward. Furthermore, after the whole system was in place, I discovered no errors in the network configuration.
It also has Zigbee technology and an integrated Alexa to assist you in controlling your Internet of Things devices without the need to purchase separate smart home hubs, making them simple to use.
Fortunately, Eero Tech Support understood what they were doing and assisted me in optimising the network for my regular workload.
Wi-Fi 6 router purchasing isn’t much different from shopping for any other networking gear. Only two critical questions need to be answered in order to understand the jargon.
To begin, what kind of internet connection and gadgets will you be using? Second, how much insurance do you need for your home?
Wi-Fi 6 is better for high-speed connections than 802.11ac because of the newer standard’s increased throughput. Gigabit internet services, which may be available in your region, are particularly well-suited to it.
However, even average broadband speeds will benefit from Wi-Fi 6, as the standard offers better efficiency for sharing your bandwidth among many devices.
Similarly, if you want to get the most out of Wi-Fi 6, you should use laptops and cellphones that have Wi-Fi 6 built in. As long as you have an earlier Wi-Fi-enabled gadget, you should be able to use the new standard. But if you don’t, you won’t be able to take use of some of its capabilities, such as longer battery life for linked devices.
A Wi-Fi 6 router is the greatest method to ensure that your home network is ready for the future, since most modern laptops, desktops, cellphones, and tablets have Wi-Fi 6 capabilities, and some even support Wi-Fi 6e.
Finally, pricing is the most important consideration for many consumers when making purchasing selections. A few reasonably priced Wi-Fi 6 devices are available, and some even support Wi-Fi 6e.
Despite the fact that many Wi-Fi 6 products cost $300 or more, there are solutions in both standalone and mesh devices that are less expensive. While Wi-Fi 6 does provide many of the advantages of Wi-Fi 5, it does so at a lower device handling and coverage level. For for $150, you can get a good Wi-Fi 6 standalone router, and a mesh system costs less than $300.
If you have a satellite or a node installed outdoors, then the Wi-Fi will work outdoors.
In addition to all the benefits, the only downside to a mesh network is the additional cost that comes with it.
You can create a mesh system without replacing the hardware already available at home by connecting it to a second router via ethernet cables. This process is more tedious and will birth inconsistencies in the network.