If you want to know which WiFi mesh system I bought before reading the rest of this article, I purchased three Google Nest WiFi mesh routers, returned them, and then purchased three Eero Pro WiFi mesh routers. I then purchased a fourth Eero Pro 6 WiFi mesh router.
I finally decided to upgrade my home’s WiFi system with access points after I got tired of listening to my wife complaining about the WiFi speed on her phone when she was streaming on Facebook and Instagram.
House Size And WiFi Needs
My house is 3,725 sq. ft. I have a 16 port switch sending ethernet cables to every room in my house. I need WiFi to reach every part of the inside and outside of my house on all sides and a 1,500 sq. ft. patio in the backyard.
I have 6 Deep Sentinel security cameras mounted on the outside. My Deep Sentinel cameras are monitored by live security guards at a central station and although hardwired for power, they use WiFi to stream video and sound (I believe they just came out with fully hardwired cameras which I will upgrade). My WiFi needs to reach all 6 cameras.
Additional security cameras include a Google Nest WiFi Hello Video Doorbell and several Google Nest IQ Cam security cameras in my garage and various places in my house.
Additional smart home WiFi devices include:
- Amazon Echo
- Numerous Lenovo 10″ Smart Displays with Google Assistant
- Honeywell Home Smart WiFi thermostats
- Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 16 Zone
- 6 Flo By Moen water leak detectors
Of course, my wife needs to be able to use her smartphone everywhere in and outside the house. My in-laws also live here in a separate wing of the house and they stream video calls to the Philippines.
Maximizing WiFi Mesh Speed
The reason for buying all mesh routers is because they are faster than using a mesh router with points. I also connected the mesh routers by plugging them into ethernet jacks so they are hardwired which is also faster.
Which WiFi Mesh System Should I buy?
I ordered three Google Nest WiFi mesh routers that I thought should cover the house. I installed the first Google Nest WiFi mesh router without a problem by connecting an ethernet cable from the modem to the Nest WiFi mesh router and another ethernet cable from the mesh router to my switch.
The problem was that I couldn’t get any of the Nest WiFi mesh routers to work when plugging into an ethernet jack connected to the switch. After a couple of hours on the phone with Google tech support, I was still unable to get the mesh routers to work. Google tech support concluded that I couldn’t plug their routers in an ethernet jack connected to a switch and would have to connect them to each other by WiFi. Final result? I returned the Nest routers.
I then purchased three Eero Pro WiFi mesh routers. All three Eero Pro WiFi mesh routers installed easily in minutes without any issues!
The WiFi speed on my Samsung Note 10+ smartphone is 99% of my hardwired WiFi speed on my desktop computer. The coverage is excellent throughout the house with the exception of my in-law’s wing which has a download speed of 75 mbps, so I purchased an Eero Pro 6 WiFi mesh router for that part of the house.