How Many Mesh Nodes Do You Need?

You’re ready to get a mesh network to improve your home wifi, but you’re not sure how big a network you need. And what exactly is “big”? Here are our rules of thumb.

Rule Of Thumb For Range Per Node

If you have concrete walls, expect the signals to pass through a maximum of two walls with reinforcement and one floor in each direction.

Small Mesh Network

Two mesh nodes, meaning two wireless devices connected as a single network, is the minimum required to have a mesh network. Many routers will advertise that they have mesh support built in, but you need to have more than the one device to make use of this.

Two nodes are sufficient for good coverage and capacity in many apartments and smaller houses, but as always with wifi, a lot also depends on the layout / floor plan and building materials.

Medium-Sized Mesh Network

In our experience, three mesh nodes are a good solution for many homes and a safe choice if you’re in doubt.

With three devices, you can set up triangular formations to work around large obstacles to wifi signals, such as bathroom modules made of metal, fireplaces and so on, and in larger houses, you get the option of placing nodes on multiple floors.

Larger Mesh Networks

When do you need a larger mesh network at home? We generally recommend four or more devices when:

• Your network will span several buildings, such as a garage, garden shed, or similar. Here, it is also a great advantage if you have wired network outlets, to avoid each node requiring wireless coverage from the main building.
• The home is very large, requiring full coverage and capacity in all rooms.
• The building is made of materials and/or has a layout that is particularly demanding for wifi.

Before You Buy

• If your current wifi solution comes from your internet provider, ask what they can offer in terms of upgrading to mesh / extending your network.
• In all cases, be sure to check what your router/gateway supports. If your router can be used as the main device in a mesh network, that’s one mesh device less for you to buy.