HD Mesh Wi-Fi System

Nothing you said is wrong, but mesh networks in 2026 are a far cry from mesh networks of 2016. They can be solid and fast these days. The extra ms or so of latency doesn’t have any meaningful impact to most users. Get something with a dedicated 5GHz (or higher) backhaul. Even my Ubiquiti Amplifi from 6 years ago has this. I still go cat6 for my 4K video editing rig, but I have had zero problems working remotely or streaming or even gaming on a remote mesh point. Obviously quality matters. Don’t buy some fly-by-night Amazon GRJFIRAHLY brand.

I switched from Amplifi mesh to Linksys mesh several years ago and have been very happy with it. I put a tp-link ER605 switch/router in front of it to provide the vpn connectivity and boost my throughput.

I'm replacing my Amplifi system because Amplifi doesn't seem up to matching our new fiber capabilities. I tried Eero yesterday and it's not configurable to my network's IP scheme. I'm too lazy to reconfigure every device with a static IP. Got Deco this morning and it won't let me change the DNS to my Pi-hole. I also can't find how to create device groups for turning off network connections at specific times. I have an 11 y/o who thinks it's ok to get up in the middle of the night and watch TV all night.

WiFi extenders are better than nothing… but barely. You want a mesh system. And if at all possible you want to give the mesh nodes wired backhaul. Eero, Orbi, Amplifi, etc.

We just bought extra Starlink routers. Despite what I heard here about them I found them quite good, they all mesh together. You can also run a cable from one to another. We have a more complex system with 2 routers in the main house meshed by air (opposite sides of the house on the ground floor and the loft), then ubiquity nano beam, then 2 more routers connected by cable to cover our outbuildings. No problem. We tried amplify as a main router with Starlink router put in bypass mode, and for some reason the speed was less than 1/3-1/2 of what “native” Starlink integration gave us.