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What is mesh Wi-Fi?

In one sentence: Several Wi-Fi boxes around a home that pass the signal between them, so far rooms get a strong signal too.

A little more

One router can't always reach every corner of a home, especially through thick walls. A mesh system adds extra units around the house that talk to each other and act as one network with one name, passing your data along to the main router.

Placement matters: each unit has to hear the previous one clearly, so put boosters halfway, not in the room that already has no signal.

See it in action

  1. 7Why does Wi-Fi get weaker through walls?Build a little house, drag the router around and watch the Wi-Fi signal spread room by room.7 min · interactive
  2. BonusWhy does the video call freeze when you walk to the kitchen?A phone holds one Wi-Fi box's baton at a time, and the phone decides when to pass it on.7 min · interactive

Do it for real

Free grown-up tools and guides on Tooltern, our sister site. They work in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

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