It’s easy to set up, has a well-designed and feature-packed app and can offer fantastic coverage. That’s because, unlike most other mesh systems, the Deco P9 uses a combination of mesh Wi-Fi and
Powerline networking which uses your home’s mains wiring to provide a reliable connection even through thick walls, which is something other systems can’t do much about.

It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi 5 system, but technically it’s tri-band because it can use Powerline for ‘backhaul’, which means the mesh units can talk to each other even if they’re further apart than Wi-Fi allows.

While it was originally available only in a set of three offering up to 6000 square feet of coverage, TP-Link has since launched a two-unit set ideal for smaller homes.

If you want a mesh Wi-Fi system that doesn’t depend on Wi-Fi for the units to communicate with each other, the Deco P9 is ideal.

The D-Link Covr X1800 mesh Wi-Fi system offers fast Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with strong, reliable performance.

It doesn’t use Powerline, though, so may not perform as well as TP-Link’s Deco P9 if your home is constructed with thick walls or lots of metal which can hamper Wi-Fi signals. 

The D-Link Wi-Fi app has plenty of features and is fairly easy to use. Like many, the parental controls are ok but not a replacement for good parental control software.

You might think Wi-Fi 6 is considerably faster than Wi-Fi 5, but speeds are similar between this and the Deco P9. You’ll only see real benefits if you have multiple Wi-Fi 6 devices, which is why we’re happy to continue to recommend Wi-Fi 5 mesh routers for the moment as most households still have very few Wi-Fi 6 devices.

We were impressed with the original Eero system, but this is Amazon’s Wi-Fi 6 version – hence the 6 in the name. It’s a dual-band kit, and if you want better performance there’s the Eero 6 Pro which is a tri-band system.

The Eero 6 has a Zigbee hub built in, which could be handy if you have Philips Hue or other Zigbee-based smart home devices.

Note that the satellites in the kit aren’t identical to the main router: they don’t have any Ethernet ports (unlike the original Eero) which could be a deal-breaker if you need to connect a PC or any other device that doesn’t have Wi-Fi.

Assuming that’s not a problem, the Eero 6 is just as impressive as the original, with a great app and easy setup. Of course, performance is also excellent, though you’ll need devices with Wi-Fi 6 to get the best speeds from the system.

The original Wi-Fi 5-based Eero system is still on sale and is cheaper, and a good alternative if you don’t need Wi-Fi 6 yet – or Zigbee.

If there’s one drawback, it’s the fact some features are locked away behind a subscription. We hope other mesh systems don’t adopt this model.

Although the app could be a bit slicker, we really have no complaints about the Linksys Velop dual-band. Especially now that you can buy it for significantly less than what it cost when it originally launched, and it was already a lot cheaper than the expensive Velop tri-band.

Via the app you can manage the network, enable guest Wi-Fi and create basic access rules to limit internet time for specific devices. 

It provides a reliable wireless network with decent speeds that should satisfy most families. And each of the units has two Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting devices that don’t have Wi-Fi.

It doesn’t have any built in ‘smart hub’ like some mesh kits, meaning you can’t use it to connect Philips Hue bulbs or other Zigbee or Z-Wave devices.

Another entry-level Wi-Fi 6 mesh system, Netgear’s Nighthawk is simple to set up and use, and its reach can be expanded by adding more satellites.

Also like the Eero 6 and D-Link Covr, this is a dual-band system that lacks an additional 5GHz third band for communication, so isn’t as fast as Netgear’s tri-band Orbi system (which is also a lot more expensive). Some users will find the lack of Ethernet ports limiting, but at least there is one on each satellite, unlike the Eero 6.

Like the Eero 6, security software runs on the routers themselves, protecting all your devices – even those that can’t have software installed, such as smart speakers or security cameras. Unfortunately, when the initial period expires you have to subscribe to keep the protection.

Overall, the Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6 System is an effective way to pipe Wi-Fi 6 around your home.

The MW3 is the cheapest mesh networking system we’ve reviewed. It has dropped in price since it was launched, making it a very tempting option for those on a tight budget.

As you’d expect, it can’t match the performance of more expensive rivals, but it still does a great job of delivering a strong Wi-Fi connection and eliminating dead zones around your home. Obviously, it doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6, but instead Wi-Fi 5, which is still perfectly good for streaming video, playing games and other internet activities.

That makes it a terrific bargain if you just need to provide a good internet connection around an average-size home, rather than have the ultimate Wi-Fi speeds.

The current version of Google’s mesh Wi-Fi system has evolved quite considerably. The main unit (and additional ‘points’) are also smart speakers with the Google Assistant, so this mesh system will save you if you were planning to buy one or more Google Nest speakers, along with using fewer mains outlets and you have fewer devices littered around your home.

If there’s a disappointment it’s that the kit doesn’t support the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, but Nest WiFi is plenty fast enough for the average home and will improve signal around even smaller house vs a regular router.

Of course, you also get great Google software which makes the whole process simple and easy to use. Not only it is a breeze to get set up, but the features are accessible and helpful including a guest network, priority devices and parental controls. You can even pause the network with your voice via the Google Assistant.

The original Eero system is simple, elegant and works well. It’s also easy to set up and monitor using the companion app.

Wireless speeds are respectable, though if you want something a little faster, then a tri-band Eero Pro system might be just the ticket.

Gamers, home office workers or anyone with a lot of devices that work better with a wired connection will find the two Ethernet ports per Eero very useful (and you can add more with an inexpensive Ethernet hub). Plus, most people will be happy with the wide-ranging wireless coverage the system delivers.

The Devolo Mesh Wi-Fi 2 kit offers the best of both worlds in terms of home networking. Devolo calls it a ‘tri-band’ system because it uses Powerline – the latest G.hn standard – to communicate between adapters. That means you can plug in adapters much further apart than Wi-Fi would allow, so it’s ideal for larger homes or those with particularly thick walls or constructions that block Wi-Fi signals.

Unlike the previous Magic 2 kit, each adapter in the Mesh Wi-Fi 2 kit is identical, and all have Wi-Fi.

But they are essentially the same as the Magic 2 units, and you can use individual Magic 2 adapters to expand the system if you need more than three Wi-Fi hotspots.

You don’t even lose a mains socket as each device has a pass-through socket as well as two Ethernet ports for connecting PCs or other devices without Wi-Fi. 

Despite not offering Wi-Fi 6, this kit will cost a similar amount to those that do. We’re not the biggest fans of the app, either, as it isn’t particularly nice to use and doesn’t offer all that many features. However, if you’re after a mesh system for a larger home, this one really delivers.

The Eero Pro 6 is easy to set up and reliable in use. Performance is very good, but not amazing considering how expensive it is. If you have Gigabit broadband, you’ll want to look elsewhere to get that speed over Wi-Fi.

The app is great, but Eero puts too many features behind a paywall and doesn’t include enough ‘pro’ features.

If you don’t mind the cost, have lots of Wi-Fi 6 devices already and don’t need the full Gigabit speeds, the Eero Pro 6 is a great mesh system. But for most people right now, the extra cost isn’t worth it.