Wi-Fi dead spots at home — when does mesh make sense?

Your router is in the hallway, but in the bedroom or home office the signal is barely usable. Video calls drop, downloads crawl. You have more options than you think — and not every solution is equally smart.

Why do you have dead spots?

Wi-Fi signal weakens because of:

• Distance — every extra metre costs signal strength
• Walls and floors — concrete, metal and thick walls dampen the signal significantly
• Interference — neighbours, microwaves and wireless devices on the same channel
• Outdated router — older routers broadcast on 2.4 GHz and have limited range on busy channels

Option 1: Repeater or Wi-Fi extender

A repeater picks up the existing signal and rebroadcasts it. Cheap (€30–60) and easy to install.

Downside: the repeater creates a second network, or connects on the 2.4 GHz band. Your devices don’t automatically switch to the strongest point. In practice you’re often still connected to the router even when you’re closer to the repeater.

Good for: one room that needs a bit more coverage, few devices.

Option 2: Powerline adapter

A powerline adapter sends the network signal through your home’s electrical wiring. You plug one adapter into a socket near your router, the other in the room where you want better connection — and connect it with a cable or a Wi-Fi access point.

Advantage: stable connection, not affected by wall thickness. Downside: works less well in older electrical installations or when the two adapters are on different circuits.

Option 3: Mesh network

A mesh system consists of multiple nodes that together form one large network. Your devices seamlessly switch from node to node without you changing network.

Popular brands: Eero (Amazon), TP-Link Deco, Netgear Orbi, Google Nest WiFi.

Advantages:

• One network name (SSID) throughout the home
• Automatic roaming — your phone always connects to the strongest point
• Central management app for all nodes

Disadvantages:

• Higher price (€150–400 for a starter set)
• Nodes communicate with each other via Wi-Fi (wireless backhaul), unless you connect them with cable — with cable it works much better

When is mesh the smartest choice?

Mesh is worth it if:

• You have a multi-storey house or large home (150m²+)
• You work from home and need a stable connection in multiple rooms
• You have many devices (phones, tablets, smart TV, smart speakers)
• You’re tired of switching networks or constantly reconnecting

For a small home or apartment, a good router in a central location is sometimes simply the better choice — before investing in mesh.

Practical advice

Before buying hardware, check this:

1. Is your router in a good spot? Central, elevated, not in a cupboard. That alone often makes a big difference.
2. Are you using 5 GHz? Close to the router, 5 GHz is much faster. On 2.4 GHz you have more range but less speed.
3. Is your router outdated? Routers 5+ years old sometimes don’t support Wi-Fi 5 or 6 — a new router solves more than a repeater.

Need help?

Wi-Fi issues can be stubborn. If you’re unsure which solution fits your situation, I can look along remotely and give a concrete recommendation — without you having to guess at expensive hardware.

Experiencing general connectivity problems in your home office? Start with solving Wi-Fi problems step by step.