Mesh WiFi versus wired access points for Kent homes

The problem with one router

A router is designed to cover a flat. Put it in the hallway of a Kent semi with brick walls, a first floor and an extension, the layout we see most in Canterbury and Maidstone, and the signal that reaches the back bedroom is a fraction of what the broadband can deliver. Boosters and mesh units repeat that weak signal, so the speed halves each hop.

What mesh does well and badly

Mesh is quick to set up and fine in an open plan flat. In a house, each unit talks to the last one over WiFi, so the far end of the chain is slow, and every device on the network shares that relay. Streaming in the loft while someone games in the lounge is where it falls over.

Wired access points

An access point is a small ceiling mounted WiFi transmitter with a Cat6 cable back to the router. Two or three of them, one per zone, give every room the full broadband speed on one network name, and your phone moves between them without dropping. That is what hotels, offices and schools use. It is not expensive any more.

What it costs to run cables

Less than people expect. Cat6 goes through the loft and down a wall, and the hole in the ceiling is the size of a smoke alarm. A three access point house is a day's work.

Before you buy anything

Run a speed test in the worst room and note the number. Then book the free WiFi survey. We walk the house with a meter and show you where the signal really goes. If the house is being renovated, read first fix cabling for renovations first, because cables before plaster cost a fraction of cables after.