The key to successful Wi-Fi coverage is simplicity

Delivering stable and reliable Wi-Fi is all about getting the Wi-Fi solution right from the start. A simple set-up with a strong 8x8 router reduces complexity and can easily do the job, covering all corners of the home with powerful Wi-Fi. Mesh solutions are popular, but are they the right choice? It depends. Mesh solutions should only be used  when a single router solution does not suffice. In reality, this only applies for approximately
10 percent of all homes. 

With their best intention to deliver high-performing Wi-Fi services, many ISPs offer mesh solutions with multiple devices installed in the home.

At first glance, a mesh solution can seem an ideal way of ensuring coverage in the entire home.
However, Erik Søe-Pedersen, SVP Sales at Icotera, points to the fact that mesh extenders make in-home installations more complex and reduce throughput over time: 

"It is not a question of either-or. Rather, it is a matter of only applying extenders when they provide the best solution.”  - Erik Søe-Pedersen, SVP Sales, Icotera.

Simply explained, Wi-Fi extenders work like a walkie-talkie system. An extender is not capable of receiving a signal from a router and transmitting it to connecting devices at the same time. This means that total throughput is cut by 50% every time a "hop" is added by a Wi-Fi extender. This in turn reduces performance in the home.


Download our Quick guide A powerful 8x8 router here 

Erik Søe-Pedersen continues: 

– At worst, adding Wi-Fi extenders may create problems instead of solving them, causing ISPs to end up in a vicious spiral of poor performance, dissatisfied end-users, and excessive use of expensive support resources, he argues.

Strive for simplicity

His advice is to limit the number of devices in the in-home installation by applying a router powerful enough to cover the entire home in the first place:

– With today’s advanced router technologies, it is possible to cover 90% of all homes with one high-end 8x8 router.  Here, you’ll have eight antennas transmitting and eight antennas receiving, all working independently to increase the throughput for nearby devices. This means you can ensure optimal performance and coverage with a simple solution, Erik Søe-Pedersen says.

Not a question of either-or

Erik Søe-Pedersen’s arguments about powerful 8x8 routers might seem like swimming against the tide in an industry that tends to perceive mesh solutions as the cure to all coverage problems. 

It is not that simple.

The SVP Sales argues that the mesh discussion cannot be reduced to a question about whether ISPs should apply Wi-Fi extenders or not.

– It is not a question of either-or. Rather, it is a matter of only applying extenders when they provide the best solution. On average, this applies to just 8-10 percent of all households, and therefore there is no need to go for a mesh solution as your standard solution in every home, Erik-Søe Pedersen says, and adds: 

– In large homes, typically with +200 square meters or 3-4 floors, Wi-Fi extenders are unavoidable. At Icotera, we also develop high-end Wi-Fi extenders for situations like these. It is always a matter of investing in a solution that meets your end-users’ needs in a way that is also profitable to your business. If your customer portfolio primarily consists of large households, installing mesh solutions makes sense. But this is only the case for very few ISPs, he ends. 

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