Networking

Home networking problems are almost never about the headline speed on the box. They are about where the signal has to travel, how many walls are in the way, and whether the device in the far bedroom is holding the whole network back.

What actually matters

The specifications that change the answer

Whether you need mesh coverage or a single well-placed router
Wired backhaul availability, which outperforms wireless every time
Wi-Fi generation relative to the devices you actually own
Number of Ethernet ports, which mesh nodes frequently skimp on

What to skip

Wi-Fi 7 routers if none of your devices support it yet
Gaming routers sold on latency claims your connection cannot deliver
Extenders, which halve throughput and rarely fix the underlying problem

Published

Everything we have written on networking

A wireless router with antennas on a desk, with a laptop open nearby

Comparison Networking

Mesh vs a Single Router: Which Actually Fixes Your Dead Spot?

A mesh kit is not a bigger router — it is a different topology. Working out which problem you have decides which one to buy, and the answer is sometimes neither.

8 min read

A Wi-Fi router with antennas on a living room shelf

How-to Networking

How to Choose a Wi-Fi Router for Your Actual Home

Coverage, not speed, is what most households need. How to work out what your home requires before you look at a single product.

9 min read

A mesh Wi-Fi node on a shelf with network hardware and cables behind it

Review Networking

TP-Link Deco XE75 Review: Mesh Wi-Fi 6E for a House With Awkward Walls

A three-unit Wi-Fi 6E mesh kit that adds a 6GHz backhaul band. The extra radio is the interesting part, and how much it helps depends on your house.

8 min read

A network router with cables connected, sitting on a shelf at home

Comparison Networking

Wi-Fi 6E vs Wi-Fi 7: Is the Upgrade Real?

Wi-Fi 7 is faster on paper. Whether it is faster in your home depends on how many devices you own that can use it, and whether your internet plan can feed it.

8 min read

A Wi-Fi router on a shelf in a living room with a lamp beside it

Buying guide Networking

Mesh Wi-Fi Systems: Do You Actually Need One?

A mesh system solves a coverage problem, not a speed problem. How to tell which one you have before spending several hundred dollars on the wrong fix.

9 min read

Referenced products