STACK #229 November 2023

SMART HOME

TECH FEATURE

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MAKING A MESH continued

OUR TOP PICKS

Does a Wi-Fi mesh network sound like exactly what you need? Here are a few of our favourite kits. eero 6+ Dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 Speed: up to 2.4 Gbps Range: 420m2 Connected devices: 75+ This affordable mesh network will serve households looking for a simple solution to their Wi-Fi connection. It’s simple to set up through the eero app, which also works as a smart home hub for all your devices. If you need to expand your network later, extra eero products can easily be added.

HOME HUB Many mesh networks bring everything into one app, like Google Home, for easy control over all devices on the network. You can set routines and even trigger them from your phone when you’re out of the house – ten minutes away from home? Tell the front porch light and the air-con to turn on ready for you. TOP TIPS To get the most out of your mesh network: Place the Wi-Fi points strategically around the house, where they’ll be most useful. Think about where the family will most often be going online, or where dropouts always happen. For devices that chew through huge amounts of data, like game consoles, you can get more consistent speeds by going old school and plugging them into ports on routers and Wi-Fi points. Regularly check your network. You could find old devices you no longer need taking up space and data, or unauthorised devices trying to get in.

Asus ZenWifi XD6 Dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 Speed: 5.4 Gbps Range: 500m2 The perfect middle ground between simple and advanced,

the Asus ZenWifi XD6 can be set up in just three easy steps, but offers a depth of advanced networking features for more experienced users to tinker with. Built-in VPN tech lets you browse the internet as though you’re anywhere in the world, saving you from third-party VPN subscriptions.

Netgear Orbi RBK863S AX6000 Tri-band, Wi-Fi 6/6E Speed: 6 Gbps/10.8 Gbps Range: 740m2/835m2 Connected devices: 100/200

The ultimate mesh network for power users, the Netgear Orbi squeezes the most out of the best Wi-Fi connections available now – and it’s ready

for the future as well. The internet port can allow up to 10Gbps connections, a blazing speed that’s only just becoming available for business use in some Australian cities, and will likely be years away yet for normal consumers. In the meantime, the Wi-Fi 6 model is ready for right now, providing speeds of up to 6Gbps across 100 different devices covering an area of up to eight rooms. The Wi-Fi 6E model takes things even further, tapping a third band to boost the area and double the number of devices that can connect at once.

18 NOVEMBER 2023

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