Say goodbye to WiFi not-spots: which mesh setup is right for your home?

Have you ever noticed your connection slowing down when you move from the living room to the kitchen? What about when you’re loading videos in an upstairs bedroom? Or how about when you’re trying to get work done in the office – how are those video calls holding up?

If you’ve ever experienced a weaker connection in different parts of the house, we know how frustrating that can be.

A standard router sitting in the hallway does a great job, but sometimes it can’t quite push a strong enough signal through thick walls and across multiple floors. And it’s a situation you’re probably all too aware of if you live in a large or older home.

Thankfully, there’s a solution that’s been designed for this exact situation.

What is mesh WiFi and who is it for?

We like a good analogy so here’s your one for today. Think of a standard router like a single lightbulb. Even if it’s really powerful, the light from it gets dimmer the further away you walk – and good luck getting any light from it on a different floor of the house.

WiFi isn’t that limited. Unlike the light from a bulb, it’ll do a pretty good job of traveling through doors, walls and windows. But every obstacle – and distance itself – makes the signal that little bit weaker. So just like that single lightbulb, it’s not ideal for large or complex spaces.

Mesh WiFi is a bit like putting smaller, linked lights all around the house. Instead of relying on one router to push a signal everywhere, a mesh setup uses a team of two or more devices (including your router) spread around your home. They connect to each other to blanket your home in strong, reliable WiFi.

A mesh setup is a perfect choice if you:

• Live in a larger house spread over multiple floors: When a single router can’t push your WiFi signal far enough, mesh devices act like those lightbulbs above to cover every corner of the house.
• Have an older property with thick internal walls: Solid brick and stone are a recipe for bad WiFi. Placing mesh devices smartly helps your signal get through and around these physical barriers.
• Want a solid connection in an extension or home office: These places are often the furthest points from your main router. A mesh setup brings the connection directly to your desk, so your video calls stay clear and stable.
• Have a busy household: Instead of one router trying to juggle multiple devices at once, a mesh system shares the load. This means everyone can stream and game wherever they are without worrying about the WiFi slowing them down.

Unlike old-fashioned WiFi boosters, a mesh system creates one single network. Your devices – like your phone or laptop – will automatically connect to the nearest mesh device. So you can walk from the living room to the loft, and your connection will stay strong without you having to do a thing.

So that’s mesh dealt with. But how do you know what’s right for you?

We offer two simple ways to get mesh WiFi set up in your home, depending on what else you need from your broadband package.

EveryRoom: the perfect partner when you need to make phone calls

If you’re on one of our up to 900 Mbps packages and using a FRITZ!Box router, EveryRoom is the easiest way to fix your not-spots.

It takes your existing Zen connection and pushes it to the hard-to-reach areas of your home. We send you an EveryRoom repeater, which pairs seamlessly with your router to stretch your signal further. The result is smooth streaming and browsing in every room, without you needing to upgrade to a completely new system. If you’re already a Zen customer, just get in touch with us to add EveryRoom to your broadband setup. Otherwise, you can add EveryRoom to your new Zen broadband service when you’re checking out.

One of the biggest advantages of going down the EveryRoom route is its compatibility with our Digital Voice service. If you want to be able to continue making and receiving home phone calls - but want the added benefit of mesh WiFi too - EveryRoom is the way to go. 

eero: the next level for advanced features and Full Fibre Max

If you have a busy home with lots of smart devices and heavy streamers, our Full Fibre Max packages are ideal.

These packages come with an eero device instead of a traditional router. eero is a smart, app-controlled system built specifically to handle high performance. If you need more coverage upstairs or in an extension, you simply add extra eero devices to build a powerful mesh network that’s perfectly suited to your home layout.

See if you can get Full Fibre Max at your home by entering your postcode here.

But you don't have to be a Full Fibre Max user to get yourself an eero device. If you're on an up to 900 Mbps full fibre connection you can grab an eero instead of the standard FRITZ!Box. If you're a new customer, getting your eero is as simple as adding it to your package during checkout. If you're an existing customer, get in touch and we'll be able to sort out an upgrade.

But why would you choose eero instead of EveryRoom? These modern devices feature a range of security features and additional benefits that make them the perfect partner for full fibre broadband. You can find out more about eero from Zen and discover why eero might be the right choice for your home here. Just remember that eero isn't compatible with Digital Voice. If phone calls aren't your thing, there's nothing stopping you, but if you still rely on your home phone, EveryRoom with a FRITZ!Box router is the smart choice.

Built-in peace of mind

Great WiFi should also be safe WiFi. One of the big benefits of the eero system is that it comes with strong security features built right in, giving you peace of mind that your home network is protected against everyday online threats.

If you want even more control, you can add eero Secure or eero Plus for advanced protection, content filtering, and ad blocking. You can read more about how to stay safer online with eero and eero Plus here.

Find the right fit for you

Whether you want to retain the ability to make and receive calls, or you're ready to enjoy the added features that eero offers, there’s a simple way to get reliable WiFi in every corner of your home.

Find out more about EveryRoom

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