With rumors of Apple leaving the Wi-Fi router game, attention is turning to next-generation alternatives. Namely, mesh networks that offer easier setup and better coverage than the single routers — and bridging them — of yore. But of the three leading contenders, eero, Ubiquiti's AmpliFi, or Netgear's Orbi, is best for you?
Dave Hamilton, writing for Mac Observer:
I've tested three currently-available mesh offerings: eero, Netgear's Orbi and Ubiquiti's AmpliFi. While they all solve the same problem in basically the same way, they each have strengths and weaknesses. If you're finished reading and just want to buy, my TL;DR advice is that, at this very moment, I feel like Eero is the best product to recommend to most users. That said, it's worth watching what Netgear does with Orbi over the next six months. If they keep adding features to it, Orbi could easily take the lead due to its tri-band Wi-Fi hardware. Still, even today Orbi or AmpliFi might be right for you, and I've listed more than a few points of comparison to help you make your choice. For those details… read on!
I went in considering both AmpliFi and eero, now I'm leaning towards the latter. And though I have privacy concerns, others might want to consider Google's new Google Wifi system as well.
My colleague, Jerry Hildenbrand, recently reviewed it for Android Central:
I heartily recommend Google Wifi to anyone looking for a way to cover their whole house with a network connection. But I also can recommend the Amplifi system and have plans to look at what Eero and Luma have to offer. I can't say one is any better than the other, but I can tell you that each is a good choice. This is a good place to be, where we have a choice of products that work the way we expect them to work. If you're deeply tied into the Google ecosystem, go with Google Wifi for a multi-device setup. You'll like the On.Here integration for connected devices, and the Zigbee and BLE radios mean more functionality may be coming, though we heard that before with OnHub and it didn't materialize.
Either way, if mesh is your next network step, give Dave and Jerry a read and let me know which system you're getting.
