Should I buy a mesh router for my PS4?
Best answer: If you're having trouble with Wi-Fi connections throughout your house, especially on your gaming consoles, a mesh router is a great investment to fix the issue.
Mesh networks: Netgear Orbi WiFi Router ($200 at Amazon)
What is a mesh home network?
To put it simply, mesh networking is a way for information to pass through several nodes that are directly connected to one another. A mesh Wi-Fi router and its satellites therefore act as extenders that allow you to get better Wi-Fi signals encompassing a larger area.
Why would I need it for gaming?
Typical routers often have "dead zones" within homes where the Wi-Fi signals do not reach like in rooms farther away from the router. If your router is downstairs and you have your PlayStation 4 upstairs, this can lead to connection issues when you're playing online multiplayer or even streaming movies. A mesh network with a router such as Orbi eliminates these dead spots and provides reliably Wi-Fi to everywhere in your house.
Can't I just use an Ethernet cable?
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Sure, you could, but some people prefer to connect their devices via Wi-Fi. Plus, you can't exactly have dozens of Ethernet cables plugged into one router. If you're the type of person who has a lot of electronics and a big house, a mesh network system is a smart way to go.
Jennifer Locke has been playing video games nearly her entire life. You can find her posting pictures of her dog and obsessing over PlayStation and Xbox, Star Wars, and other geeky things.