Get in on the mesh action for less than $100
Budget smart home king Wyze has announced its first-ever mesh Wi-Fi routers – the Wyze Mesh Router and Wyze Mesh Router Pro.
Sticking with the company’s affordable ethos, the former will start at just $93.99 and is available from this month, while the Pro model will be available for $173.99 when it arrives in January.
The standard Wyze Mesh Router features dual-band Wi-Fi 6 support, while the more advanced model is able to tap into trip-band Wi-Fi 6E, which should allow faster speeds and connectivity with more devices.
Naturally, though the cheaper variant appears to be a great way to get in on the ground floor with a whole-home Wi-Fi solution, it’s the Pro model that has a bit more about it. In fact, it should enter the field as the cheapest well-known mesh router to support Wi-Fi 6E.
At least looking at the spec sheet, it seems like a fairly good offering, as well. A router comes with both a 2.5Gbps and 1Gbps Ethernet port, with Wyze indicating that each individual router can cover 2,000 square feet and connect up to 75 devices.
With the regular Wyze Mesh Router, which is also available for $173.99 as a two-pack, the 2.5Gbps Ethernet port appears to have been discarded, while the coverage also drops to 1,500 square feet per router. It’s also available in white, whereas the Pro model only comes in a black finish.
The only thing we don’t really know about either of these routers is any potential to act as a Thread border router, or, indeed, how they fit into the Matter landscape, though we do at least know from the Wyze CEO that future products will be compliant – even if older devices won’t be.
If you’re baffled by all that, check out our comprehensive guide to Wi-Fi mesh systems and, while you’re at it, have a read up on exactly what Wi-Fi 6 is.
