You’ve just installed the fastest Internet connection available to you, but the signal still won’t reach your upstairs bedroom. Frustrating, right? Before you throw your Internet router out the window, you might want to read up on whole home, Wall-to-Wall WiFi coverage. Whole home WiFi might be the solution to all your connectivity problems. Learn about this innovative Internet system and whether or not it’s right for your home.

 

What is Whole Home WiFi?

Whole home WiFi, also known as mesh WiFi or Wall-to-Wall WiFi, is a system that extends WiFi coverage throughout an entire home or building by using multiple wireless access points. It is designed to eliminate WiFi dead zones and provide a seamless and reliable Internet connection in every room.

 

How Does Whole Home WiFi Work?

In a traditional WiFi setup, a single wireless router is responsible for transmitting the WiFi signal. However, the range of a single router is often limited, and obstacles like walls and floors can weaken the signal, resulting in dead zones where the WiFi coverage is poor or non-existent.

Whole home WiFi systems address this issue by using multiple access points that communicate with each other to create a mesh network. These access points, or nodes, are strategically placed throughout the home, and they work together to provide a unified WiFi network. Each node acts as a router, extending the network coverage and ensuring that devices can connect to the access point with the strongest signal.

The nodes in a whole home WiFi system communicate with each other wirelessly, forming a mesh network. This means that devices can move around the house without losing Internet connection, as they automatically switch to the node with the best signal strength.

This is a significant benefit over traditional WiFi range extenders. These extenders don’t guarantee even signal coverage across the home, and while they are able to switch focus to another router if one is available, they are only able to do so when the signal from the original is dead. With a WiFi range extender, the device you’re using could be closer to a router in your home, but not connected to it, making your internet experience unpredictable.

Additionally, whole home WiFi systems often come with companion mobile apps that allow users to easily set up and manage their network. These apps provide features like network monitoring, device prioritization, parental controls, scheduled Internet breaks, and guest access management.

 

5 Benefits of Whole Home WiFi

Wall-to-Wall WiFi is extremely beneficial for all types of households. Here are five major benefits of whole home WiFi.

1. Seamless Connectivity

One of the main benefits of whole home WiFi is the seamless connectivity it provides. With multiple access points strategically placed throughout your home, you can enjoy a consistent and strong WiFi signal in every room. This eliminates dead zones and ensures that you can connect to the Internet from any part of your home without interruptions or drops in signal strength.

2. Expanded Coverage

Traditional WiFi routers have limited coverage, especially in larger homes or buildings with multiple floors. Whole home WiFi systems extend the coverage range by using multiple access points so you can have reliable WiFi access in every corner of your home, including basements, attics, and outdoor spaces. This means better support for smart home security devices like doorbell cameras, window sensors, and more.

When a Shentel technician visits your home to set up your service, they’ll evaluate the WiFi signal generated throughout your house and help determine how many access points are needed. We certify coverage to your entire house before we leave.

3. Flexibility and Mobility

With a whole home WiFi system, you can move freely around your home without experiencing network disruptions. The system creates a mesh network, allowing your devices to seamlessly switch between access points as you move from room to room. Whether you're streaming a movie, video conferencing, or playing online games, you can do so without worrying about losing connection or experiencing lag.

This is in contrast to the linear extenders used by some providers. When using linear extenders to expand your WiFi network, your device will only switch routers when it has completely lost signal from the previous one. A mesh network will constantly seek out and connect to the highest router signal to provide an optimal user experience.

4. Enhanced Performance

Wall-to-Wall WiFi often utilizes advanced technologies like beamforming, which focuses the WiFi signal directly toward connected devices. This results in improved performance and faster speeds. Mesh networks also allow for two-way simultaneous data traffic, whereas traditional in-home networks do not. Traditional linear extenders have to switch between uploading and downloading data, which can effectively cut your Internet speeds in half.

Two-way simultaneous data traffic allows Wall-to-Wall WiFi systems to maximize performance and provide you with the best speeds possible. Additionally, some systems have dedicated backhaul channels, ensuring that the communication between the access points doesn't interfere with the bandwidth available to your devices.

5. Easy Setup and Management

Most whole home WiFi systems come with user-friendly mobile apps or web interfaces that simplify the setup and management of your network. These apps guide you through the installation process, help you determine optimal access point placement, and provide tools for monitoring and managing your network. You can often manage parental controls, guest access, and device prioritization directly from the app, making it convenient to customize and control your WiFi network according to your preferences.

 

Do I Need Whole Home WiFi?

Whole home WiFi can eliminate all sorts of connectivity problems and improve signals throughout your home – but is it really what you need? Here are some reasons why Wall-to-Wall WiFi may be right for your household.

 

Your Home Has Multiple Floors

You don’t have to have a 30,000-square-foot estate to benefit from Wall-to-Wall WiFi. If you have a home with multiple floors that see frequent use, such as a finished basement or attic, whole home WiFi could be incredibly beneficial. Walls and flooring can weaken your WiFi signal in these places, making it difficult to access the Internet on even a basic level.

When a Shentel technician comes to your home, they will evaluate the signal strength throughout. If you don’t need multiple routers, they won’t install them, but our techs will guarantee your WiFi coverage is strong. This ensures you are able to stream videos and music, run smart devices like sensors and security cameras, and more, anywhere in the home.

 

You Have a Large Family

These days, everyone is online, whether they’re browsing social media, online shopping, gaming, or working. That means every member of your family needs access to the Internet, from your kids to your mother-in-law that just moved in. Wall-to-Wall WiFi makes it easy for everyone to access the Internet without interruptions or experiencing dead zones.

 

You Work from Home

With roughly 26% of Americans currently working from home, a fast and reliable home WiFi connection has never been more important. Whole home WiFi is the perfect solution for remote work as it provides steady, reliable connectivity so you can work anywhere in your home, whether that’s your home office, your bedroom, or your sofa.

Learn more: Best Work from Home Internet Speed

 

You Want to Stay on the Cutting Edge

As technology continues to advance, the demand for a robust and reliable WiFi network will only increase. Investing in a whole home WiFi system ensures that your home is prepared for the growing number of smart devices, streaming services, and bandwidth-intensive applications that will be part of our daily lives.

Wall-to-Wall WiFi is also scalable, allowing you to add more access points as needed. This makes it suitable for growing homes, whether that means growing by family members or by actual square footage.

 

Enjoy Limitless Connectivity with Whole Home WiFi

Overall, whole home WiFi offers amazing benefits such as seamless connectivity, expanded coverage, flexibility, enhanced performance, and easy management, providing a reliable and efficient WiFi experience throughout your home. No more dead zones, no more buffering.

At Shentel, we’re all about keeping your family connected, which is why we offer Wall-to-Wall whole home WiFi services for homes just like yours. Enjoy full-coverage, high-speed Internet throughout your home that you can control on a convenient mobile app.

Sign up for whole home WiFi from Shentel →