As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links.
Mesh WiFi for a two or three story house
Updated
Plan at least one node on every floor you use, then add nodes for floor area. A typical 2,500 sq ft two story house with drywall needs 3 nodes, so a 3-pack fits. A three story house needs at least 3 nodes even if it is small.
Floors block more signal than walls, so the per-floor rule comes first. Then we divide the total area by about 1,200 sq ft per node with drywall, 900 with plaster or mixed walls and 600 with brick or concrete. Whichever number is bigger wins. That is the same rule the node calculator uses.
Worked examples
| Home size | Floors | Walls | Nodes | What to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,800 sq ft | 2 | Drywall | 2 | A 3-pack covers it |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2 | Drywall | 3 | A 3-pack covers it |
| 3,600 sq ft | 2 | Drywall | 3 | A 3-pack covers it |
| 5,000 sq ft | 2 | Drywall | 5 | A 3-pack plus 2 add-on units |
| 2,400 sq ft | 3 | Drywall | 3 | A 3-pack covers it |
| 3,000 sq ft | 3 | Plaster or mixed | 4 | A 3-pack plus 1 add-on unit |
- 1800 sq ft on 2 floors (drywall)2 nodes
- 2500 sq ft on 2 floors (drywall)3 nodes
- 3600 sq ft on 2 floors (drywall)3 nodes
- 5000 sq ft on 2 floors (drywall)5 nodes
- 2400 sq ft on 3 floors (drywall)3 nodes
- 3000 sq ft on 3 floors (plaster or mixed)4 nodes
A large two story home of 5,000 sq ft comes out at 5 nodes. That is past what one 3-pack does well, so plan on add-on units of the same brand and, if you can, Ethernet between some of them.
Where the nodes go on each floor
- Main node: it has to sit near the modem. eero's support page points out that if you can move the modem out of the basement to a central spot, the whole network gets faster from that one change.
- Stack the nodes. Put the upstairs node roughly above the downstairs one, not at the far end of the house. Signal has to cross the floor, and a short, straight path through it is best.
- Height: eero advises about halfway between floor and ceiling. NETGEAR says table height. TP-Link says to keep satellites at the same height as the main Deco. None of them say the floor behind a couch.
- Three stories: the middle floor node does the most work. If you can run one Ethernet cable, run it from the main node to the top floor node.
TP-Link's backhaul guide calls wired backhaul a strong choice for multi-story homes, because the link between nodes then uses none of the WiFi your devices need.
Kits that fit
- TP-Link Deco X55 3-pack: three nodes, three Gigabit ports on each, wired backhaul supported. A fit for most two story homes on plans of 1 Gbps or less. Caveat: no 6 GHz band, and some owners report units failing within months.
- TP-Link Deco XE75 3-pack: its 6 GHz band links the nodes by default, which helps when you cannot run cable between floors. Caveat: 6 GHz is short range, so nodes need to sit closer together.
- NETGEAR Orbi 770: tri-band with what NETGEAR calls Enhanced Backhaul, aimed at large homes. Caveat: the listing shows a 1 year warranty, the shortest on our list.
See all six in the full comparison.