Popular DIY Mesh Wi-Fi: Build 100% the Best System Today!

When it comes to home Wi-Fi systems, the first thing that comes to our mind is generally not a DIY mesh but one of the purposed-built options — or “canned” systems as I often call them.

Examples are Amazon’s eero, Google’s Nest Wifi, Netgear’s Orbi, and TP-Link’s Deco, etc. And in most cases, or to a certain extent, they will work.

But they all are often restrictive in one way or another or just too expensive. The good news is they are not your only options. There are much better alternatives for your hard-earned money.

You’ll find in this post four of the best do-it-yourself Wi-Fi mesh approaches that allow you to start with a standalone router and scale up the courage seamlessly.

Mesh Wi-Fi systems you can build yourself

It’s important to note that DIY mesh systems are not meant to be easy. In fact, ease of use is the most significant appeal of any canned system — the only reason why you should get one instead one of these mentioned here.

So all of the Wi-Fi ecosystems below will require some work. But making your own mesh Wi-Fi gives you the best control over the hardware and, hence, the performance, features, and, most importantly, the cost.

And in my experience, none of those below are too complicated. If you’re willing to spend some time and have enough interest, you’ll be able to figure one out. And knowing one likely means you’ll be able to take on the rest.

With that, here’s the list of the best DIY mesh Wi-Fi systems. I’ve been using all of them in various configurations and locations.

1. Asus’s AiMesh

AiMesh is by far the most popular in custom-built home mesh Wi-Fi systems thanks to the sheer number of available hardware — virtually all Asus Wi-Fi 6 and later routers support this feature.

Consequently, there are countless mesh combos, and since an Asus router generally has the most comprehensive network settings and features, AiMesh is also the most feature-rich.

AiMesh does have some shortcomings, the biggest among which is the likelihood that a new major firmware update might cause issues.

2. TP-Link Omada

Omada is a family business access point. You can use a controller to manage multiple units as a robust mesh Wi-Fi system.

This approach is standard in business and enterprise Wi-Fi applications, available in known brands such as Cisco’s Meraki, Netgear’s Insight Managed, or Ingenious’s Go-to Cloud.

What sets Omada apart is its affordability — the hardware tends to cost a third or even lower than similarly-specced equipment from competing vendors. For a large home, it’s generally cheaper to go with Omada than with any canned system.

On the downside, these are PoE access points, meaning you generally need to get your home wired first. You’ll also need an existing router — a boon for those with an ISP-provided gateway they can replace.

3. Synology Mesh

Synology Mesh is what I call the no-name feature that turns select Synology routers into a mesh system. This feature is similar to Asus’s AiMesh in terms of customizability and features.

You start with a standalone router and add more to increase the coverage.

On the one hand, Synology Mesh tends to be a lot more stable than AiMesh. On the other, it has only a few hardware options and currently no support for Multi-Gig wired backhauling.

4. Ubiquiti UniFi

UniFi is Ubiquiti’s enterprise family of hardware. It’s only relevant to home users, thanks to the release of the Dream Machine (UDM) and, subsequently, the Dream Router (UDR).

You can use either of the routers as the controller for a network and add an UniFi access point to scale up coverage.

An UniFi mesh system is excellent in reliability and features. However, it’s likely the one that requires the most networking know-how to figure out on this list. On top of that, it’s also limited in terms of hardware options.

The takeaway

Pick any of the options above, and you will get a mesh Wi-Fi system far better than any canned option of the same cost.

And the fact that you can say you built it yourself is a satisfying bonus.