If you live in a large home (around 3,000 square feet or more), and you suffer from weak Wi-Fi coverage or see sub-par speeds in parts of your house, a mesh system might be your best bet, as it ensures you're always close to an access point. Another benefit of a mesh system is the flexibility to place a satellite unit close to where you need the best connection, in case the location of your internet cable or fiber connection traps your router far away. However, a mesh system likely won't benefit you if you live in a smaller home or apartment. In our testing, we found that the speeds drop when connected to the satellite unit, so the speed penalty is only worth it when you're quite far from the main router. In that case, going with a better standalone router is a better option.