The short answer is no. All Wi-Fi routers—any radio broadcasters or receivers, for that matter—have antennas. If you don’t see them, that’s because they are hidden inside or blended into the device’s other hardware. The antennas convert data signals into radio waves and vice versa. Without them, there’s no Wi-Fi. Generally, you only need to keep these little poles vertical. And that’s likely all you need to know about them. If you want to learn more about this topic, check out my Wi-Fi dBi and high-gain antennas post.
If you think the best Wi-Fi router to get today is one that supports Wi-Fi 7, you’d be both predictable and wrong. Believe it or not, the best Wi-Fi router to get is a non-Wi-Fi router. The latest Wi-Fi standard is excellent, but keep in mind that Wi-Fi 8 is now on the horizon. So, in a year or so, Wi-Fi 7 will no longer be the “best”. To avoid this type of “forced” obsolescence, it’s best to get a standard non-Wi-Fi router, yes, a router without Wi-Fi. Top 5 best non-Wi-Fi Routers
NameUbiquiti Cloud Gateway Fiber (UCG-Fiber)’s RatingUbiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max)’s RatingUbiquit
Needless to say, when you don’t need or want Wi-Fi, a non-Wi-Fi router is a fitting option. However, the point here is that such a router remains an excellent choice even when you want Wi-Fi. Let me explain! Technically, a Wi-Fi router is a standard router that includes an access point (WAP) in the same hardware box—the latter broadcasts Wi-Fi signals. This convenient design works well when: You only need one Wi-Fi access point, which is ideal when you live in a relatively small home, and
You can place it in the ideal spot within your home for optimal coverage—often at the center. The problem
Does a mesh system have more bandwidth and client support than a single router?
No. Or, at least, not necessarily. You can find out more about mesh systems in this detailed post, but generally, the acceptable total number of active devices depends on the mesh’s hardware and how you set it up. Similar to a switch, each mesh point has its own Wi-Fi bandwidth. However, all devices connected to a mesh unit share a single backhaul uplink to the network. Backhaul vs. fronthaul
When you use multiple Wi-Fi access points—in a mesh Wi-Fi system or a combination of a Wi-Fi router and an extender—there are two types of connectivity: fronthaul and backhaul.
Fronthaul (or downlink) is