[thfuran]

>Mesh WiFi is a scam and it is just common sense that it is. If you have multiple network hops you use more frequencies, not less, you get more latency, not less, you get more packet loss, not less. How could it be any other way?

For one, the mesh back haul could use a different frequency band than the WiFi network. The cheapest WiFi extenders and mesh systems don't do this, but some do. But it still would be better to have wired back haul.

[PaulHoule]

In larger scale systems (say ham radio or commercial radio or cellular telephone) there is some network planning involved. A ham radio repeater on a mountaintop can “network” with another repeater 70 miles away if there is a good line of sight. Similarly cell phone towers use millimeter wave and other radio backhaul but once more there is a carefully planned line of site. That isn’t what is happening with mesh WiFi.

[thfuran]

Sure, they don't use bands requiring line of sight (though you can buy relatively cheap fast point to point wireless that's line of sight), but a mesh WiFi router that has 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz can reserve one for back haul.