Mesh Wi-Fi System Statistics

Mesh Wi-Fi systems are all the hype these days, but there is no surprise either. People hate Wi-Fi dead zones as much as they hate standing in a queue. In the last decade alone, the mesh Wi-Fi system market has seen incredible growth as well. How big is this industry, though? And what does the future look like? We have a few answers lined up as we cover some interesting mesh Wi-Fi system statistics.

Interesting Facts about Mesh Wi-Fi Systems

Are you new to mesh Wi-Fi systems? Here are some interesting facts about how they work:

• Mesh Wi-Fi systems consist of a central router accompanied by one or more nodes. All the nodes are connected to the router, and they create a single network per the combined coverage area.
• Because these nodes work together to create a single network, a mesh Wi-Fi system can offer various advantages, such as free roaming. That is, no matter where you are in a house, you can access Wi-Fi.
• Most Wi-Fi mesh systems in the market are packed with features like parental control, cybersecurity protection, device prioritization, VPN, etc. The setups are pretty customizable as well.
• Advanced mesh Wi-Fi systems come with a backhaul functionality, which lets users set up an Ethernet connection to one of the nodes. This backhaul setup helps increase speed and reliability a lot.
• Compared to alternative methods like Wi-Fi repeaters and extenders, mesh Wi-Fi systems are more reliable and offer better speeds.
• The scalability of mesh Wi-Fi systems is virtually unlimited, meaning that you can add as many nodes as you’d want to. This means you can have a small or large network that fits your needs.

• The adaptive routing functionality of a mesh Wi-Fi system improves the overall Wi-Fi experience by a long shot as it can choose the best band and path for data packets to travel through.
• Like many wireless technologies, mesh Wi-Fi systems were initially designed for enterprise use. In later years, they were brought to the residential sector.
• Although mesh Wi-Fi systems are known for improving speed and coverage, they often have negative impacts on latency as data has to travel through multiple nodes.
• Most Wi-Fi mesh systems out there are self-configuring and self-healing. This means users can quickly power on the router and the nodes, and everything else is clockwork.
• A mesh Wi-Fi system does not have to use Wi-Fi 6e or Wi-Fi 7. In fact, many of the Wi-Fi mesh routers you can find run using the Wi-Fi 5.
• Some mesh Wi-Fi systems ship with a dedicated backhaul band. This band is exclusively used by the router to communicate with the nodes and not for data transfer.
• The self-healing capacity of mesh Wi-Fi systems makes it possible for you to enjoy Wi-Fi access even if a node goes offline.
• TP-Link has made it possible to bring mesh Wi-Fi capabilities to regular routers, given that you get a Wi-Fi extender from the same company.
• Many mesh Wi-Fi nodes double as smart speakers, letting you save space and resources. The nodes you get from Google’s Nest Wi-Fi are a great example.

General Statistics for Mesh Wi-Fi System

Here are some interesting stats on the growth of mesh Wi-Fi systems:

1. The total market value of mesh Wi-Fi systems as of 2023 was $3.6 billion, and the numbers have seen steady growth in the last year as well. The adoption rate of mesh Wi-Fi systems has been quite high in most regions, including Europe and Asia-Pacific.
2. Market research predicts that the value of the market will reach a whopping $14 billion by 2033, thus marking a CAGR of 16%. However, the CAGR for subsegments such as the residential sector would be comparatively lower.
3. When it comes to the categorization of mesh Wi-Fi systems, devices using the 6GHz seem to grow at the highest speed, but 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands remain popular. The 6GHz band offers better speeds and latency at shorter distances.
4. Despite the growth of 6GHz and 5GHz bands, the 2.4GHz band will continue to be the norm for some years. This is primarily due to the improved compatibility the 2.4GHz band offers with IoT devices.
5. As of 2023, the 2.4GHz mesh Wi-Fi systems have the highest market share of 40%, whereas the other 60% is taken up by all other frequency-based sectors.
6. When we narrow things down to the home-based Wi-Fi mesh systems, the total market value is now at $3.69 billion and is projected to surpass the $6 billion mark by 2030.
7. The increasing adoption of smart home and IoT devices has been a major reason for the growth of the mesh Wi-Fi system market. Both residential and enterprise users are now moving towards Wi-Fi networks that can handle more devices without compromising speed or coverage.
8. Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Qualcomm, ABB, ZTE, Huawei, and Aruba Networks are some of the market leaders when it comes to the mesh Wi-Fi system market.
9. The mesh Wi-Fi system market is also quickly adopting the use of Wi-Fi 6e and Wi-Fi 7, preferring the two over Wi-Fi 5. More importantly, new mesh Wi-Fi routers also make use of AI for bandwidth and device control.
10. Like most other electronics markets, the mesh Wi-Fi system market is also driven by increasing needs for education, remote work, smart home devices, and entertainment.

Wireless Mesh Network Market Size and Share

We already mentioned how big the wireless mesh network market is. Here is what this market is made of:

• To recap, the total value of the global wireless mesh network market was capped at $9.08 billion as of 2024. It is projected that the number will surpass $10 billion by the end of 2025.
• Considering the increasing demand for wireless mesh networks and the market growth, researchers predict that the wireless mesh network market will be worth $16.66 billion by 2029.
• Studies also indicate that North America will have the largest market share, of 37%, by 2037, as the region is now seeing a surge in the demand for mesh systems.
• One factor preventing an expansive growth of the mesh Wi-Fi system is the initial costs that a user has to bear. However, most users are unaware of the long-term benefits of a mesh Wi-Fi system.
• The market for mesh Wi-Fi systems is one of the most competitive ones, with players like Huawei, Qualcomm, ZTE, and ABB making their strategic moves.

• Even though more enterprise customers are adopting mesh Wi-Fi systems, the residential segment continues to dominate the market. This segment consists of whole-home Wi-Fi systems.
• To address the major hindrance of upfront costs, brands like TP-Link have introduced low-cost Wi-Fi mesh routers, which are becoming more popular in regions including North America.
• Second to North America is the Asia-Pacific region in terms of the adoption rate of mesh Wi-Fi router models, as the demand for remote work and gaming is increasing.
• Governmental support of initiatives like smart cities and townships has also been driving the growth of the mesh Wi-Fi system market.
• Despite its advantages, mesh Wi-Fi systems continue to face challenges in the domain of security and interoperability, both of which are affected by the lack of standards.

Application of Mesh Wi-Fi

Mesh Wi-Fi systems are widely used in multiple sectors. Here are some popular applications of the same:

• The residential segment remains the most significant application of mesh Wi-Fi systems. Mesh Wi-Fi routers are most widely used in multi-story houses where a single router is not sufficient.
• The demand for mesh Wi-Fi systems is increasing in the residential segment primarily due to smart-home devices and the developing IoT culture.
• Home IT infrastructure is expected to contribute the most to the overall market value of mesh Wi-Fi systems by 2026.
• Smart cities, which are connected at deeper levels, are also known to make the best use of mesh Wi-Fi systems and other mesh networks. These networks allow seamless and reliable communication between devices, vehicles, and other entities in the city.

• It is estimated that the use of mesh communication networks in smart cities will add a huge amount of economic value to the world in the next decade.
• As industries and enterprise spaces are embracing automation, mesh networks have become the need of the hour. These networks allow devices/entities to communicate with each other and avoid risks.
•  Public safety systems are another popular application of Wi-Fi mesh systems. Because these systems cannot afford failures, a mesh system offers better redundancy and coverage.
• Schools and other educational institutions are also using mesh Wi-Fi systems to take advantage of their high coverage options and roaming. In these situations, network-wide collaboration is easier.
• Given the increasing popularity of satellite-based data and cellular services, satellites are also relying on mesh wireless systems to offer reliable options to customers.
• Many applications of mesh Wi-Fi systems are found in the realm of vehicles, especially racing, where the real-time location of different entities has to be kept on track.

Top Companies for Mesh Wi-Fi Systems

Let’s now talk about the top players in the mesh Wi-Fi system market.

1. NETGEAR is the most popular company when it comes to mesh Wi-Fi systems. Even though numerous companies are launching Wi-Fi mesh systems, the Orbi lineup from NETGEAR has seen great success.
2. Google, the tech giant, was one of the first to enter the mesh Wi-Fi system market with its smart Wi-Fi routers. They are known for offering incredible performance and other smart features.
3. Some other players in the market are Huawei, Linksys, Amplifi, Tenda, etc. There have been talks of Apple entering the scene, but there are only HomeKit-supported products at this point.
4. TP-Link is indeed a major player in the mesh Wi-Fi systems market, as the company is known for its more affordable lineup of mesh Wi-Fi systems.
5. The Deco series of mesh Wi-Fi routers from TP-Link have been pivotal in increasing the adoption of mesh Wi-Fi systems in North America and Asia-Pacific alike.

Conclusion

As we can understand from these statistics, the mesh Wi-Fi system market is on a great path. On one side, we see the increasing variety of applications for the technology, including smart cities and transportation. On the other hand, complementing these demands, we see the rise of affordable mesh Wi-Fi systems. It is also one of the markets where both the residential and commercial sectors look so bright ahead. So, if you have plans to invest in this sector, you can focus on which brands/sub-sectors are set to grab the most.