For large homes, villas, or duplexes exceeding 200 square meters, the signal coverage of a single router is no longer sufficient. FTTR (Fiber to the Room) and Mesh networking have become the two mainstream solutions for achieving seamless coverage throughout the entire house. The former uses fiber optics as the transmission medium, pursuing "zero attenuation at the physical level"; the latter focuses on wireless collaboration, emphasizing "flexible deployment and seamless roaming." The competition between these two technological approaches is essentially a choice between "ultimate performance" and "practical convenience."
The core logic of FTTR is "fiber directly to every room." It lays fiber optic cables directly from the optical modem to the optical terminal (ONT) in each room, then covers individual rooms via wired or wireless methods. Technically, the transmission characteristics of fiber optics result in almost no signal attenuation, maintaining 10 Gigabit transmission rates regardless of distance or the number of walls it passes through—an advantage that wireless solutions cannot match. FTTR employs a "one master, multiple slaves" architecture. The master gateway connects to the optical modem, and each room's slave gateway connects to the master gateway via fiber optic cable. All gateways share the same SSID, supporting seamless device roaming. The biggest advantage of this architecture is "consistent speed throughout the house"—the living room, bedrooms, basement, and even the garden can enjoy full-speed broadband without the issue of "high speed at near-ends and reduced speed at far-ends." This makes it particularly suitable for scenarios with extremely high bandwidth requirements, such as 8K video transmission, simultaneous high-speed downloads by multiple devices, and professional esports.
However, FTTR also has significant drawbacks: high deployment costs. It requires additional purchases of optical gateways, fiber optic cables, and other equipment, as well as professional on-site wiring. While pre-installed fiber optic conduits are acceptable in new homes, retrofitting in existing homes is extremely difficult and costly. It also lacks flexibility. Once the fiber optic cable is laid, the gateway location cannot be easily adjusted, and subsequent expansion of coverage requires rewiring, a cumbersome process.
Mesh networking, on the other hand, takes a "flexible and adaptable" approach, building a distributed network through the collaborative work of multiple wireless nodes. It requires no complex wiring; the main router connects to the optical modem, and sub-nodes can be flexibly placed to address signal blind spots. It even supports a hybrid wired + wireless backhaul – wired backhaul ensures performance in rooms with wired connections, while wireless backhaul fills in blind spots in areas without wired connections. The core advantage of Mesh networking is its ease of deployment. In already renovated homes, no wall damage is required; a single-click pairing completes the network setup, and adding nodes to expand coverage is equally simple. Modern tri-band Mesh devices also feature dedicated backhaul bands to avoid bandwidth splitting, providing stable gigabit-level wireless speeds in homes of 200-300 square meters, meeting the audio-visual, office, and smart home needs of most families.
However, Mesh networking is limited by physical characteristics. Wireless backhaul is still affected by walls and wireless interference, resulting in a speed retention rate of approximately 60%-80%, far less than the zero attenuation of FTTR. In very large areas or villas with complex wall structures, more nodes may need to be deployed, and signal fluctuations may still occur in some remote areas.
In terms of scenario selection, FTTR is more suitable for users with high performance demands and ample budgets, such as those renovating new homes, large villas, and high-end residences. It is especially suitable for multi-generational households, families with numerous devices, and those requiring specialized internet access. Mesh networking, on the other hand, is the preferred choice for already renovated homes, small to medium-sized apartments, and users with limited budgets. It is also suitable for scenarios requiring high deployment flexibility. It's worth noting that the two solutions are not mutually exclusive—some high-end families adopt a hybrid architecture of "FTTR + Mesh," using FTTR to build a wired backbone network throughout the house, and using Mesh nodes for wireless coverage in areas where cabling is difficult, such as gardens and garages, balancing ultimate performance with comprehensive coverage.
In the future, with the widespread adoption of 10 Gigabit broadband and the explosive growth of smart home devices, the cost of FTTR will gradually decrease, while the performance of Mesh networking will continue to improve. The integration of these two technologies will become a trend, retaining the high speed and stability of fiber optics while combining the flexibility and convenience of wireless, bringing a more perfect network experience to large homes.