Connecting over 250 people to free Wi-Fi is not only a problem limited to restaurants, schools, hotels, or even supermarkets. Churches all over the world are attempting to provide free Wi-Fi access to their members too. If you are looking at a church of under 50 members, a modem router may be sufficient. Let us know “Best Mesh Wi-Fi For Church”
When we are talking of a large church though, you should consider getting a mesh Wi-Fi instead.
As of 2022, the best mesh Wi-Fi on the market is products from brands like Ubiquity, ASUS, Orbi, Google Nest, etc. There is a host of them and we will talk more in detail later on in the later part of this article.
In addition, you will learn about why you should consider making a switch to mesh Wi-Fi or not, how you can increase the bandwidth of your mesh Wi-Fi to cover more range of the church, and so on. This is an interesting and informative read. Enjoy.
Why you should consider a mesh Wi-Fi for your church building?
Probably your church is not that big and you are wondering what the use of a mesh Wi-Fi would be if not so many people will be connected to it at a time anyway. You may be right. But we would like you to consider some of the following points. Some of these points were as presented by research done by the Church of England.
In the end, you should have been able to make up your mind on whether you should buy a mesh Wi-Fi or stick to the traditional MiFi and routers.
- Everybody has more than one gadget that needs to be connected to the internet – whether we have come to accept it or not, the world today runs on the internet. From watches to phones, laptops, and tablets, the number of devices each person has to connect to a Wi-Fi network is increasing by the day. What that simply tells you is that, when one person decides to connect 2 or more devices to the church Wi-Fi system, there are people that would not be able to connect at all if the number of nodes is limited.
- The church can run as an organic whole – These days too, many church instrumentation and applications connect via the internet. With a good Wi-Fi system and broadband speed, everything will run more smoothly than if you were using mobile data or traditional routers. For example, the sound engineer can effectively monitor the voice and music sounds, the church can Livestream its services, cloud storage of songs and sermons will be possible, and so much more.
- Community service – Providing free Wi-Fi in your church is a way to provide a basic service to your immediate community and maybe even first-timers. Think about how good a first-timer would feel if they could get access to the internet freely within the church premises. Remember the youth programs, food banks, school clubs, church clubs, night shelters, goodwill outreaches, and many more such programs held on the church premises. Since people sometimes use churches as meeting places, having internet access also provides them with a sense of belonging in a way that you may not be able to imagine.
- Give visitors a virtual tour – bigger churches worldwide are introducing this into how they welcome guests and first-timers. People choose to come for different reasons. But for whatever reasons they have chosen to come, they need to feel at home. Technology is a good way to do that since visiting with each person one on one may be difficult for a large parish. Through your free mesh Wi-Fi, you can be able to achieve that.
- Giving – No church run on air. Money is an important tool to be used for the furtherance of the gospel. That said, the era of technology has seen the fact that people do not have to carry money around anymore. So, from online transfers to the church account to using card readers, the members of the church can greatly benefit from having free internet access. For really big cathedrals, some network providers often use the church building to host their network and that could give the church some benefits of free internet too.
- Security reasons – Gone are the days when churches were so sacred people literarily revere the building and much more the priests. Now, people are being killed and bombed in churches all over the world. Incidentally, security systems like CCTV camera work on good connectivity. When you have mesh Wi-Fi installed, security is at least ensured on that level. Incidences of theft or any misdemeanor can be recorded and dealt with accordingly. Installing a good security system also reduces the need for too many groundskeepers in the church. At the very least, they are employed to monitor the CCTVs.
- Much more cost-effective than running ethernet cables – For churches with buildings spread out all over the premises, using mesh Wi-Fi is the best option for internet connectivity. The mesh Wi-Fi works to connect all nodes at one point. This thus allows for all kinds of devices to be able to connect. And depending on the strength of your bandwidth, a mesh Wi-Fi can cover a lot more range.
Things to consider before choosing a mesh Wi-Fi for your church
Now that you have made up your mind to get a Wi-Fi system for your church, there are some things you should consider before deciding which of the brands and the bandwidth capacity you should settle for.
- The distance between the router and the devices
- Number of nodes for connection
- The bandwidth strength of the router
- The internet speed of the device
- The cost
- The size
Some of the brands we are going to be mentioning in the next subheading can be really expensive and big too. You should consider all the above first.
Best mesh Wi-Fi for churches in 2022
The list here below is in no particular order of preference but they have been handpicked based on user experience.
The Netgear Orbi RBKE963
This is somewhat expensive but very much worth its cost in dollars. The three-unit pack is $1499 on Amazon and each unit price is $500. That cost is for the model with a coverage of 9000 square meters and a 10.8 gigabyte per second speed though. If you want something lesser, there are different models. This device also allows about 250 devices to connect at a time with no reduction in internet speed. The coverage can also be expanded to up to 21,000 square meters. This allows for more coverage and connectivity for more devices. Based on capacity and user experience, this is by far the best option for churches.
Google Nest Wi-Fi mesh system
The current list price for this is $299 on Amazon but you can get it for lower if it is on sale. It comes with two units and each unit covers 2200 square feet. The total coverage is about 418 square meters and is equivalent to a plot. With the ability to support over 200 devices, the Google Nest Wi-Fi is good for big churches. There is an option for choosing how many units you want. So, you can as well increase the coverage by getting more units. For example, the 3 units pack will cover about 6600 square feet.
ASUS AX6600 ZenWiFi
The price range for this model is from $239 to $619 on Amazon, depending on the number of units. With this brand, you are assured of no Wi-Fi dead zone on the church premises. It works on the Wi-Fi 6 technology so you can have a speedy network. One pack of this model can cover up to 2750 square feet. So when you get the 3-pack, you can have Wi-Fi coverage of about a plot and a half.
TP-Link Deco AX3000 WiFi 6 Mesh System (Deco X55)
This has a coverage of about 6500 square feet and it costs $249 on Amazon. You can connect up to 150 devices to this Wi-Fi device and still have a speedy internet connection. If you need more coverage, you can simply connect more of them and place them strategically around the church.
Eero Pro 6E Mesh Wi-Fi System
The two-pack of this covers about 4000 square feet and it costs about $499 on Amazon. It is easy to set up and it can connect over 100 devices with about 350 megabytes per second download speed each. The three-pack costs $699 and covers 6000 square feet.
How to install mesh Wi-Fi for church?
The simple and short method is to involve the help of a professional. Installing it might seem straightforward, but you do not want to make a mistake that will cost you extra money. For that reason, we are recommending you, contact professionals, to handle the installation. Preferably, contact the vendor or manufacturer of the mesh Wi-Fi device.
On the other hand, you should consult the user manual on the installation method. If you follow it correctly, you should have no issues with the installation.
Conclusion
Providing free Wi-Fi solutions for your church is a good way to spread the gospel. Every day there is something new in the world of technology and whether you like it or not, your current members and the would-be(s) have all their lives revolving around technology. It is a good way to integrate your church into the everyday activity of the community too.
FAQ
- How can I increase the coverage range of my mesh Wi-Fi router?
You can simply get more units of the same product or get a newer product. Also, you can switch from the 2.4 GHz model to the 5 GHz model or buy a network extender; buying a network extender may be a moot point though if you can just obtain more units of the mesh router.
Is there a disadvantage to using mesh Wi-Fi?
Yes. Unlike the ethernet cable, there could be downtimes and internet breakages. Also, each unit of the router has to be strategically positioned, or else they may not receive signals as they should. Lastly, each unit needs to be connected to a light source and that could be unjustifiable where electricity consumption is involved.
