FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700: WiFi 7 for the whole house

If you only have one WiFi point, such as your provider’s router in the meter cupboard, you may not have WiFi reception in some places in your house. It is becoming increasingly common for people to experience this, because more and more (smart) devices in homes use WiFi. If you have problems with a weak WiFi signal in or around your home, a mesh WiFi system can provide a solution.

In this review we share our experiences with the FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700, a user-friendly system with which you can easily improve the coverage of your WiFi network. The set is compatible with both a FRITZ!Box and any other internet router.

What is a Mesh WiFi network?

In most houses you usually have good WiFi coverage on the ground floor with your provider’s router. The signal becomes weaker on the first floor and you often have to look for a specific spot in the attic where you have good coverage. The cause of this problem lies in the floors, walls, double glazing and the presence of many other WiFi networks around your home.

A possible solution is to increase the number of WiFi access points, for example by installing a WiFi repeater on each floor. The most effective method to achieve this is to use a mesh WiFi network instead of installing separate WiFi repeaters.

A mesh WiFi network consists of multiple WiFi repeaters that together form one network for better coverage throughout your home. You connect the main repeater (Mesh Master) to your provider’s modem. After which the additional WiFi repeaters communicate wirelessly with each other and intelligently distribute the signal. All WiFi devices switch seamlessly to the nearest WiFi repeater without losing connection. All WiFi repeaters together form a single WiFi network and use the same network name (SSID) and password. This data does not have to be entered for each individual WiFi repeater.

When you move around your home with your iPhone or MacBook, your device in a mesh Wi-Fi network will automatically be connected to the access point that has the strongest signal thanks to Mesh Steering. The main entry point evaluates signal strength, bandwidth and load, and recommends a switch using standards such as 802.11k/v. This process happens completely automatically in the background without interruptions, so you won’t notice anything.

If after installation you still discover no WiFi coverage, you can easily expand a mesh WiFi network by adding additional access points.

FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700

The FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700 is a WiFi 7 mesh system, with small repeaters that you can easily place in a socket. The set we tested contains three FRITZ! repeaters 1700. This is more than enough to provide an average to large house in the Netherlands with WiFi.

Each repeater offers a WiFi speed of up to 3600 Mbit/s via dual-band (2880 Mbit/s on 5 GHz and 688 Mbit/s on 2.4 GHz) with 2×2 MIMO technology. Mesh Steering and AP Steering ensure that devices are automatically sent to the optimal node. This is tailored to signal strength and network load. Of course, the repeaters are compatible with older WiFi standards such as IEEE 802.11a/g/n/ac/ax/be. There is no support for the 6 GHz band.

FRITZ!repeaters can communicate with each other wirelessly or be connected via a wired connection. A 1 gigabit connection is available for this. If it is possible to connect the repeater with a cable, this is preferable to a wireless connection. However, this is not a requirement. You can also connect a device without WiFi to the repeater via the Ethernet port.

Installing the FRITZ!Mesh Set

Installing the FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700 is very easy. You can do this by pressing the WPS button on your router or using the MyFRITZ!App. If you already have a FRITZ!Box router, the set is added directly to the mesh network of the FRITZ!Box. If you have a router from another brand, a new, independent mesh network will be created. You will find the access data on the back of the repeater and on the information card in the packaging.

You can then add multiple repeaters in cascade by pressing the red WPS button on the main repeater (mesh master) and then on the repeater you want to add.

For optimal use of the FRITZ!Mesh Set, it is important to install it in a smart place. Avoid reinforced concrete walls, large metal objects and double glazing that can hinder the signal.

With the MyFRITZ!App you can easily check the signal strength of each repeater. So you can move it if necessary for optimal coverage.

The FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700 in practice

After the simple installation of the FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700, you can connect to the WiFi network. If you have added the mesh set to an existing FRITZ!Box, the network name and associated password remain the same. This will automatically connect you to the mesh network. If you have installed the mesh set as a new WiFi network, you must connect to it.

When you walk around your house with your iPhone, for example, you will notice that you have a strong WiFi signal everywhere. The transition to another repeater is automatic and you won’t notice anything. If you do not have WiFi reception in a certain location, move one of the repeaters to spread the signal better.

With the MyFRITZ!App you can adjust the WiFi network settings of the network. The app also has the ability to check the status and see which devices are connecting via the different repeaters. The connections between the repeaters are also shown.

Purchase FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700

The FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700 is available in the web shops below.

FRITZ!Mesh Set 1700