Wyze Mesh Router vs Wyze Mesh Router Pro — which should you get?

If you’re thinking about upgrading to one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems and don’t want to spend more than you have to, you’re in luck, as Wyze has two mesh routers worth considering.

Although Wyze may be known for making some of the best home security cameras, best smart lights and best smart plugs, the company is entering the home networking space in a big way with its new Wyze Mesh Router and Wyze Mesh Router Pro.

Interestingly enough, Wyze first decided to make its own routers after customers repeatedly reported problems with its products that were caused by connectivity issues. By providing Wi-Fi in addition to smart home devices, the company hopes to put these issues to bed once and for all.

Whether you’re already heavily invested in the Wyze ecosystem or are looking to upgrade to a mesh Wi-Fi system without breaking the bank, here’s everything you need to know about the Wyze Mesh Router and the Wyze Mesh Router Pro.

Wyze Mesh Router vs Wyze Mesh Router Pro: Specs

Wyze Mesh Router vs Wyze Mesh Router Pro: Price and availability

The dual-band Wyze Mesh Router is available in a 1-pack for $99, a 2-pack for $179 or a 3-pack for $279 on Amazon. However, you can save a bit by ordering it directly from Wyze where a 1-pack currently costs $93 and a 2-pack costs $173. 

Meanwhile, the tri-band Wyze Mesh Router Pro isn’t available on Amazon yet and is currently sold out on Wyze’s site where a 2-pack costs $273 and a 3-pack goes for $393. The company does plan to make a 1-pack of its Wyze Mesh Router Pro available at a later date though. 

If you’re interested in the Wyze Mesh Router Pro, you can enter your email on the company’s site and receive a notification when the device is back in stock.

Wyze Mesh Router vs Wyze Mesh Router Pro: Design

When designing its new mesh routers, Wyze opted for a more low-profile design which is similar to the Eero Pro 6E. Unlike with the TP-Link Deco XE75 and other cylindrical-shaped routers, Wyze’s will blend in better with your home decor and can easily be placed on a bookshelf, a kitchen counter or even on a desk.

Besides their black and white color schemes, there is a noticeable size difference between the Wyze Mesh Router and the Wyze Mesh Router Pro. The Wyze Mesh Router measures 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches (LWH) while the Wyze Mesh Router Pro is 5.5 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches. Neither device is overly large and they both have a matte finish.

To differentiate the two devices, Wyze has extended their black and white color schemes all the way down to the accessories. While the Wyze Mesh Router comes with white power adapters and a white Ethernet cable, the Wyze Mesh Router Pro’s are black.

Both mesh routers have a single LED at their center to inform you about their connection status at a glance. It flashes white in pairing mode (green with the pro) or blue when adding a Bluetooth device like a Wyze Bulb while a flashing orange light means the router is booting up. A solid white light means the Wyze Mesh Router or Wyze Mesh Router Pro is connected while a solid orange light shows that the internet connection has been lost.

Wyze Mesh Router vs Wyze Mesh Router Pro: Features

The Wyze Mesh Router and Wyze Mesh Router Pro’s main differentiating feature is which wireless standard they support. While the Wyze Mesh Router supports Wi-Fi 6, the Wyze Mesh Router Pro supports Wi-Fi 6E. Opting for the Pro model gives you access to the faster 6GHz band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. If you want to find out even more about how these two wireless standards differ from one another, check out our Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6E guide. 

In terms of the ports at the back of each device, the Wyze Mesh Router has two one gigabit Ethernet ports while the Wyze Mesh Router Pro has a single gigabit Ethernet port, a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet port and a USB Type-A port. That 2.5-gigabit port makes it a multi-gig router that can give you even faster internet speeds when paired with one of the best cable modems. The Wyze Mesh Router Pro also has slots for cooling above its ports.

Besides the 2.5 gigabit ethernet port and Wi-Fi 6E support, the USB port at the back of the Wyze Mesh Router Pro may be another reason you might be better off choosing it over the Wyze Mesh Router.

In the video posted, Wyze VP of Product Steve McIrvin explains that when the USB port on the Wyze Mesh Router Pro is activated in the coming months, it will allow Wyze Cam users to store video footage from their cameras locally. This means that you’ll be able to connect one of the best external hard drives to the Wyze Mesh Router Pro and transfer videos from your camera directly to it like with a network attached storage or NAS device. Few mesh routers have USB ports and the addition of one helps set Wyze’s Pro offering apart from the competition.

If you’ve used other Wyze products in the past, then you’re likely already familiar with the Wyze app. However, besides your security cameras, smart lights and smart plugs, you can now use it to set up and configure the Wyze Mesh Router and Wyze Mesh Router Pro. This is a big plus for those that want to be able to control all of their smart home devices in one place.

From the Home tab within the Wyze app, you just tap on your router to get an overview of your network. You can see all of the devices that are connected along with more details on each of your Wyze routers. Tapping on the Statistics button lets you see how many threats have been blocked by the built-in Firedome security software. While you can disable the LED on your Wyze Mesh Router or Wyze Mesh Router Pro from the main Settings menu, the Advanced Settings network is where you can enable parental controls or give certain devices on your home network priority access.

If this is your first time setting up a mesh Wi-Fi system, the Wyze app also has some helpful router placement device built-in. For instance, you want to make sure that your router is out in the open and not hidden in a closet or bookshelf and you also want to keep it away from large appliances like TVs or refrigerators.

Wyze Mesh Router vs Wyze Mesh Router Pro: Performance

If you’re upgrading from one of the best Wi-Fi routers, you’ll likely see a big performance boost with either the Wyze Mesh Router or the Wyze Mesh Router Pro when it comes to their range.

A single Wyze Mesh Router can cover up to 1,500 square feet with a strong Wi-Fi signal but the more devices you add to your mesh network, the better coverage you’ll get. Two Wyze Mesh Routers can cover 3,000 square feet while three cover up to 4,500 square feet. As you add more routers, you’ll also be able to connect even more devices since a single Wyze Mesh Router supports 50+ devices.

The Wyze Mesh Router Pro offers even more range per device with a single router covering 2,000 square feet, two routers covering 4,000 square feet and three routers covering 6,000 square feet. The number of connected devices also gets a bump from 50+ with a Wyze Mesh Router to 75+ with a Wyze Mesh Router Pro. With three Wyze Mesh Router Pro devices, you can have over 225 devices on your network.

Download speeds are another big differentiator between the two devices. The Wyze Mesh Router has a maximum download speed of 3 gigabits per second (Gbps) while the Wyze Mesh Router Pro can reach 5.4 Gbps. Just keep in mind though that to take full advantage of the faster speeds it offers you will need a smartphone with Wi-Fi 6E or a laptop that supports the latest wireless standard.  

Wyze Mesh Router vs Wyze Mesh Router Pro: Which is best for you?

Before deciding on whether the Wyze Mesh Router or Wyze Mesh Router Pro is right for you, you first need to consider your internet speed. If you’re paying for gigabit Internet or a plan with less than a gigabit — say 500 Mbps down — the Wyze Mesh Router may be a better choice. However, if you want a mesh Wi-Fi system that is more future proof or your internet speed is over a gigabit, the Wyze Mesh Router Pro makes more sense.

Besides your internet speed, you also have to think about the size of your home or apartment. The Wyze Mesh Router is better suited to small or mid-sized homes while the Wyze Mesh Router Pro is the better choice for larger homes. Regardless of whether you pick up a 1-pack or a 2-pack of either mesh router, you can always add more routers down the road. In fact, Wyze’s mesh routers support up to 10 devices but you don’t want to have more than two hops from the main router connected to your cable modem to the other ones. If your house is wired for Ethernet though, you can use wired backhaul over Ethernet to connect up to 10 devices.

Like Wyze’s other products, the Wyze Mesh Router and Wyze Mesh Router Pro are an affordable option for those in the market for their first mesh Wi-Fi system or a much needed upgrade. Keep in mind though that mesh routers with Wi-Fi 7 are set to arrive later this year and Wyze will likely end up releasing an even more premium device in the future. For now though, you can’t go wrong with either device but you do want to choose the one that best meets your own personal Wi-Fi needs.