Upgrade to a WiFi 7 Mesh network with ease with the Roamii Be Lite & MSI BE6500 Adapter
Table of Contents
SPONSORED POST
If you're considering upgrading to WiFi 7 and additionally are looking for a better WiFi connection throughout your home to fill in those blindspots, then you needn't spend a great deal of money to achieve either goal. Today we'll be looking at the Roamii BE Lite Mesh System to help you expand the reach of your network without loss of internet speeds, plus the MSI BE6500 WIFi 7 USB Adapter, which will allow you to upgrade your PC or laptop to WiFi 7 without the need for an expensive upgrade. Read on for all the details on both these products.
- Standard: WiFi 7 (802.11be)
- Frequency Bands: 2.4GHz / 5GHz
- WiFi Speed: Up to 688Mbps at 2.4GHz / Up to 4323Mbps at 5GHz
- Antenna: internal antenna x4
- Processor: Quad Core 1.5GHz
- Memory: DDR4 2GB, NAND 256MB
- Dimensions: 118.5 x 108 x 238 mm / 4.7 x 4.3 x 9.4 inch
- Weight: 585 g / 1.3 lb (per unit)
Why is a mesh network better than using WiFi extenders?
You'd be forgiven for thinking that a mesh network sounds no different than just having a single router and expanding its reach using WiFi extenders, however, there are some crucial differences that make the mesh network superior.
One key difference is that mesh nodes are connected via a ‘Backhaul MLO (Multi-Link Operation)', which is a dedicated channel that only the nodes use – meaning faster, more reliable communication compared to extenders, which just use the same channel to connect to the router as they do to connect to devices, causing greater congestion and lag.
Additionally, mesh nodes provide a single unified network (SSID) for whole home/office with seamless connection throughout as you move the device between areas. WiFi extenders can be set up to operate on the same SSID, however, some cannot, requiring you to manually reconnect to the nearest extender to maintain your connection. Even those extenders that do not suffer from this issue will still experience reduced speeds and latency compared to direct connection with the main router, whereas mesh nodes work together intelligently to optimize performance by actively managing network traffic, leading to much more consistent speeds and low latency wherever you move the device within reach of the network.
The Roamii BE Lite Mesh System
The Roamii BE Lite Mesh System 2-pack comes with a pair of nodes that together can give you coverage of up to 5,800 sq. ft. in either your home or place of work. This system can support up to 120 different devices on the same network.
Wired connection comes in the form of the 2.5Gbps WAN port that you can use to connect to your main broadband point, and two additional 1Gbps ports for connecting to other devices via ethernet. Although lacking the 6GHz band on some of the more premium WiFi 7 options on the market, for most users this is absolutely fine and means that the price point is a very reasonable $200 or thereabouts.
The system comes with excellent security safeguards, including a ‘FortiSecu' account, which comes free with the product. This includes the latest network attack prevention measures and the ability to remove access from specific devices when needed. Real-time alerts are sent straight to the software app on your phone/tablet.
The app also allows you to create profiles with different levels of access, including setting different access times and wake/sleep schedules, plus restrictions on inappropriate content for childrens' profiles etc. All of this is easy to set up.
Setting the BE Lite Mesh System up on your phone
Setting up the BE Lite Mesh System is an absolute doddle with the MSI Roamii app, which you can use on either tablet or smartphone. First download the app from Google Play or the App Store – it's compatible with phones at least as old as the iPhone 7 Plus (I tested it on mine) so most users shouldn't have a problem there. Launch the app, and then scan the QR code on the back of the BE Lite when prompted to ‘Scan the product label' (make sure it's turned on first though).
From this point, simply follow the setup steps as directed by the application; you can see these laid out in the video below. The whole process can take around 10mins or less if you've got everything ready to go.
Why upgrade to WiFi 7?
WiFi 7 comes with a range of technological improvements that will benefit your internet experience, chief among them being a substantially increased bandwidth: we're talking a whopping 4.79 times greater bandwidth than WiFi 6E (and WiFi 6) routers are capable of! Besides this, there are also benefits to efficiency (thanks to MRU Puncturing) connection reliability, and better management of multiple connected devices. You can read our WiFi 7 explained page for more in-depth information.
Upgrading your PC to WiFi 7 the easy way: the MSI BE6500 USB Adapter
- Standard: WiFi 7 (802.11be)
- Frequency Bands: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz
- Wireless Data Rates: 2.4 GHz:Up to 688 Mbps (20/40 MHz) / 5 GHz:Up to 2880 Mbps (20/40/80/160 MHz) / 6 GHz:Up to 2880 Mbps (20/40/80/160 MHz)
- Antenna: 2x High-Gain Tri-Band Antennas
- Interface: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1
- Dimensions: 111 × 33 × 20 mm
- Weight: 48.2g /1.70oz
- Supported OS: Windows 11 / Windows 10 (limited features)
If your PC's existing motherboard doesn't come with WiFI 7 compatibility and you don't fancy replacing it, then worry not – an easier solution is available. Using a WiFi 7 adapter, you can simply plug this small device into a suitable USB port on your desktop computer or laptop. The specific adapter we're recommending here comes with its own built-in drivers and needs minimum setup, so you can have your WiFi 7 connection up and running in no time.
You'll see the term ‘BE6500' in the name of various different routers and adapters from different brands, essentially this means a product that's capable of a ‘theoretical' max speed of 6500Mbps (when the three frequency bands are combined) that is compatible with the 802.11be standard aka WiFi 7. In actuality this is 688Mbps (2.4GHz band) + 2880Mbps (5GHz band) + 2880Mbps (6GHz band) = 6448Mbps, though its rounded up to 6500Mbps.
The MSI BE6500 WIFi 7 USB Adapter easily outcompetes similar adapters from other brands on a price/performance basis, being available for a very reasonable MSRP of $79.99. Testing data from the MSI Lab put its performance as roughly comparable with the TP link Archer TBE6500UH in both 5GHz and 6GHz frequency bands, despite being around $100 cheaper than this competing product.
This adapter has two form factors – a more stripped-down one you can insert directly into your USB port or one where you use the stand which has a longer reaching cable, allowing for greater positional flexibility. The adapter has a slender, foldable design, and looks pretty slick in our opinion. It utlizes beamforming and high-gain antennas to maintain a solid connection and comes with WPA3 WiFi encryption for enhanced security. The adapter is back-compatible if you do want to use WiFi 6E or 6 for whatever reason. Finally, it comes with a very nice 3-year comprehensive warranty to offer you peace of mind after your purchase.
About the Author