Wireless mesh networks are a trendy solution to spotty Wi-Fi but according to a recent report from Android Police, those Wi-Fi woes may be self-imposed.
The publication recently highlighted connectivity issues experienced by some users when adding a Google Home Max smart speaker to their wireless network. The issue is especially prevalent among TP-Link Archer C7 router owners according to the Google Product Forums and has been identified by TP-Link as an issue with MDNS packets keeping a live connection with Cast devices.
Since the initial report a few days ago, TP-Link has issued a beta firmware update for the Archer C7 that should solve the issue but unfortunately, it doesn't end there.
In a follow-up, Android Police says they've received reports of additional router and Cast-enabled devices exhibiting the same issues. Other model routers from TP-Link are experiencing issues, as are routers from companies like Linksys and Synology. The issues, according to Android Police, seem to be related to other Google Home devices and perhaps even Chromecast dongles.
As the site speculates, this could end up being an issue on Google's end. Additional time will be needed to fully explore the matter but if you've run into any Wi-Fi problems like those mentioned here, perhaps your first troubleshooting step should be to weed out potentially troublesome hardware on your network.