Drop a few ESP32 boards ($3-8 each) flashed with ESPHome ’s Bluetooth Proxy firmware into rooms where BLE devices drop out. Home Assistant then routes Bluetooth traffic through the nearest proxy on its own. Each proxy adds about 10-15 meters of BLE coverage through interior walls, needs only a USB power cable, and works with HA’s native Bluetooth setup. The BLE devices themselves need no config changes. They have no idea they’re talking through a relay.

The best WiFi 7 mesh routers for a smart home in 2026 are the TP-Link Deco BE85 for overall performance, the Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Pro for advanced users who need VLAN segmentation and centralized management, and the Asus ZenWiFi BT10 for those who want strong Linux client compatibility at a slightly lower price. All three support Multi-Link Operation (MLO), 4096-QAM, and the IoT device isolation that keeps a smart home both fast and secure.

It’s a common frustration. You have a high-end Linux laptop with a cutting-edge WiFi card , yet your speeds are stuck in the single digits. Even on a fast fiber connection, the experience feels sluggish. Web pages hang, and file transfers take ages. Many users blame the drivers. But the cause is often more basic: the radio band you are connected to.

Modern WiFi hardware is very capable. But old networking setups often hold it back. Most routers today broadcast on two main bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and more and more on 6GHz. The 2.4GHz band has better range and gets through walls well. It is also very crowded. Every neighbor’s router, your Bluetooth mouse, and even your microwave use this same space. That congestion leads to packet loss and big speed drops, no matter how fast your internet plan is.

To upgrade your laptop to WiFi 7, swap the internal M.2 wireless card for a newer module like the Intel BE200 . The new card enables Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which brings higher throughput and lower latency on 6GHz networks. The physical swap takes about 15 minutes. The real hurdles are checking that your laptop can take a new card and picking one with solid Linux drivers.

Is Your Laptop Upgradeable? Checking Before You Buy

Not all laptops have a wireless card you can reach. Some makers solder the WiFi chip straight onto the motherboard. This is common in ultra-thin designs and many premium laptops built after 2020. Others give you an M.2 slot but bury it under thermal shielding or RAM sticks, so you have to take the whole thing apart to get at it.