In the wireless systems of smart homes, the mainstream networking methods include star networks and Mesh networks. In wireless systems, especially those utilizing long-range and strong penetration technologies like LoRa and 433MHz, star networks remain a common choice. The core of a star network is to use a gateway as the central node, with all devices communicating directly with the gateway. This networking method performs well when the communication distance between devices and the gateway is short, the structure is simple, the network topology is not complex, and the number of devices is limited. It can also compensate for some performance deficiencies through software. However, when the area that needs to be covered is large, the signal may become unstable, and the communication quality will decline in complex device distributions or when there are many obstacles. This requires increasing the number of gateways to enhance coverage, which is costly and unreasonable. In contrast, a Mesh network is a decentralized networking method without a single central node, where each device can act as a relay node and communicate directly with other devices. In complex environments (such as distributing 1,000 devices within 10,000 square meters), a Mesh network can achieve stable connections between any two points through good algorithms. The theoretical latency can be controlled at the millisecond level (within hundreds of milliseconds), making it suitable for narrowband data transmission. It has strong scalability, and the network size can be flexibly expanded. Mesh networks are suitable for transmitting small amounts of data such as commands or status information (like switches and sensor data in smart homes). However, Mesh networks are not suitable for transmitting high-bandwidth data (such as audio and video streams) because the relay process introduces delays and interruptions. Xiaomi’s Mesh system limitations Although Xiaomi’s Mesh system performs reasonably well in small scenarios, it requires increasing the number of gateways to expand coverage in large-scale deployments, which is costly and inefficient. Despite adopting proximity principles and a master-slave gateway design, its Mesh network cannot achieve decentralization, and its stability and latency are still inferior to well-optimized Mesh systems. Conclusion Star networks are suitable for simple, small-scale scenarios, but they have poor scalability. Mesh networks perform better in large-scale, complex environments, but they require excellent algorithms to achieve low latency and high stability. The main application of Mesh networks is narrowband data transmission, while high bandwidth demands (such as audio and video) still rely on direct connections or other technologies. Currently, technologies like Bluetooth Mesh can achieve high-performance decentralized networking, while Xiaomi’s Mesh system still has room for improvement. A truly excellent Mesh system should possess high decentralization, low latency, and strong scalability, rather than merely relying on the stacking of the number of gateways.