Hello @LT1978
The mesh path selection algorithm will use the fewest hops possible to reach a destination. So, they will go through intermediate points, but only if a direct connection doesn't work at all. Since WiFi will slow way down to get through, it's much more likely a distant point will be talking directly (albeit slowly) to the router. Since there's a single 5GHz radio channel being shared by all of the points for the mesh interconnect (and for talking to 5GHz WiFi clients), this "fewest hops" policy is usually a better option, since every "hop" just means sending the same data back out on the same channel again, which reduces the available capacity of that channel (slowing the end-to-end performance down).
All of this is why the optimal placement is to have the router as close to the center of your home as possible with points arranged around it, close enough that they can all get "great" mesh test results (typically one or two rooms away, since 5GHz doesn't carry far). From there, they will provide coverage to more distant 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi clients.
