Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

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ruanddu
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Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by ruanddu »

Can you please tell me if you have a brand/model of wifi that works well for your house? Looking for something for something to cover 2 floors. Thanks!
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by hicabob »

I have a tp-link w/ 4 antennas which works well. I think that placement is more important than brand. Centrally located at the top of the area you want to cover is best AFAIK, so middle of the top floor or perhaps even the attic would be best if you want to cover the whole house with one device.
alfaspider
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by alfaspider »

In 2023, there's no reason not to go for a mesh network. Coverage is so much better than a single router hotspot and seamless unlike a hotspot plus extender.

I have an Eero mesh network that I've been very happy with. I get even coverage throughout my entire house (two floors, 3500sq ft) including my detached garage and shed (needed for power wall and smart switches) which are much further than any single point consumer router would reach.
Normchad
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by Normchad »

I have whatever XFinity gives me. It’s up on the 2nd floor, and covers all three levels and 5000+ sq feet very well. No complaints here.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by nisiprius »

In our previous house, the WiFi connection between a $50 router at one end on the first floor, and a computer at the other end on the second floor, with a chimney and pipes and things in the way, was marginal. And a $50 WiFi range extender fixed it perfectly and permanently (and once set up, never needed further attention--it remembered any necessary setting across power interruptions). In other words, range extenders can work. Of course make sure you have return privileges.
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rebellovw
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by rebellovw »

I had one of those netgear nighthawk routers - worked really well - then I upgrade to a mesh system - Decco - TP Link. It has 3 'pods' that are placed throughout the house. Works well - hard to tell much difference over the single Nighthawk - but it supports some wireless protocol upgrades from what I recall. I don't think you could go wrong with either.
KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

OP,

1) Size of the house?

2) Type of the wall?

3) Where is your internet connection terminate at? 1st floor? 2nd Floor? Center of the house?

I have 2 wired Ethernet connection to every bed room and 2 wired Ethernet connection at every wall of my living room. They all terminated in a central location. I just add WiFi access points to whatever location that I have weak WiFi signal.

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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by Katietsu »

Yes to placement being important. Away from the outer wall is the biggest factor in my house.

Units with movable external antennas work best in my home if you want a single unit. Whether or not you need a mesh network depends on the layout and materials of your space. I have used a Netgear Nighthawk and an inexpensive Ryzee without issue. My in laws have less square feet but with plaster and brick and stretched out. They needed a mesh network (Eero) to reach all rooms. I do not think using a second unit as an extender makes sense for most consumers starting from scratch.
delamer
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by delamer »

We have TP-Link 5G for 3,000 square feet. No extenders or mesh.

Router is on first floor and second floor also gets good coverage.

And we can access wifi in our screened gazebo, which is about 20 feet from the back door.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by rich126 »

What works for some won't work for others. If you have interior wall of stone/brick that will create problems. If you have too many access points with too high power levels that isn't good either. There is software out there that you can install on a laptop and walk around the house and see how strong the signal is and then adjust.

In most cases a mesh system with maybe 2 APs probably works. A larger multi-story home might need APs on opposite ends of the house on alternating floors. Really a try and test process.
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MGBMartin
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by MGBMartin »

What is your current router and is it connected by Co-Ax or Ethernet?
Do you have Co-Ax outlets or Ethernet ports around your house.
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BanquetBeer
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by BanquetBeer »

Also depends on internet speeds - if you have 25mbps then you don't need that strong of a wifi vs having a 1gbps connection. I agree that a mesh system works best for a larger or multi level house. Wired is best but many of the wireless systems are easy enough.

Any other needs? Cameras? are you ok plugging stuff in or want POE? Does your spouse care if there is a router in a few different rooms? Do you want to tinker with it or just set it and forget it?

Just consider where the modem is now and how many walls. Unfortunately our master bathroom is on the opposite side of the house from the router so we upgraded to a mesh network and then put one in the garage as well so I can easily look up stuff when working on the car... like oil bolt torque is 29ft-lbs

Just google best wifi mesh system if you want something that will just work. Select from the list. Just by asking the question here, you probably don't need the most expensive one.
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illumination
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by illumination »

Good luck with Eero Pro, one of the best upgrades to our home to just have a single network.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by ensign_lee »

alfaspider wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 11:53 am In 2023, there's no reason not to go for a mesh network. Coverage is so much better than a single router hotspot and seamless unlike a hotspot plus extender.
Solid agree.

I love my google wifi network for ease of use. But literally any mesh network should be good.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by discman017 »

alfaspider wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 11:53 am In 2023, there's no reason not to go for a mesh network. Coverage is so much better than a single router hotspot and seamless unlike a hotspot plus extender.
Yes, 100%. TP-Link Deco here. They have a lot of different Deco router models that all interoperate. The phone app to monitor your network works well. If you discover a dead spot in your house, it's easy to move nodes around or add a new one.

I've tried repeaters / extenders, even powerline networks in the past. They were all flaky. The mesh network is totally seamless.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by bombcar »

I just have four wireless "routers" (technically only one is a router, the rest are hotspots) and they all broadcast the same SSID/password combo. Works fine for me. The key is that they are all wired together so they're not repeaters.

2.4GHz goes further than 5GHz, but is slower - but most devices will prefer the "better" connection, so you can run both on the same SSID.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by Hoosier CPA »

I bought an orbi 3 unit mesh system from costco. Seems to work great for the past several years.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by hudson »

https://store.google.com/magazine/compa ... s?hl=en-US

I bought Google Wifi...a 3 unit mesh system back in 2018.
It does well...not perfect. I put the outlying two units on an Amazon Alexa type plug so that I could power off and on without climbing a ladder. Alexa let me schedule a power off and on overnight. The main router is in a garage; the other two are on the other side of a brick wall. I can check the health of the system with an app.

Bottom Line: After 5 years, it's still working well?
Is it the absolute best? That would be wired/fiber ethernet. Google Wifi does the job.
Is there a better wifi system? I haven't checked...maybe this discussion will help me buy the next system?
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galving
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by galving »

ruanddu wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:19 am Can you please tell me if you have a brand/model of wifi that works well for your house? Looking for something for something to cover 2 floors. Thanks!
Orbi mesh has been a gamechanger.
Works perfect from the pool house all the way through the front of the house, seamless!
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by radiowave »

OP if you have an old whole house telephone hardwired or coax for TV that you are not using, you can convert that over to wired LAN network.
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tsohg
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by tsohg »

Eero mesh network.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by MGBMartin »

radiowave wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:27 am OP if you have an old whole house telephone hardwired or coax for TV that you are not using, you can convert that over to wired LAN network.
This is what I did but with Wi-Fi as well.
For about $20 you can buy an Actiontec Co-ax, Wi-Fi, Ethernet bridge on eBay.
I have 3 of them but only deployed 2.
Easy enough to set up and configure all with the same SSID.
Solved the dead Wi-Fi areas in my house and provided an Ethernet port for my smarty TV.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by mrspock »

Silicon Valley engineer here. Ubiquiti is the goto wifi networking “prosumer” brand for many engineers I know (including moi). Grab a couple (or however many you need) of Mesh 6 AP’s (802.11ax, Wifi 6). Set them up as 80Mhz channel width for 1.2Gbps goodness. These will work standalone (you can configure them with your iPhone or Android phone), are rock solid, and will allow seamless handoffs between APs. What makes Ubiquiti gear good, is they build these with sufficient CPU and memory to support tons of clients at *full* speed, no slow downs. The antennas are also very high quality.

The gear from BestBuy or whatever is very hit and miss, tends to have more exploits, poor performance with multiple clients and requires periodic reboots.
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greg24
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by greg24 »

Buying a mesh network was the best technology purchase we ever made. We went from frequent wifi complaints, to full coverage throughout the entire house, garage, back porch, and in a good bit of the yard. We have the Google system but I'm sure there are better ones.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by BanquetBeer »

mrspock wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 10:19 am Silicon Valley engineer here. Ubiquiti is the goto wifi networking “prosumer” brand for many engineers I know (including moi). Grab a couple (or however many you need) of Mesh 6 AP’s (802.11ax, Wifi 6). Set them up as 80Mhz channel width for 1.2Gbps goodness. These will work standalone (you can configure them with your iPhone or Android phone), are rock solid, and will allow seamless handoffs between APs. What makes Ubiquiti gear good, is they build these with sufficient CPU and memory to support tons of clients at *full* speed, no slow downs. The antennas are also very high quality.

The gear from BestBuy or whatever is very hit and miss, tends to have more exploits, poor performance with multiple clients and requires periodic reboots.
Unify works well and can be a seamless PoE out of sight (AP mounted on ceiling) type setup - but I will say that is requires some know how/admin to set up and get the best out of the system. The fact that the person is asking this general questions on BH indicates they may not be suited for this system. I feel like the average person who isn't into tech may be better suited for a (TP link/eero/google wifi system) is probably more basic consumer friendly
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by mrspock »

BanquetBeer wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 10:32 am
mrspock wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 10:19 am Silicon Valley engineer here. Ubiquiti is the goto wifi networking “prosumer” brand for many engineers I know (including moi). Grab a couple (or however many you need) of Mesh 6 AP’s (802.11ax, Wifi 6). Set them up as 80Mhz channel width for 1.2Gbps goodness. These will work standalone (you can configure them with your iPhone or Android phone), are rock solid, and will allow seamless handoffs between APs. What makes Ubiquiti gear good, is they build these with sufficient CPU and memory to support tons of clients at *full* speed, no slow downs. The antennas are also very high quality.

The gear from BestBuy or whatever is very hit and miss, tends to have more exploits, poor performance with multiple clients and requires periodic reboots.
Unify works well and can be a seamless PoE out of sight (AP mounted on ceiling) type setup - but I will say that is requires some know how/admin to set up and get the best out of the system. The fact that the person is asking this general questions on BH indicates they may not be suited for this system. I feel like the average person who isn't into tech may be better suited for a (TP link/eero/google wifi system) is probably more basic consumer friendly
Mesh 6 comes will PoE injectors in the box. In standalone mode w/ smartphone setup, my mom could set it up, that’s why I suggested this over their UFO shaped devices.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by SubPar »

rebellovw wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 12:30 pm I had one of those netgear nighthawk routers - worked really well - then I upgrade to a mesh system - Decco - TP Link. It has 3 'pods' that are placed throughout the house. Works well - hard to tell much difference over the single Nighthawk - but it supports some wireless protocol upgrades from what I recall. I don't think you could go wrong with either.
Ditto. We had a single Nighthawk for a while that worked well. However, when we moved into a larger home (~1,850 sq.ft. --> ~3,750sq.ft) coverage became spotty in certain rooms, even with the Nighthawk centrally located.

We upgraded to a TP Link Deco mesh setup that was purchased at Costco. Signal strength went up for the most part. That said, it doesn't always seem like the given device finds the nearest mesh router (one on each floor; three in total) -- which is annoying and self-defeating -- and instead has a tendency to default to the base router.

A tech from our ISP told us there's some setting/set-up item that you need to call TP Link to either enable (or maybe disable?) that's supposed to help with connectivity/speed, but we never did anything with that information.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by ND Fan 1 »

Sorry to hijack this thread, but doing a home renovation and I added some wired Ethernet connections on each floor that terminate in the basement where the router is. That is also where the internet comes in from the street. The plan is to put an eero mesh router on each floor hardwired through the Ethernet connections back the basement. Does that sound about right? I have Frontier Fiber.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by galving »

Yes.
The Ethernet 'backhaul' setup works very well.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by DoubleComma »

We use EERO in two homes and very happy with it. Both are ~3000 homes, one is 2 stories and the other is all on one level, and both use 3 access points.

In the two story we were fortunate to have Cat 6e pulled to each room, so in that case each EERO pod is set up with wired back haul to the switch, were as my single story is 100% wireless other than that core access point being wired to to a cable modem.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by yatesd »

We’ve been happy with our Wi-Fi 6 Linksys Velop mesh system. If I was buying today, I would go mesh 6e, or possibly wait a few months for 7.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by 4nursebee »

The basic Starlink router is amazing. Reached 500 feet away with strong signal. Plug and play. Meanwhile, local city spending millions for a third cabled provider and Govt money might bring legitish wired broadband out our way at some point.
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ruanddu
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by ruanddu »

Thanks so much everyone! Our coax line from ISP comes in at one corner of house so thinking a mesh network is the way to go.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by BanquetBeer »

mrspock wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:04 am Mesh 6 comes will PoE injectors in the box. In standalone mode w/ smartphone setup, my mom could set it up, that’s why I suggested this over their UFO shaped devices.
I mean, I have unifi and have had several errors with setup of their products over time due to software issues. They are pretty quick to patch issues when you alert them but especially with new product releases - can be buggy. It isn't very seamless especially for someone who isn't tech savvy.

To be realistic, if someone wanted wifi coverage with a standalone mesh network they would need to order 3x U6 Mesh (not sure why they would get the mesh unit vs other unify AP unless they want them exposed to outdoor weather? My regular AP also came with injectors but they are clunky so I bought a POE switch. Unifi's documentation on the website is always lacking so you may not even understand what their products do without watching YouTube reviews or reading forums. They would also need a router (buy or reuse one) as the U6 is just an AP. They would likely need to disable wifi on the router if it is not unified brand to prevent complications if they set up the U6 as they own mesh network.

So 3x U6 comes out to about $600
Realistically you would swap a UDR (cheapest unifi router) instead of one of the U6 for maybe $30 more...

I am not seeing the compelling argument for unifi vs a $170 4 pack of google mesh? Plug and play. The unifi will give you a lot more granularity over different things but all those options mean the menu is not as clear for simple use cases as a standard consumer router (port forwarding, traffic control, static IP) and take some time to learn their UI and menu system. If you want to set up a network with indoor/outdoor or have long runs you need a directional antenna to reach, etc - sure, it's a good option. Or if you want to spend time tinkering with network stuff and have $$$ to spend. But their cameras are not as good as cheaper available options so I wouldn't really buy it for security reasons and the UDR can only support 1-2 cameras so then you would have to run the host program on an always on computer or buy a UDM-Pro for + $350 more than above (UDP + AP because it doesn't have an AP built in)


Long story, I would just get a simple mesh system unless tech is your hobby.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by k3vb0t »

I used to dabble with different routers and wiring to Ubiquiti UniFi access points... after our last T-Link router caused problems due to overheating, I gave in and went to Eero 6 Pro mesh. It covers our 2 story home extremely well and even goes well outdoors around the house, to the patio, etc.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

ruanddu wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:11 pm Thanks so much everyone! Our coax line from ISP comes in at one corner of house so thinking a mesh network is the way to go.
ruanddu,

Or, it may not work at all because of your walls. If the wireless signal cannot travel from one end of your house to another, how does the Mesh network that is dependent on wireless signal to go from one mesh router to another really helps you?

The only safe way to make sure that it works is to run a long Ethernet cable to the other end of your house and put a WiFi router there too.

100Ft Ethernet cable = $20 t0 $30.

Basic WiFi router less than $100

At around $100, it is guaranteed to work. Mesh? Please make sure that you can return it without restocking fee if it is does not work for you.

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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by cableguy »

Make sure your equipment (modem/router/gateway whatever they call it) from your ISP is up to date. Old equipment will slow things down big time. Your ISP will usually swap out the CPE to their newer stuff for free...and you'll do it self install. Check that first. Orbi is a great wi-fi solution. Check it out.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by Yarlonkol12 »

We use Ubiqiti Dream Machine Pro->Ubiqiti PoE switch->Ubiquiti AC Pro APs (3 of those)

1 access point upstairs, 1 in basement, 1 in backyard
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by OrangeKiwi »

vfinx
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by vfinx »

Unless you are a gamer, or high frequency trader (this is Bogleheads after all) who cares deeply about low latency, almost any of the latest mesh systems will work just fine (Eero, Google, TPLink, Netgear, etc)

I see ubiquiti mentioned a lot here, but I think it’s overkill for the vast majority of home setups. I’ve set them up in the past and while I have nothing against them, it’s an enterprise class product whose benefits are largely unused in a home setting. They’re made for situations like offices where 100 people might simultaneously stream the all hands meeting or update their iPhone.

If you can invest in wired backhaul, that will significantly improve performance. Then just make sure to get a system where the access points can be plugged in (not all can).
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by rgs92 »

Just curious, are you having a current problem with your Wifi in your house, or just anticipating a problem?
I've had VZ Fios and Comcast in fairly large houses with just the single standard router you get with the service and never had a problem.
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ruanddu
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by ruanddu »

KlangFool wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 4:10 pm
ruanddu wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:11 pm Thanks so much everyone! Our coax line from ISP comes in at one corner of house so thinking a mesh network is the way to go.
ruanddu,

Or, it may not work at all because of your walls. If the wireless signal cannot travel from one end of your house to another, how does the Mesh network that is dependent on wireless signal to go from one mesh router to another really helps you?

The only safe way to make sure that it works is to run a long Ethernet cable to the other end of your house and put a WiFi router there too.

100Ft Ethernet cable = $20 t0 $30.

Basic WiFi router less than $100

At around $100, it is guaranteed to work. Mesh? Please make sure that you can return it without restocking fee if it is does not work for you.

KlangFool
Good point, Klang Fool. My original thinking was it would amplify the signal midway through the house to the far corner of the house. But you are saying maybe not?
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ruanddu
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by ruanddu »

rgs92 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:29 am Just curious, are you having a current problem with your Wifi in your house, or just anticipating a problem?
I've had VZ Fios and Comcast in fairly large houses with just the single standard router you get with the service and never had a problem.
I have an old school Apple Airport Express router I bought refurbished in 2016. :) I am sure it's past it's prime. It sits on top of countertop too so I am sure if I mounted up higher on wall that could also help, just need to get some longer cables. But, I think in this situation a new wifi router is best bet. Thanks.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

ruanddu wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 6:42 pm
KlangFool wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 4:10 pm
ruanddu wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:11 pm Thanks so much everyone! Our coax line from ISP comes in at one corner of house so thinking a mesh network is the way to go.
ruanddu,

Or, it may not work at all because of your walls. If the wireless signal cannot travel from one end of your house to another, how does the Mesh network that is dependent on wireless signal to go from one mesh router to another really helps you?

The only safe way to make sure that it works is to run a long Ethernet cable to the other end of your house and put a WiFi router there too.

100Ft Ethernet cable = $20 t0 $30.

Basic WiFi router less than $100

At around $100, it is guaranteed to work. Mesh? Please make sure that you can return it without restocking fee if it is does not work for you.

KlangFool
Good point, Klang Fool. My original thinking was it would amplify the signal midway through the house to the far corner of the house. But you are saying maybe not?
"It depends" where the walls are and what kind of walls.

As a WiFi engineer, I prefer to recommend something would work for sure.

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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by gavinsiu »

Can someone explain how a mesh network works compare to a repeater?

While an Ethernet backhaul is best, what if you had to use a Wi-Fi backhaul? Would you use a separate band as a backhaul? I’d this also how a mesh communicate from node to node?
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by onourway »

gavinsiu wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 8:23 pm Can someone explain how a mesh network works compare to a repeater?

While an Ethernet backhaul is best, what if you had to use a Wi-Fi backhaul? Would you use a separate band as a backhaul? I’d this also how a mesh communicate from node to node?
Depends on the specific implementation. Some will mix client and backhaul traffic across all available channels (eero, etc). Some will have specific dedicated backhaul channels so that traffic is separated (Orbi, etc). There are pluses and minuses to both implementations, and as you say, Ethernet backhaul is best by a mile. In practice nearly all 'mesh' systems operate as a hub and spoke system where remote nodes communicate directly to the main node, rather than through multiple hops.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

ruanddu wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:05 pm
rgs92 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:29 am Just curious, are you having a current problem with your Wifi in your house, or just anticipating a problem?
I've had VZ Fios and Comcast in fairly large houses with just the single standard router you get with the service and never had a problem.
I have an old school Apple Airport Express router I bought refurbished in 2016. :) I am sure it's past it's prime. It sits on top of countertop too so I am sure if I mounted up higher on wall that could also help, just need to get some longer cables. But, I think in this situation a new wifi router is best bet. Thanks.
Those Apple devices were great in their time, and I was sorry to see Apple get out of the business. I still have one whose only “job” is providing wifi to my Generac generator; for some reason Generac won’t accept a space in the SSID password and I did not want to have to change all of my IoT passwords to accommodate Generac.

But, unfortunately, they don’t get security or performance updates any longer.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
campy2010
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by campy2010 »

I have had issues with my Google mesh system. The models I own have a known software bug that google has failed to fix for several years. Go with one of the other brands.
D Newton
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by D Newton »

Question: I have Comcast wifi; using their supplied router. House if 2500 sf. Wifi connection seems good. Is there an advantage to using a Eero Pro or netgear router? Why would one use an after market router?
Regards, | Doug
tm3
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by tm3 »

Mesh is likely the best solution but you won't really know for sure until you try.

I read a lot of reviews online and concluded that there wasn't a consistent "best" mesh. Decided to try Eero as it was good bang for the buck and rated highly in a couple of spots. Installation is completely dependent on the app, and there is essentially no troubleshooting feature -- the option is to contact customer service. When the Eero failed to work, I called CS and got a girl on the line who could barely speak English. She read steps from a script and couldn't understand when I told her I had already tried a number of things. After about 45 minutes I got put on hold and after holding for 5 minutes or so I bailed and sent the Eero back.

Found a TPLink X55 Deco on sale. It fired up at the get go and is working well, although the ethernet backhaul setup/use is spotty and confusing if that is something that interests you. I get 300MBS right at the base unit, which is the same speed I get directly from the modem, and 200MBS at the far reaches of my house which is a long ranch style.
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