Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

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Count If
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by Count If »

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

What kind of 'Basic WiFi Router' will work as an extending repeater off an ethernet connection? Like a simple D-Link or similar WiFi you buy at Best Buy? Is it complicated to configure the basic router to make it to repeat the main box's SSID etc?
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sperry8
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by sperry8 »

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.

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.
I use a Google Nest Wifi router which easily covers a ~2,600 sq ft vacation house. I did add an add'l Nest wifi point but it's probably overkill and not needed. There is now a new Nest Wifi Pro which offers 6E, although I don't have that version. It's $199 on the Google store. The older version is avail for ~$68 on Amazon.
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killjoy2012
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by killjoy2012 »

The "best" would be to install several standalone wifi access points throughout your house/yard that are managed by a central controller. e.g. Ubiquiti. But that is costly and a lot of work since you need Ethernet cables pulled between each AP and the main router/switch.

Easiest solution is use a mesh product which also isn't cheap, but avoids having to pull Ethernet home runs.
KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

Count If wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:48 am
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

What kind of 'Basic WiFi Router' will work as an extending repeater off an ethernet connection? Like a simple D-Link or similar WiFi you buy at Best Buy? Is it complicated to configure the basic router to make it to repeat the main box's SSID etc?
Count If,

Any simple dlink, TP-Link, netgear WiFi router and turn off DHCP option will do. Just configure the SSID and setting as the same as the main router. I just buy whatever less than $100 and on-sale. Typically, not the latest generation. Aka, one generation back. The WiFi has a new generation every 2 years. You have to replace it every 2 years anyhow.

"Is it complicated to configure the basic router to make it to repeat the main box's SSID etc?"

Worst case, just follow youtube instruction.

KlangFool
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Dottie57
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by Dottie57 »

Normchad wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 12:18 pm 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.
The newer xfinity equipment works well for me. 1500 sq feet - works well on my one floor condo.
gavinsiu
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by gavinsiu »

Thanks for the info. I thought mesh network is some sort of standardized tech, but it appears to be just a generalized label.

I have been mostly using ASUS AiMesh, this is mostly because I had a RT-AC68 and later just purchased a second one upstair to improve coverage. It seems to work well most of the time. I am using a wireless backhaul. I notice that some ASUS routers have triband and the configuration recommended was to use one of the band as a backhaul.
JBTX
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by JBTX »

Bought an Orbi system probably about 5 years ago. It’s been pretty much flawless.
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bltkmt
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by bltkmt »

Yet another vote for Eero Pro. It just works.
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by Doom&Gloom »

gavinsiu wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 10:46 am Thanks for the info. I thought mesh network is some sort of standardized tech, but it appears to be just a generalized label.

I have been mostly using ASUS AiMesh, this is mostly because I had a RT-AC68 and later just purchased a second one upstair to improve coverage. It seems to work well most of the time. I am using a wireless backhaul. I notice that some ASUS routers have triband and the configuration recommended was to use one of the band as a backhaul.
I have an Asus AX-86 router I am using with an Asus AX-55 router as an AiMesh node with wireless backhaul. The only issues I've had at all were during some early firmware updates. Haven't noticed that lately though. I am using Merlin firmware in the router but not the node, so perhaps that is the reason for the hiccups I've had.

I also have an Asus AC-86 router that I'm using as a wired access point that I prefer to the mesh as it gives more control over the wireless settings in addition to the ethernet connection. I had an older router that I was using as a WAP where the mesh node is now, but the ethernet cable apparently developed an issue and we didn't want to crawl around in the attic running the cable again as it was a real pain.
gavinsiu
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by gavinsiu »

Doom&Gloom wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 11:13 am I have an Asus AX-86 router I am using with an Asus AX-55 router as an AiMesh node with wireless backhaul. The only issues I've had at all were during some early firmware updates. Haven't noticed that lately though. I am using Merlin firmware in the router but not the node, so perhaps that is the reason for the hiccups I've had.

I also have an Asus AC-86 router that I'm using as a wired access point that I prefer to the mesh as it gives more control over the wireless settings in addition to the ethernet connection. I had an older router that I was using as a WAP where the mesh node is now, but the ethernet cable apparently developed an issue and we didn't want to crawl around in the attic running the cable again as it was a real pain.
Speaking of control, one feature I like is the guest network. When relatives visit, I feel a lot better that they can use the wifi without allowing them access to the internal network.
idc
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by idc »

Some things to consider, other than coverage/cost.

Ease of setup and control and ongoing updates to fix security issues. A few years back I was considering brands based on performance and price. Quickly learned that this gets old really quickly. At that time, most of the brands did not make it easy to update their hardware, you had to download firmware and flash it, not really something for lay people. Additionally, they had to be restarted frequently and the browser based interface was atrocious. Could not trust those things. Would have to replace every few years and the transition to a new system was getting progressively harder as I had ever more devices attached to my wifi system.

I eventually settled on the Google mesh. It is kept reasonable up to date automatically based on what I have seen, has a very decent phone based app for interface, including handy easy to control and understand features such as ability to setup a guest network which can be used by lay people. I haven't had to touch any of that stuff in years and just works. It will likely get obsolete in a few years, at which time I will completely replace the system. Likely to do so also with a Google system if they will stay in this business, since I expect transitioning all the dozens of wifi devices I have to be much easier.

I am not sure how good the other brands are out there, I will investigate at that time. But again, watch for these things and not just pure price/performance. A 20% performance difference in artificial benchmarks makes you feel good, but it is likely to be totally irrelevant.

Good luck.
KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
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bdmarsha
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by bdmarsha »

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.
FYI, Apple WiFi routers Airport Express 802.11n and Airport Extreme 802.11ac are still supported. I have three of the latter operating as a single network to cover my house. Very easy to set up and you can find them on eBay for around $50. You do need an app to configure them, either from iOS or macOS (not sure about Windows).
bd
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

bdmarsha wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:43 pm
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.
FYI, Apple WiFi routers Airport Express 802.11n and Airport Extreme 802.11ac are still supported. I have three of the latter operating as a single network to cover my house. Very easy to set up and you can find them on eBay for around $50. You do need an app to configure them, either from iOS or macOS (not sure about Windows).
bd
Thanks. I hadn’t realized, and makes me feel better that they are not an (unlikely) entry path to my network. After saying that I use mine to provide wifi for my Generac generator, I remembered that I also use it for my sauna, both of which don’t accept a space for the password.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
alfaspider
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by alfaspider »

KlangFool wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:17 pm https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
Nothing. The constant wifi updates aren't really necessary unless you have unusual/special needs with your network. I've been running the Eero for 3 years now and have seen zero reason to upgrade. Plenty of bandwidth for streaming 4k video, gaming, or anything the average user is going to use their wifi network for. I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones.
KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:53 am
KlangFool wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:17 pm https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
Nothing. The constant wifi updates aren't really necessary unless you have unusual/special needs with your network. I've been running the Eero for 3 years now and have seen zero reason to upgrade. Plenty of bandwidth for streaming 4k video, gaming, or anything the average user is going to use their wifi network for. I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones.
alfaspider,

"It depends".

How often do you update your laptop, tablet, and cellphone?

"I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones."

You can get the same coverage with wired Ethernet backhaul at a lowered cost.

KlangFool
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alfaspider
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by alfaspider »

KlangFool wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:58 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:53 am
KlangFool wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:17 pm https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
Nothing. The constant wifi updates aren't really necessary unless you have unusual/special needs with your network. I've been running the Eero for 3 years now and have seen zero reason to upgrade. Plenty of bandwidth for streaming 4k video, gaming, or anything the average user is going to use their wifi network for. I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones.
alfaspider,

"It depends".

How often do you update your laptop, tablet, and cellphone?


"I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones."

You can get the same coverage with wired Ethernet backhaul at a lowered cost.

KlangFool
A device is generally updated when there is a tangible benefit or the old one is no longer functional. To the average user, there's been no real benefit from new wifi standards in close to a decade (basically anything wifi 5+). Most people rarely make large file transfers on their home network- wifi is just a way to access the internet, and most people have connection speeds far below what Wi-fi 5 can deliver. Even Wifi4 (released 2008) is still perfectly usable for anything short of 4k streaming. And the bleeding edge standards are often not supported. So if you have one brand new device that supports wifi 7, it's only that one device that would get any benefit from running out to buy a shiny new router.

A wired Ethernet backhaul is quite a bit more expensive unless your house is already wired for it- few people's are. I also don't think a wired backhaul really does the same thing for you. A key benefit of a mesh is that it's a single connection no matter where you are in the house. You never have to think of whether you are logging into a primary or secondary SSID.

Anyhow, I'm making my recommendation after having lived with both solutions. After going mesh, I would never even consider a non-mesh setup.
tm3
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by tm3 »

KlangFool wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:58 am
"It depends".

You can get the same coverage with wired Ethernet backhaul at a lowered cost.
I 100% concur with the bolded if adding the disclaimer of the italicized. Money only, probably two routers with ethernet cable is cheapest although there are some fairly cheap mesh systems. Add in time and aggravation and, well, "it depends." I've done both, and while I don't remember any significant snags with the two routers I do remember it being more complex. The flip side is that with the routers there was much more extensive support other than "call customer service" or "go visit our support forum." Running the cable, in my situation, was the biggest challenge but at the time mesh was not an option.

My research this time around indicated that folks who have robust IT backgrounds, or who are interested in and enjoy working with the systems, favor WAP, like Ubiquiti, or ethernet backhaul solutions over mesh. A lot of, or perhaps most, consumers just want to open the box, have their phone take over, and they are done -- which is quick and easy, if it works -- and that seems to be driving the market.
WestCoastPhan
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by WestCoastPhan »

yatesd wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:51 am 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.
We have the same. We got 6 of the nodes (since our house is very long and there is a lot of stone) and the performance has been great.
KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:35 am
KlangFool wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:58 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:53 am
KlangFool wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:17 pm https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
Nothing. The constant wifi updates aren't really necessary unless you have unusual/special needs with your network. I've been running the Eero for 3 years now and have seen zero reason to upgrade. Plenty of bandwidth for streaming 4k video, gaming, or anything the average user is going to use their wifi network for. I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones.
alfaspider,

"It depends".

How often do you update your laptop, tablet, and cellphone?


"I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones."

You can get the same coverage with wired Ethernet backhaul at a lowered cost.

KlangFool
A device is generally updated when there is a tangible benefit or the old one is no longer functional. To the average user, there's been no real benefit from new wifi standards in close to a decade (basically anything wifi 5+). Most people rarely make large file transfers on their home network- wifi is just a way to access the internet, and most people have connection speeds far below what Wi-fi 5 can deliver. Even Wifi4 (released 2008) is still perfectly usable for anything short of 4k streaming. And the bleeding edge standards are often not supported. So if you have one brand new device that supports wifi 7, it's only that one device that would get any benefit from running out to buy a shiny new router.

A wired Ethernet backhaul is quite a bit more expensive unless your house is already wired for it- few people's are. I also don't think a wired backhaul really does the same thing for you. A key benefit of a mesh is that it's a single connection no matter where you are in the house. You never have to think of whether you are logging into a primary or secondary SSID.

Anyhow, I'm making my recommendation after having lived with both solutions. After going mesh, I would never even consider a non-mesh setup.
"A device is generally updated when there is a tangible benefit or the old one is no longer functional."

And, some devices like cellphone and tablet are upgraded regularly.

"Most people rarely make large file transfers on their home network"

Streaming video from your mobile device to your large screen TV is a very large file transfer.

"A key benefit of a mesh is that it's a single connection no matter where you are in the house. You never have to think of whether you are logging into a primary or secondary SSID."

You get that by configuring the same SSID in all your wireless router.

"A wired Ethernet backhaul is quite a bit more expensive"

A 100ft Ethernet cable is less than $30. It is a lot cheaper than $400 to $500 mesh WiFi system.

KlangFool
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vfinx
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by vfinx »

I use mesh with a wired backhaul. Technically I wasted money on the wireless mesh topology capability, but it’s nice to have the ease of initial configuration and maintenance (software updates, replacing a broken node, relocating nodes, relocating the cable modem, etc). My system lets you plug any node anywhere, and automatically detects if it should be a router or AP.

The other day I found out that someone had accidentally unplugged the switch. It had been that way for days but I didn’t notice because the system fell back to a wireless mesh mode.

I also like having an admin console tuned towards home consumer instead of pro users.
Topic Author
ruanddu
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by ruanddu »

KlangFool wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:24 pm
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.

KlangFool
Thanks. Walls are made out 1/2" drywall.
bendix
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by bendix »

KlangFool wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:17 pm https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
I bought that duie to the many good reviews and attractive price and had nothing but troubles with it. Required me to manually restart it every few days and I replaced it before long after firmware upgrades and a lot of patience...
rockstar
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by rockstar »

My understanding so far of WIFI7 is that the higher speeds will only be available in close proximity to the AP. This means to future proof, you want to run cable and wire APs throughout your home.

But what speeds does the OP need?
KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

bendix wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:08 pm
KlangFool wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:17 pm https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
I bought that duie to the many good reviews and attractive price and had nothing but troubles with it. Required me to manually restart it every few days and I replaced it before long after firmware upgrades and a lot of patience...
I bought several for myself and my kids. I do not have any problem with it.

KlangFool
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KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

ruanddu wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:57 pm
KlangFool wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:24 pm
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.

KlangFool
Thanks. Walls are made out 1/2" drywall.
Are you using two boxes or one?

Coax modem + WiFi Router or Coax modem and WiFi Router? If you get a better WiFi router and that maybe all you need.

Mesh should work fine too with dry wall if you want to spend more money.

KlangFool
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unclescrooge
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by unclescrooge »

hudson wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:38 am 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?
I bought Google wifi in 2019. The same 3 unit mesh setup but without the time-based power controls. Zero issues and it works great across two floors and everywhere in my yard. All units are set up on the top floor which is 2500 sq ft and easily cover the downstairs 900 sq ft.
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yatesd
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by yatesd »

rockstar wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:12 pm My understanding so far of WIFI7 is that the higher speeds will only be available in close proximity to the AP. This means to future proof, you want to run cable and wire APs throughout your home.

But what speeds does the OP need?
There are more benefits than simply speed, here are some references.


https://www.netgear.com/home/discover/wifi7/

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en ... -fi-7.html

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/wi-fi-7-explained
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tetractys
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by tetractys »

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!
Our house is not huge, less than 3000 sq ft; but we have a single router that covers both floors and the security camera perimeter outdoors. It’s an old Netgear router centrally situated.
hudson
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by hudson »

unclescrooge wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:50 pm
hudson wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:38 am 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?
I bought Google wifi in 2019. The same 3 unit mesh setup but without the time-based power controls. Zero issues and it works great across two floors and everywhere in my yard. All units are set up on the top floor which is 2500 sq ft and easily cover the downstairs 900 sq ft.
Thanks unclescrooge!
I installed one CAT5 Ethernet cable for one of the three Google WIFI units because there were 2 brick walls between it and the Google WIFI unit attached to the modem (the unit acting as a router). I think this is called a back-haul? I never connected the cable because when I installed the units, the Google Home phone app's mesh test showed 3 "great connections." Sometimes the connections are just good or worse according to the Google Home app; I learned that powering everything off and back on would usually fix that. I got tired of climbing the ladder twice, so I put Amazon Alexa Smart Plug switches on all three. I only reset the two outlying units overnight. I do the same with a Roku Streaming Stick. I only reset the main Google WIFI router unit as needed....which is almost never.

Bottom Line:
I probably should hook up that Cat5 cable to get that signal through 2 brick walls.
Automatic powering off and on fickle Google WIFI units and Roku Streaming Sticks keeps me out of trouble...most of the time.

If I was the OP, I'd install a mesh system. I found the Google WIFI 3 unit install to be ridiculously easy. I speculate that a good mesh system would work well through sheetrock.
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by alfaspider »

KlangFool wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:44 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:35 am
KlangFool wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:58 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:53 am
KlangFool wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:17 pm https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC1750-S ... B079JD7F7G

OP,

This is what I bought. It is around $53. It is not WiFi6 or WiFi6E. And, WiFi 7 is coming out. With a long Ethernet cable, it is probably going to work for you. Or else failed, you can buy one extra.

The problem with mesh is the following. You spent a lot of money. Then, what are you going to do when the new generation of WiFi coming out every 2 year?

By going cheap and with wired Ethernet backhaul, I can change and upgrade easily.

KlangFool
Nothing. The constant wifi updates aren't really necessary unless you have unusual/special needs with your network. I've been running the Eero for 3 years now and have seen zero reason to upgrade. Plenty of bandwidth for streaming 4k video, gaming, or anything the average user is going to use their wifi network for. I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones.
alfaspider,

"It depends".

How often do you update your laptop, tablet, and cellphone?


"I'd much rather have a mesh network with great signal anywhere in my house than the latest and greatest version of wifi with a bunch of annoying dead zones."

You can get the same coverage with wired Ethernet backhaul at a lowered cost.

KlangFool
A device is generally updated when there is a tangible benefit or the old one is no longer functional. To the average user, there's been no real benefit from new wifi standards in close to a decade (basically anything wifi 5+). Most people rarely make large file transfers on their home network- wifi is just a way to access the internet, and most people have connection speeds far below what Wi-fi 5 can deliver. Even Wifi4 (released 2008) is still perfectly usable for anything short of 4k streaming. And the bleeding edge standards are often not supported. So if you have one brand new device that supports wifi 7, it's only that one device that would get any benefit from running out to buy a shiny new router.

A wired Ethernet backhaul is quite a bit more expensive unless your house is already wired for it- few people's are. I also don't think a wired backhaul really does the same thing for you. A key benefit of a mesh is that it's a single connection no matter where you are in the house. You never have to think of whether you are logging into a primary or secondary SSID.

Anyhow, I'm making my recommendation after having lived with both solutions. After going mesh, I would never even consider a non-mesh setup.
"A device is generally updated when there is a tangible benefit or the old one is no longer functional."

And, some devices like cellphone and tablet are upgraded regularly.

"Most people rarely make large file transfers on their home network"

Streaming video from your mobile device to your large screen TV is a very large file transfer.

"A key benefit of a mesh is that it's a single connection no matter where you are in the house. You never have to think of whether you are logging into a primary or secondary SSID."

You get that by configuring the same SSID in all your wireless router.

"A wired Ethernet backhaul is quite a bit more expensive"

A 100ft Ethernet cable is less than $30. It is a lot cheaper than $400 to $500 mesh WiFi system.

KlangFool
My point is that streaming 4k video is well within the bandwith limits of even Wifi 5, which is a decade old. Streaming normal HD (1080P) is well within Wifi 4, which is 15 years old. In no case will your streaming exceed the bandwith of your ISP. Almost nobody gets home internet that will max out Wifi 5. So your shiny new iPhone 15pro (if you buy it when it comes out this fall) won't care if you are on a decade old Wifi 5 network or a brand new Wifi 7 router. Something like Wifi 7 would only matter if you wanted to do something like transfer your giant library of downloaded 4K movies between devices.

The base Eero Pro 6 is $300, and it regularly goes on sale for ~$250 on prime day. Ethernet cable may be cheap, but unless you are prepared to run cable through the walls yourself, you are looking at a lot more than the cost of cable. You'd also need (at a minimum), wall plates and switches to complete a Cat 6 backhaul. With two cheap routers, cable, wall plates, etc., you are looking at least $150 to run a wired backhaul, plus a big DIY project. By the way, even Ethernet needs to be updated. If you were cutting edge and wired your house for Cat 5 20 years ago, you'd be maxxed out at Gigabit speeds. That's less than what Wifi 6 can do, let alone Wifi 7.
Last edited by alfaspider on Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
KlangFool
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Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

Post by KlangFool »

alfaspider wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:45 am
The base Eero Pro 6 is $300, and it regularly goes on sale for ~$250 on prime day. Ethernet cable may be cheap, but unless you are prepared to run cable through the walls yourself, you are looking at a lot more than the cost of cable. You'd also need (at a minimum), wall plates and switches to complete a Cat 6 backhaul. By the way, even Ethernet needs to be updated. If you were cutting edge and wired your house for Cat 5 20 years ago, you'd be maxxed out at Gigabit speeds. That's less than what Wifi 6 can do, let alone Wifi 7.
alfaspider,

For most people, they only need to run around the wall and under the door with an 100ft Cat6A cable.

KlangFool
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