WiFi coverage

Ron Burgundy II

I recently moved (renting) into an old house which unfortunately for wifi has very thick walls, limiting wifi coverage from the eir router.

Looking online it seems mesh system such as eero might be a good solution for my problem. My question is, are mesh systems any good and secondly is there an alternative

BronsonTB

Ron Burgundy II wrote: »

I recently moved (renting) into an old house which unfortunately for wifi has very thick walls, limiting wifi coverage from the eir router.

Looking online it seems mesh system such as eero might be a good solution for my problem. My question is, are mesh systems any good and secondly is there an alternative

https://www.vikingdirect.ie/en/p/8542476?sgt=QD0&cm_mmc=Google-_-PLA_GEN_GOOGLE-SHOPPING_all-products_PRICE-KING-_-All+Price+Kind+Products-_-8542476&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6OfgvtiK3AIVzbHtCh2sSQxrEAQYAiABEgIPNfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

ArrBee

Alternatives may depend on your ability to run network cable to extra wireless access points.

I have never used an out of box mesh setup, but I have heard they are good?? I cant help thinking that the more wireless hops in the chain, the worse the latency will be so I am a little skeptical.

I have 3 APs in my home configured with the same credentials so that I can roam seemlessly.
It performs well in the "handover to next AP" department. so once set up I have a user experience that would be as good as a mesh network, but for less cost.

2.4GHz will penetrate walls better than 5Ghz also. And you can get high power (long range) APs that might do the job for you.
One product you could look into is ubiquiti AP LR (Access Point Long Range)


One thing I would not recommend is homeplugs (powerline adapters) for extending a network if you wanted a stable and reliable network.
The signal is impacted by electrical devices turning off or on with different impacts seen for different load draws.
Basically they can perform ok but that can change at any moment. Also, latency is shocking.

Ron Burgundy II

Thanks, ArrBee. I won't be able to run cables to create WAPs as it's not my property. From what I've read mesh, in particular, the Netgear product Orbi it seems that I shouldn't have issues with bandwidth. But it's an expensive solution for something I don't know too much about.

ArrBee

Bandwidth wouldn't have been my concern.
If you have fast enough internet to be limited by the wireless link, you're doing OK in my book!
Latency though can be a pain in the arse and isn't understood or talked about as much as bandwidth. I reckon though that mesh products will have that sorted out and *shouldn't* be an issue. But I've no personal experience with them other than I looked into it for myself and decided against it because:
-I could lay cables (lol)
-mesh is expensive

There are other brands out there that you should look into as well.
I really like the Ubiquiti gear. It was their product (amplify?) that I was going to get if I went with mesh.
I think google have one also?

One thing I really liked is that there were some good analysis tools built into them like being able to see who was using what (bandwidth/times/etc) and the ability to control it to some degree. I guess that might be common on modern routers these days though.

ED E

ArrBee wrote: »

One thing I would not recommend is homeplugs (powerline adapters) for extending a network if you wanted a stable and reliable network.
The signal is impacted by electrical devices turning off or on with different impacts seen for different load draws.
Basically they can perform ok but that can change at any moment. Also, latency is shocking.

What are you on about? Latency on a bad day is 4ms across EoP. Its half duplex alright but latency is rarely/never an issue.


Ron Burgundy II: Mesh systems area great in larger homes with partition walls etc like are very common in the US, they can't cheat physics though. Depending on how thick the walls are (are we talking stone cottage or 1940s brickwork?) mesh systems will perform way worse than a cluster of homeplugs.

I'd advise buying homeplugs from argos and trying them out that way a return is easy if the existing mains cabling is too noisy for reasonable speeds.

ArrBee

ED E wrote: »

What are you on about? Latency on a bad day is 4ms across EoP. Its half duplex alright but latency is rarely/never an issue.

I am on about the increase in latency that I have observed in my home.

I'm glad you have found it to sufficient for your needs and not been impacted by the downsides of the technology.

It's possible that the setup that I put up with for about 12 months was spanning electrical circuits . Not ideal, I know but the reality of what I needed to do. Could also bee that I have dodgy wiring (house was built in the boom).
Could be that I have a different electrical load in my house to you.
Point is, neither of our experiences with homeplugs will be identical to the next person, A ****e experience with them is possible and perhaps more common than you expect.


I'd also argue that given OP is looking to extend a wireless signal as opposed to a wired, buying homeplugs will need APs as well.
Adding AP(s) to homeplugs (stability decreases as you add more than 2) might just put the total cost in the realm of a mesh system that would suit better.

Running network cable along skirting boards is something I've done in rented accommodation in the past and might be worth considering also.
You can get a box of cable fairly cheap if you look in the right places.

Ron Burgundy II

Thanks, ArrBee & ED E for the advice.

The best solution for me would be to run cabling along the top of skirting boards and create data points. But I feel the landlord will have a problem with surface mounting cabling throughout a period house.

My wifi signal is very limited once I go circa 5/6 metres from the main router. A solid stone wall of circa 300mm thick interferes with the signal.

What I'm hoping is that If I can place a node on the other side of the wall (within a metre or two from the router) to provide coverage at ground floor and a second node at the top of the stairs in direct sight of the router to provide better coverage at first floor.

I hope the above provides a little more information on my wifi coverage issues.

Skatedude

Can you just use powerline wireless adapters? https://www.amazon.co.uk/slp/powerline-wifi-extender/gyuczsmrjd9w4a5

ArrBee

If you are going to have nodes pretty close to where the router is, then powerline adapters might work well enough for you.
As Ed suggests, you can buy them from somewhere that allows easy returns and try them out.

Just be sure you test them under lots of different conditions to see if you are happy with them. They can fluctuate wildly.

If the house's wiring is up to it and you get a good enough performance from them, then having APs built in might be a good idea too as suggested by skaterdude.