Wifi mesh systems

kala85

Any recommendations for a good WiFi mesh system.

I have an extender but I want a better more reliable system

richardjjd

I’m not techie, but went with a 3 unit Linksys Velop system just before Christmas and it’s done exactly want we wanted. One of the units has to be connected by Ethernet, the other two are wireless and it’s had a dramatic improvement on coverage.

kala85

richardjjd wrote: »

I’m not techie, but went with a 3 unit Linksys Velop system just before Christmas and it’s done exactly want we wanted. One of the units has to be connected by Ethernet, the other two are wireless and it’s had a dramatic improvement on coverage.

Thanks,

I find the extender hit and miss.

With the mesh system can you walk from one end of the house to the other without it dropping and staying on the same ssid.

Also is there an app to set up a guest network and to see what devices are in the network

richardjjd

Yes ... we’ve a single ssid and uninterrupted coverage (2 storey and attic). Guest network and app management -including device prioritisation - both available.

Sheep Shagger

Google/Nest is pricey but is the dogs...

kala85

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Google/Nest is pricey but is the dogs...

Is it really that good? How do you know?

Would rather not have the microphones from Google around the home.

kala85

richardjjd wrote: »

Yes ... we’ve a single ssid and uninterrupted coverage (2 storey and attic). Guest network and app management -including device prioritisation - both available.

How many nodes have you? And where is a good place to get them.

Did you have any increase in WiFi speed.?

Sleeper12

Google wi-fi sorted out all my virgin router problems. Not cheap but I have a stress free life now

Shefwedfan

Ok

Done a lot of messing around on these. So first I got the Linksys Velop Dual Band. WHW0103. They actually performed fairly well. I have a bungalow, all block walls and very spread out. I do everything on internet, tv etc. I was impressed but I just felt it lacked options etc. One box at end of house seemed to struggle and seemed to lose connection

So sold them and next I got the BT Whole Home system. This is faster than the Linksys so I thought it might be better. To be honest I felt the Linksys was a better solution. Anyways used them and again no real complaints. Similar issue with box at end of house. Maybe a little better., Anyway sold them :-)

So then I bought the Linksys Velp Tri-Band. Now I went this way for the Linksys aware which sends you an "alert" if someone is moving in th ehouse when you are away. The "alert" is fairly crap as it doesn't alert you and just come up on phone. They are supposed to be investing more. Performance is good and no issues with not connecting around the house,. Would really recommend......but :-)

I am actually going to either return or sell. I got them at good value in first place off Amazon so might go another option

My current options are:
TP-Link Deco D9
Huawei Q2 Pro

Why you might ask? well I have old TP-Link plugs which created seperate little wifi for each one, good and worked but pain when I do IP calls which I do alot. So thats why I moved to mesh

The TP-Link and Huawei system as well as having a mesh wifi they have a back connection which goes via the electric wires. Now the Linksys tri-band has the seperate connection for intercommunication but it is over wifi. Plus as my house is big I have a large sun room and other rooms which would be good to piut a cheaper mini device into. Especialluy the sun room so I can cover the garden.

I am probably over thinking it :-) but I am always like this with techie stuff

kala85

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Ok

Done a lot of messing around on these. So first I got the Linksys Velop Dual Band. WHW0103. They actually performed fairly well. I have a bungalow, all block walls and very spread out. I do everything on internet, tv etc. I was impressed but I just felt it lacked options etc. One box at end of house seemed to struggle and seemed to lose connection

So sold them and next I got the BT Whole Home system. This is faster than the Linksys so I thought it might be better. To be honest I felt the Linksys was a better solution. Anyways used them and again no real complaints. Similar issue with box at end of house. Maybe a little better., Anyway sold them :-)

So then I bought the Linksys Velp Tri-Band. Now I went this way for the Linksys aware which sends you an "alert" if someone is moving in th ehouse when you are away. The "alert" is fairly crap as it doesn't alert you and just come up on phone. They are supposed to be investing more. Performance is good and no issues with not connecting around the house,. Would really recommend......but :-)

I am actually going to either return or sell. I got them at good value in first place off Amazon so might go another option

My current options are:
TP-Link Deco D9
Huawei Q2 Pro

Why you might ask? well I have old TP-Link plugs which created seperate little wifi for each one, good and worked but pain when I do IP calls which I do alot. So thats why I moved to mesh

The TP-Link and Huawei system as well as having a mesh wifi they have a back connection which goes via the electric wires. Now the Linksys tri-band has the seperate connection for intercommunication but it is over wifi. Plus as my house is big I have a large sun room and other rooms which would be good to piut a cheaper mini device into. Especialluy the sun room so I can cover the garden.

I am probably over thinking it :-) but I am always like this with techie stuff

Thanks great informative post. Have you any information or opinion on the Google mesh or nest mesh

Shefwedfan

kala85 wrote: »

Thanks great informative post. Have you any information or opinion on the Google mesh or nest mesh

My mate had it, he liked it but it is overpriced and slow compared to the competition.


I suppose if you have loads of google stuff it might make sense but I dont. I use all amazon.


Even if I had google I still think I wouldn't buy, personally opinion. They just seem to be similar to the cheap Tenda stuff but with a google badge on it.

They are dual band, so that means the communication between the nodes and the communication from your devices are all fighting for the same antennas etc....for the same money as google you will get tri-band which will give you a seperate wifi network, which is hidden for the internode communication.....all of these devices are certified with google/amazon etc so I dont see advantage of paying extra for a google badge but getting an inferior product

I have only contacted support once, for Linksys on the aware, very good and very responsive. No idea on the other vendors. If they invested in aware I think it would be cracking product, like they are talking about integrating it with smart home, so if it could turn on all the lights and alarm if someone is moving in house when you are not in.....well that would be a game changer

Aware works, dont get me wrong, it will alert on my phone, but you couldnt really depend on seeing the alert if you know what i mean

Shefwedfan

Shefwedfan wrote: »

My mate had it, he liked it but it is overpriced and slow compared to the competition.


I suppose if you have loads of google stuff it might make sense but I dont. I use all amazon.


Even if I had google I still think I wouldn't buy, personally opinion. They just seem to be similar to the cheap Tenda stuff but with a google badge on it.

The best thing about it is the simplicity. You don’t need to be an IT engineer to install it and that’s worth the extra for me.

Declan1

For a non techie... Are there any issues with respect to using a mesh with a Virgin Media system?

Shefwedfan

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

The best thing about it is the simplicity. You don’t need to be an IT engineer to install it and that’s worth the extra for me.

They are all the same

The linksys and BT is an app, turn them on, download app and about 2 mins later it’s all working

If you check the reviews on all of these, one of the complaints from technical people is they can’t go into and start messing around, they are all plug and play now

Google, your just paying for a logo and getting inferior technology, check the spec of the competition if you think I’m making it up

Shefwedfan

Declan1 wrote: »

For a non techie... Are there any issues with respect to using a mesh with a Virgin Media system?

They all plug in via Ethernet port, they don’t care what you have connected to once it connect to the internet, it is handy if you can turn off WiFi on the device so you are just using the mesh, in case of interference

Mikey23

I’ve the Eero 3-pack from Amazon. Weren’t delivering to Ireland but work fine here over Parcel Motel (you can disregard the UK phone number when setting up). Bringing Virgin Media 500mb up to the attic of a two-storey house (roughly 100mb makes it up here).

Considered the Google equivalent but what swung it for me was each Eero unit has a spare Ethernet port at the back of each which is v handy. No outages, no interference and seamless handover as you go around the house. Also has 2.4 & 5Ghz channels under one network name and a nice, uncomplicated app.

Shefwedfan

Mikey23 wrote: »

I’ve the Eero 3-pack from Amazon. Weren’t delivering to Ireland but work fine here over Parcel Motel (you can disregard the UK phone number when setting up). Bringing Virgin Media 500mb up to the attic of a two-storey house (roughly 100mb makes it up here).

Considered the Google equivalent but what swung it for me was each Eero unit has a spare Ethernet port at the back of each which is v handy. No outages, no interference and seamless handover as you go around the house. Also has 2.4 & 5Ghz channels under one network name and a nice, uncomplicated app.

I waa looking at eero for a while, they got bought out by amazon recently and released. They seemed highly rated when a standalone company

Seemed a little over priced compared to competition but I know amazon are doing offers to sell them....Not sure what they are selling at now but they had an offer on a few weeks back

How is the software? Any nice features.

Shefwedfan

If you have kids linksys have Shield, I have it turned on but don’t use, more or less you can lock down their devices at the WiFi later, so no dodgy sites etc, just pick mobiles/laptop etc from the list of devices connected and set the rating

Could be useful

Pleas note I’m not trying to sell anyone on one device over the other, this is just my personal finding and observations, I had a thread on here and have been messing around now for nearly 6 months at them.... PS I’m no network engineer....plug and play all the way

NSAman

Using the Orbi systems here.

In one location we have four levels, high speed and about 9000 soft. Works perfectly throughout the building. Speeds dont drop off at all and even the external wifi cameras work flawlessly.

The other location is home on a very slow connection, we have three levels and have always had issues in the basement, since we installed this, connection is stable and faster.

Again, not a tech expert but this works flawlessly for our needs.

Hespy

NSAman wrote: »

Using the Orbi systems here.

In one location we have four levels, high speed and about 9000 soft. Works perfectly throughout the building. Speeds dont drop off at all and even the external wifi cameras work flawlessly.

The other location is home on a very slow connection, we have three levels and have always had issues in the basement, since we installed this, connection is stable and faster.

Again, not a tech expert but this works flawlessly for our needs.

+1 for Orbi. Set up the router, put the satellites around the house. 5ghz backhaul, so you get full speed everywhere.

Shefwedfan

I wanted the orbi, really highly recommended but I didnt like you have a main unit and then satellite, so you cannot have A piggyback to B to C......

So I would have to have main unit in middle of house and then a satellite at each end, this restricted me a little too much so I didn't invest. Thats why I went with the Linksys Velop triband instead

ablelocks

i have the google mesh - 4 units around the house and no issues, lots of wireless devices between hue / streaming / tablets and laptops etc, speeds consistently high (fibre to the home), it was plug and play and forget.

mind you, i did get the 4 units for about €160 if i remember correctly when they went on "clearance sale" in currys last year....

was thinking i should change the eir router, possibly no need. (although got a certificate error on it this morning on a work laptop that showed Wuhan, Hubei, China in the settings message)

Sheep Shagger

kala85 wrote: »

Is it really that good? How do you know?

Would rather not have the microphones from Google around the home.

We have it, we also have Google homes as I don't care about Google knowing about my boring life.

richardjjd

kala85 wrote: »

How many nodes have you? And where is a good place to get them.

Did you have any increase in WiFi speed.?

I’m consistently getting 250-300 throughout the house. It used to be that I could only get that in the room witH the virgin router.

We’ve three nodes. One downstairs at the back of the house. Two upstairs, one at the front of the house, one at the back.

I bought an as-new set off adverts but you don’t see much of a difference in price no matter where you get them.

kala85

is there a way on any of these devices to see what websites are being accessed by different devices that are accessing the networl

Shefwedfan

Not that I am aware of, as I said the Linksys Sheild will block websites per device based on the setting you put on it....but I cant see anyway for it to track

highdef

I've got three WiFi routers in the house, all configured with the same SSID, password and encryption type plus each one is on a different channel so there's no overlap. Haven't read into the mesh system but would it be better than my current setup?

faceman

I ordered the Tenda Nova MW6 set of 3 yesterday. From reading reviews and looking at the pricier competition. It more than likely seems to do what I need.

Will report back once I get them

Shefwedfan

highdef wrote: »

I've got three WiFi routers in the house, all configured with the same SSID, password and encryption type plus each one is on a different channel so there's no overlap. Haven't read into the mesh system but would it be better than my current setup?

Massively

Ray Donovan

I have Eir Fibre coming to the home on Thursday week (hopefully anyways if I can sort out my underground ducting) and am convinced I am going to need a mesh system to get the signal all around the house. (2700 sq ft, all block built)

I'm far from a techie but trying to set up my home to be a bit smarter (Ring alarm system and cameras with Alexa, smart plugs and bulbs here and there) but mostly the internet is just used for plain old surfing and some Netflix streaming through a smart TV.

So anyways taking everything into consideration I have almost settled on the TP Link Deco M5 system. I was wondering if anyone had any feedback on this or has anyone any suggestions for something in the same price category. I really like the fact that with any mesh system you will be on the same network all around the house which is currently not the case for me.

Shefwedfan

Ray Donovan wrote: »

I have Eir Fibre coming to the home on Thursday week (hopefully anyways if I can sort out my underground ducting) and am convinced I am going to need a mesh system to get the signal all around the house. (2700 sq ft, all block built)

I'm far from a techie but trying to set up my home to be a bit smarter (Ring alarm system and cameras with Alexa, smart plugs and bulbs here and there) but mostly the internet is just used for plain old surfing and some Netflix streaming through a smart TV.

So anyways taking everything into consideration I have almost settled on the TP Link Deco M5 system. I was wondering if anyone had any feedback on this or has anyone any suggestions for something in the same price category. I really like the fact that with any mesh system you will be on the same network all around the house which is currently not the case for me.

If you have really think walls then maybe pay the extra for the M9 which use the electric line as a backbone

Ray Donovan

Pardon my total tech ignorance but would that still more or less be a plug and play device?

alta stare

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Google wi-fi sorted out all my virgin router problems. Not cheap but I have a stress free life now

I was looking at one those. Is the range good? The house had solid walls and the extender os a pain in the ass at this rate.

Shefwedfan

Ray Donovan wrote: »

Pardon my total tech ignorance but would that still more or less be a plug and play device?

Yeah, when you plug it into the wall it uses the power lines in the house as cables to directly connect from one device to another, so if you have think walls it wont stop the signal


The mesh wifi will also work but this is a backup netowrk

Ray Donovan

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Yeah, when you plug it into the wall it uses the power lines in the house as cables to directly connect from one device to another, so if you have think walls it wont stop the signal


The mesh wifi will also work but this is a backup netowrk

Thanks for all the info. Pretty steep at €300ish. Might chance the M5 for €100 less and see how we go. Return it and upgrade it if necessary.

Shefwedfan

Ray Donovan wrote: »

Thanks for all the info. Pretty steep at €300ish. Might chance the M5 for €100 less and see how we go. Return it and upgrade it if necessary.

Amazon they are circa 200
Euro

Ray Donovan

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Amazon they are circa 200
Euro

Really?? If you get me that link I’d be forever on your debt. Im talking about the 3 pack....!!!???

Shefwedfan

TP-LINK Deco P9 Whole Home Powerline Mesh Wi-Fi System, Up To 6000 Sq ft coverage, Thick Wall, Works with Amazon Echo/Alexa, Wi-Fi Booster, Parental Controls, Pack of 3 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XSBGP7G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9UnQEbRF30S3F

Ray Donovan

Shefwedfan wrote: »

TP-LINK Deco P9 Whole Home Powerline Mesh Wi-Fi System, Up To 6000 Sq ft coverage, Thick Wall, Works with Amazon Echo/Alexa, Wi-Fi Booster, Parental Controls, Pack of 3 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XSBGP7G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9UnQEbRF30S3F

Sorry to be a square but you recommended the M9 and this is the P9??

Shefwedfan

Ray Donovan wrote: »

Sorry to be a square but you recommended the M9 and this is the P9??

Sorry I meant the P9.....


The M9 is the tri-band version which is a seperate wifi network as a backbone. Will not help in your situation as the block walls will affect the second wifi as well.


The P9 is the one which connects the backbone via the electric cables.....sorry too many model numbers in head

bk

When it comes to wifi mesh systems, it is important to consider how the backhaul works on different systems as that will give you very different performance.

The ideal setup is to connect each unit via Ethernet cable if you can run it to each unit. This will give you the best performance and actually allows you to use cheaper wifi mesh units or wireless access points, while getting better performance. Only downside is the need to run ethernet cables if not already in place, but well worth doing if you can.

Next best option is either Tri-band systems or powerline based systems. Which is better can depend on your home. Some wall materials/construction can cause tri-band not to work well, but equally poor electrical cable and interference on that can cause poor powerline performance too. So if going with one of these options, I'd recommend buying from somewhere with an easy returns policy that allows you to try it out for a week or two.

Last option is dual band only system. The only reason to consider one of these systems, is if you are using it with ethernet backhaul or if you budget is very limited and you can't stretch to any of the above options. Now if all you care about is getting connectivity where you currently don't have any, then yes, they do work, but performance is slow. Though that might not really bother some people, as long as it is fast enough to do one HD stream, they are happy. However I wouldn't pay much for this, if this is your goal, you should be looking at the cheaper systems.

Ray Donovan

bk wrote: »

When it comes to wifi mesh systems, it is important to consider how the backhaul works on different systems as that will give you very different performance.

The ideal setup is to connect each unit via Ethernet cable if you can run it to each unit. This will give you the best performance and actually allows you to use cheaper wifi mesh units or wireless access points, while getting better performance. Only downside is the need to run ethernet cables if not already in place, but well worth doing if you can.

Next best option is either Tri-band systems or powerline based systems. Which is better can depend on your home. Some wall materials/construction can cause tri-band not to work well, but equally poor electrical cable and interference on that can cause poor powerline performance too. So if going with one of these options, I'd recommend buying from somewhere with an easy returns policy that allows you to try it out for a week or two.

Last option is dual band only system. The only reason to consider one of these systems, is if you are using it with ethernet backhaul or if you budget is very limited and you can't stretch to any of the above options. Now if all you care about is getting connectivity where you currently don't have any, then yes, they do work, but performance is slow. Though that might not really bother some people, as long as it is fast enough to do one HD stream, they are happy. However I wouldn't pay much for this, if this is your goal, you should be looking at the cheaper systems.

My house was built in 2017 so if wiring is up to scratch it seems you would advise the Deco P9 system too for powerline. I don't fancy running ethernet cables to 2 satellite decos to be honest.

Shefwedfan

Ray Donovan wrote: »

My house was built in 2017 so if wiring is up to scratch it seems you would advise the Deco P9 system too for powerline. I don't fancy running ethernet cables to 2 satellite decos to be honest.

No issues

alta stare

bk wrote: »

When it comes to wifi mesh systems, it is important to consider how the backhaul works on different systems as that will give you very different performance.

The ideal setup is to connect each unit via Ethernet cable if you can run it to each unit. This will give you the best performance and actually allows you to use cheaper wifi mesh units or wireless access points, while getting better performance. Only downside is the need to run ethernet cables if not already in place, but well worth doing if you can.

Next best option is either Tri-band systems or powerline based systems. Which is better can depend on your home. Some wall materials/construction can cause tri-band not to work well, but equally poor electrical cable and interference on that can cause poor powerline performance too. So if going with one of these options, I'd recommend buying from somewhere with an easy returns policy that allows you to try it out for a week or two.

Last option is dual band only system. The only reason to consider one of these systems, is if you are using it with ethernet backhaul or if you budget is very limited and you can't stretch to any of the above options. Now if all you care about is getting connectivity where you currently don't have any, then yes, they do work, but performance is slow. Though that might not really bother some people, as long as it is fast enough to do one HD stream, they are happy. However I wouldn't pay much for this, if this is your goal, you should be looking at the cheaper systems.

Do they need to be connect in series or parallel?

Shefwedfan

bk wrote: »

When it comes to wifi mesh systems, it is important to consider how the backhaul works on different systems as that will give you very different performance.

The ideal setup is to connect each unit via Ethernet cable if you can run it to each unit. This will give you the best performance and actually allows you to use cheaper wifi mesh units or wireless access points, while getting better performance. Only downside is the need to run ethernet cables if not already in place, but well worth doing if you can.

Next best option is either Tri-band systems or powerline based systems. Which is better can depend on your home. Some wall materials/construction can cause tri-band not to work well, but equally poor electrical cable and interference on that can cause poor powerline performance too. So if going with one of these options, I'd recommend buying from somewhere with an easy returns policy that allows you to try it out for a week or two.

Last option is dual band only system. The only reason to consider one of these systems, is if you are using it with ethernet backhaul or if you budget is very limited and you can't stretch to any of the above options. Now if all you care about is getting connectivity where you currently don't have any, then yes, they do work, but performance is slow. Though that might not really bother some people, as long as it is fast enough to do one HD stream, they are happy. However I wouldn't pay much for this, if this is your goal, you should be looking at the cheaper systems.

My experience of dual band is they would preform better than you refer to. I had none of them wired and they worked ok. In reality they would have been prefect for most people but I like to mess around :-)



I would of had 2-3 Netflix streams while I worked etc and they worked. If gaming then yes I think you could have issues

bk

Ray Donovan wrote: »

My house was built in 2017 so if wiring is up to scratch it seems you would advise the Deco P9 system too for powerline. I don't fancy running ethernet cables to 2 satellite decos to be honest.

I'd just stress buying from somewhere with a good returns policy, so you can return if needed.

alta stare wrote: »

Do they need to be connect in series or parallel?

Ethernet? Ideally Parallel

Shefwedfan wrote: »

My experience of dual band is they would preform better than you refer to. I had none of them wired and they worked ok. In reality they would have been prefect for most people but I like to mess around :-)

"Worked ok" is how I'd describe them.

You are correct that it is probably "ok" for most people.

As in, if someone has a dead spot in their bedroom at the end of the house that gets no signal. Sure it can probably get you 50 or 60 Mbps down there, which is fine for two Netflix streams or whatever.

And for most people, that is probably very much good enough for them.

But I feel that it is still quiet weak. After all if you are paying for 500mb/s Broadband, then it kind of sucks to get that limited to a tenth of the speed and specially when you are paying so much for a mesh system.

An ethernet backed system or a triband/powerline system can often deliver speeds of up to 300mb/s or more in the distant parts of the house.

Of course that may not matter to people, if all that are looking for is streaming Netflix, but I think it is worth pointing out, so that people can make informed decisions.

alta stare

bk wrote: »

Ethernet? Ideally Parallel.

Cool thanks. I asked as i wasnt sure if they have an in and out Ethernet set up or what way they were done.

towger

Anyone who has got Google Nest WiFi, where did you get it ? Not launched in Ireland yet.

whowantstwoknow

bk wrote: »

When it comes to wifi mesh systems, it is important to consider how the backhaul works on different systems as that will give you very different performance.

The ideal setup is to connect each unit via Ethernet cable if you can run it to each unit. This will give you the best performance and actually allows you to use cheaper wifi mesh units or wireless access points, while getting better performance. Only downside is the need to run ethernet cables if not already in place, but well worth doing if you can.

Next best option is either Tri-band systems or powerline based systems. Which is better can depend on your home. Some wall materials/construction can cause tri-band not to work well, but equally poor electrical cable and interference on that can cause poor powerline performance too. So if going with one of these options, I'd recommend buying from somewhere with an easy returns policy that allows you to try it out for a week or two.

Last option is dual band only system. The only reason to consider one of these systems, is if you are using it with ethernet backhaul or if you budget is very limited and you can't stretch to any of the above options. Now if all you care about is getting connectivity where you currently don't have any, then yes, they do work, but performance is slow. Though that might not really bother some people, as long as it is fast enough to do one HD stream, they are happy. However I wouldn't pay much for this, if this is your goal, you should be looking at the cheaper systems.

Thanks for this info. Considering doing something to improve the wifi in the house seeing it has SIRO coming in. I have 2 points with Ethernet cables currently in use and possible another location which has the LAN via a powerline. bk, can you recommend a suitable system for such a setup?

If the system would consume the existing cable and I'd like to keep the hardwire uses, could one use a small 1gb POE switch/hug inbetween?

Thanks
W.

GinSoaked

whowantstwoknow wrote: »

Thanks for this info. Considering doing something to improve the wifi in the house seeing it has SIRO coming in. I have 2 points with Ethernet cables currently in use and possible another location which has the LAN via a powerline. bk, can you recommend a suitable system for such a setup?

If the system would consume the existing cable and I'd like to keep the hardwire uses, could one use a small 1gb POE switch/hug inbetween?

Thanks
W.

In a very large house our neighbor has I put in 4 AC1750 dual band AP's using PoE off a switch providing PoE, works great. All same SSIDs and roaming works a treat.

Most houses would only need two AP's of that type and you could use cheaper units, I like the ones I linked to because they have excellent range and a commercial warranty so if one dies after a bit of tech support they will send out a replacement (even 3 years down the road - did have one die).

2011

alta stare wrote: »

Do they need to be connect in series or parallel?

bk wrote: »

Ethernet? Ideally Parallel

Really? I would have said that Ethernet would ideally be wired in "star" i.e. all home runs back to a common point.