Wifi mesh systems

Gooey Looey

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Okay - so even though they have an AP mode that is not sufficient? I was hoping to get something small so thought these would do.

Thanks.

An access point has an Ethernet port for backhaul. By definition:
In computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP), or more generally just access point (AP), is a networking hardware device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network

garo

As Gooey Looey said. You mentioned you want an ethernet backhaul. So ignore any product that has extender in its name.


This is popular and rock-solid review but a bit expensive.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-Networks-UAP-AC-LITE-Access-Point/dp/B016K4GQVG
A cheaper option would be a router like this put into AP mode but you will be restricted to 100Mbps. Same page has other options:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-C50-Wireless-Supports-Parental/dp/B075PDLQ2Y

Gooey Looey

There's nothing cleaner than ceiling mounted access points, they look great and give great coverage. I have one in the sitting room and another on the landing covering upstairs

Aquos76

Deco’s do have Ethernet backhaul. I have a set of M4’s myself but prior to me buying these, I saw the M9’s working and they were all linked via Ethernet. My M4’s are all linked via Ethernet backhaul

garo

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I've got ethernet wired to each room and located beside a double wall plug. I'm not really looking to lift the attic flooring to route a Cat5e cable to an AP. TBH - its not worth that hassle.

So if you don't mind one of the Ubiquiti APs mounted next to the Ethernet port and wall plug, get one of those for one of your bedrooms at the far end. That will solve all your problems and will look elegant too. Far better than a router or extender with external antennae sticking up.


The Deco M9 is three times as expensive and as you said you only need one AP/mesh not three.

degsie

garo wrote: »

So if you don't mind one of the Ubiquiti APs mounted next to the Ethernet port and wall plug, get one of those for one of your bedrooms at the far end.

Keep in mind that the UAPs are designed for ceiling mount due to the beam formed by the unit. Vertical wall mounting is not recommended.

Gooey Looey

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Here is a photo of the location in the room.
What ever I get installed I was hoping to hide behind the TV when it is wall mounted.
Ceiling mount isn't an option as I don't want to lift flooring in attic to connect it plus routing cables to it would be more hassle than worth. Hence why I thought the AP that were part of the plug would suit.

Hiding an AP behind the TV is a terrible idea, it's an antenna, don't obstruct it. This is the reason why ceiling mounted APs are so good

degsie

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Ceiling mount isn't an option as I don't want to lift flooring in attic to connect it plus routing cables to it would be more hassle than worth. Hence why I thought the AP that were part of the plug would suit.

As a compromise, you can get a wall bracket for a UAP

garo

According to this document: https://dl.ubnt.com/guides/UniFi/UniFi_AP-AC-Lite_QSG.pdf
and the discussion here: https://community.ui.com/questions/UAP-AC-Lite-or-any-of-the-UAP-radiation-pattern-Would-you-mount-it-on-a-wall/5fe983fc-30ee-4257-ab46-1c30886759f4


There is really no need to get a bracket when wall mounting. Wall mounting is fine. Some people even run it on the floor.

JDxtra

degsie wrote: »

As a compromise, you can get a wall bracket for a UAP

NCC-1701-D.

Gooey Looey

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I thought that was its model number until I googled it! :pac:

Hmmm, looks like I'll need to upgrade the network switch to POE.
Can that light be turned off - I could do without that illuminating the bedroom - I don't have many requests

Be careful with Ubiquiti, some of their APs are proprietary 24v Poe not 802.11af. Yes the light can be turned off in software

garo

I think the AC-Lite comes with a POE injector. https://www.ui.com/accessories/poe-adapters/ If not you can buy one aftermarket for 15 quid. Better than getting a whole new switch.
Also the latest AC-Lite does support 802.3af



BTW this really isn't the right thread. Could a mod move Ubiquiti posts to a new thread please?

prettyboy81

Morning I have had a good read of this thread & plenty of options out there for mesh system.

What are peoples thoughts on TP-Link Doce M5 Wi-F currently down to £149.99 on Amazon?

I have deadzones in kitchen & bedroom I am hoping to resolves with these on Virgin 500mb broadband.

Or so I replace virgin hub-router with a better version?

petejmk

prettyboy81 wrote: »

Morning I have had a good read of this thread & plenty of options out there for mesh system.

What are peoples thoughts on TP-Link Doce M5 Wi-F currently down to £149.99 on Amazon?

I have deadzones in kitchen & bedroom I am hoping to resolves with these on Virgin 500mb broadband.

Or so I replace virgin hub-router with a better version?

My Deco M4 (3 pack) ordered from Amazon (£99) arrived Thursday and it's made a huge difference. The signal kept dropping across the house and we had a couple of dead zones in the kitchen and back bedroom upstairs. It's flying now. With Virgin too and the set up was easy following this video https://youtu.be/l5YAuSSccn8 no issues since with anything. Highly recommend it.

Clareman

prettyboy81 wrote: »

Morning I have had a good read of this thread & plenty of options out there for mesh system.

What are peoples thoughts on TP-Link Doce M5 Wi-F currently down to £149.99 on Amazon?

I have deadzones in kitchen & bedroom I am hoping to resolves with these on Virgin 500mb broadband.

Or so I replace virgin hub-router with a better version?

If you can move the router around the place and see if that gets rid of deadzones that'd probably be the best way to see if mesh is the best option, you probably won't have internet connection because the router will need to be connected to the Virgin point but you'll have WiFi coverage and you'll be able to tell the quality of it. I've seen microwaves and baby monitors knock out wifi signals so the probably mightn't be the router it might be something else so usually best to try that out really quickly.

mk7775

I see the eero 3 pack are £149 down from £249 when your order it through your echo.

Anyone have any experience with them if they are any good?

rodneytrotter15

I have 3 Deco M5 setup at home. My FTTH is via Pure Telecom 1GB with one puck plugged into the router and the wireless turned off on the Fritz box. Once Deco upstairs with network cable into Sky mini and the 3rd one with same setup in another downstairs room where I also work from. It runs about 100MB down 90MB up on wireless in the room across the hall from the router where I have one of the Deco's setup near me. To be fair the speed is fine and I've no issue but will need to order one more Deco to plug to another sky mini in the extension which is almost finished. This is to also boost the signal to my wife's workplace ( unit at back of the house )....What I'm wondering is would I get a better signal again if I buy a better route (thinking a TP Link one ) or is this a dump question as the Deco is effectively my router now and would be a waster of money.

Redsoxfan

mk7775 wrote: »

I see the eero 3 pack are £149 down from £249 when your order it through your echo.

How do you do this now? Just ask Alexa?

prettyboy81

Redsoxfan wrote: »

How do you do this now? Just ask Alexa?

Yep that does it. Simple enough.

John_Mc

rodneytrotter15 wrote: »

I have 3 Deco M5 setup at home. My FTTH is via Pure Telecom 1GB with one puck plugged into the router and the wireless turned off on the Fritz box. Once Deco upstairs with network cable into Sky mini and the 3rd one with same setup in another downstairs room where I also work from. It runs about 100MB down 90MB up on wireless in the room across the hall from the router where I have one of the Deco's setup near me. To be fair the speed is fine and I've no issue but will need to order one more Deco to plug to another sky mini in the extension which is almost finished. This is to also boost the signal to my wife's workplace ( unit at back of the house )....What I'm wondering is would I get a better signal again if I buy a better route (thinking a TP Link one ) or is this a dump question as the Deco is effectively my router now and would be a waster of money.

No you're going to complicate things if you introduce a router into the mesh network and won't gain anything as the mesh network provides the speed. The mesh network already acts as a router anyway. Perhaps I misunderstood your question though.

Are you connected to 2.4ghz or 5ghz wifi network when you get 90-100? The former goes further but is slower than 5ghz. 5ghz is a lot faster though.

You can also merge the connections so you only have one and the mesh network decides if it's over 2.4 or 5ghz. This might be the way you have it now.

rodneytrotter15

John_Mc wrote: »

No you're going to complicate things if you introduce a router into the mesh network and won't gain anything as the mesh network provides the speed. The mesh network already acts as a router anyway. Perhaps I misunderstood your question though.

Are you connected to 2.4ghz or 5ghz wifi network when you get 90-100? The former goes further but is slower than 5ghz. 5ghz is a lot faster though.

You can also merge the connections so you only have one and the mesh network decides if it's over 2.4 or 5ghz. This might be the way you have it now.

It runs combined alright as you suggested. Think I'll just leave it alone as you suggested and just add the extra puck out in the backroom...

John_Mc

rodneytrotter15 wrote: »

It runs combined alright as you suggested. Think I'll just leave it alone as you suggested and just add the extra puck out in the backroom...

Yeah I have mine set up the same way as it's easier than having to choose what type of network to connect to.

You could try setting the device to a high Quality of Service (QoS). That might increase the speed a bit. 100mbps ain't a bad speed though. Adding another mesh node may or may not increase the speed. It depends on how far it is from other nodes and what's in the way.

robbe

Hi,

New to this mesh system but have decided to take the plunge on a pack of 3 eero (standard). My current setup is Virgin Media Hub 3.0 (500mb) which provides patchy enough wifi around the house supplemented by 4 homeplugs for Kids playstations/PCs and android boxes. Just have a few questions about how to set up the Eero. Happy enough that the Eero has to be connected to the VM Hub which needs to be put into modem mode, have seen some people mention needing an ethernet switch to connect addnl devices to the Eero as it only has 2 x ethernet ports - I assume this is necessary as the VM hub (located close by the Eero) will not get any device connected to it to the interet? Secondly I saw, in the reviews of the Eero on Amazon some people recommend giving the Eero network the same name as the VM in order to avoid having to reconnect all the exisiting devices (there are loads in my house from smart lightbulbs to cameras etc etc so if I could avoid that at all possible I'd be thankful), however can I ask if anyone has done this? Problem I see is that my VM connections are seperately named for both the 5ghz and 2.4ghz bands......not sure this can be replicated on the Eero setup but perhaps someone could advise? Last question - can the 2nd and 3rd Eero be run off the homeplugs or are better results achieved via wifi (everyones setup will differ, just wonder if there is a prevailing view)?

Cheers

beauf

So many choices.

So for a set of three. Whats a good middle of the road mesh system with the VM back in bridge mode.

I really only get a good signal from VM Wifi if I'm within about about 20ft of it. Drops off massively after that. So its either the i-Beam in the kitchen, or conflicting with other WiFi networks.
If i use my own router TP AC1750 its better, but not much. Its more reliable is really the only reason I use it. Get lots of drops with VM hub.

Brian201888

I got the Deco M4 3 pack and it's doing great so far. Had a couple of small connection drops the first day but fine since then and I'm getting 200mb down upstairs just running them on wifi with no cabling

DeadSkin

Brian201888 wrote: »

I got the Deco M4 3 pack and it's doing great so far. Had a couple of small connection drops the first day but fine since then and I'm getting 200mb down upstairs just running them on wifi with no cabling

I'm in the market for a mesh solution, being doing a bit of research and reckon I'll pull the plug on the M4 alright. Kinda holding out at this point for Black Friday deals.

Brian201888

Think when I checked 100 was the cheapest it's been for the 3 pack on camel camel camel so might not go down but may as well see if it does

cmac2009

Redsoxfan wrote: »

How do you do this now? Just ask Alexa?

FYI you no longer need to order through Alexa, now available on their website for the same price.

So Amazon's offering and TP Link Deco are now priced the same at £150. Is there any consensus/opinion on which is better?

Gregor Samsa

Been having a lot of trouble with my Vodafone Wi-Fi over the months since March that I’ve been WFH. Have a 500 gigabit connection that’s rock solid, but the modem is in one corner of the house, and coverage upstairs where I work is patchy.

Set up a Deco M9 Plus 3 pack system today. The difference in coverage and WiFi speed is amazing. I ran speed tests in all rooms before and after with the WiFi Sweet Spots app. Getting 317 Mbps in the upstairs office now, where I was getting 13.

Got the main unit in the living room, one in the main bedroom right above it, and one in the spare bedroom/office. I was thinking about wiring the main one and the bedroom one with Cat 6 cable (I’d have to run it outside the house, but there’s access holes already for satellite cables), but I’m getting such good coverage from the 5Ghz dedicated backhaul that I don’t think I’ll bother.

I probably could have just done with the M5 system, and the real proof will be after a couple of weeks of work and wandering around the house from room to room in Teams calls, but so far it’s looking like a great buy.

degsie

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Been having a lot of trouble with my Vodafone Wi-Fi over the months since March that I’ve been WFH. Have a 500 gigabit connection that’s rock solid, but the modem is in one corner of the house, and coverage upstairs where I work is patchy.

Set up a Deco M9 Plus 3 pack system today. The difference in coverage and WiFi speed is amazing. I ran speed tests in all rooms before and after with the WiFi Sweet Spots app. Getting 317 Mbps in the upstairs office now, where I was getting 13.

Got the main unit in the living room, one in the main bedroom right above it, and one in the spare bedroom/office. I was thinking about wiring the main one and the bedroom one with Cat 6 cable (I’d have to run it outside the house, but there’s access holes already for satellite cables), but I’m getting such good coverage from the 5Ghz dedicated backhaul that I don’t think I’ll bother.

I probably could have just done with the M5 system, and the real proof will be after a couple of weeks of work and wandering around the house from room to room in Teams calls, but so far it’s looking like a great buy.

Mesh wifi is a gamechanger indeed!