Wifi mesh systems

garo · 29-09-2020 3:43pm

Don't put the ISP router in bridge mode. Mesh networks typically don't have full fuctionality that a router provides. Just put your mesh net in AP mode so it stop issuing IP addresses and just passes those requests on to the router.

Edit: Disable the DHCP server on you mesh. Section 5.2 of the manual.

Clareman · 29-09-2020 4:14pm

Personally I didn't bother putting my router into bridge mode. What I've done is disabled WiFi on the ISP router, left DHCP on the router, connected the mesh to the ISP router, a small hub for wired stuff (alarm, Hue, powerline) and everything just works, everything sees each other and can communicated. I did have a problem with my laptop not seeing my server and I spend AGES configuring firewalls, permissions and loads of other ****e, turned out the laptop was on the guess network and the server on the main network, once I sorted that everything was sorted.

I would consider myself fairly competent when it comes to networking and IT stuff but I haven't had to bother with anything with the google mesh, it just works, can't describe is any other way, it just works.

Redsoxfan · 29-09-2020 8:52pm

With the 22% off and the positive reports I took the plunge and bought the Google Nest router plus point. Will set it up at the weekend.

Even with the Wizard firmware I found Asus mesh to be just ok. Hoping this is an improvement.

Hellrazer · 29-09-2020 10:46pm

garo wrote: »

Don't put the ISP router in bridge mode. Mesh networks typically don't have full fuctionality that a router provides. Just put your mesh net in AP mode so it stop issuing IP addresses and just passes those requests on to the router.

Edit: Disable the DHCP server on you mesh. Section 5.2 of the manual.

So in the Mesh settings what do I put as the dhcp server?Is it the IP of the virgin router?

Aquos76 · 29-09-2020 10:59pm

garo wrote: »

Don't put the ISP router in bridge mode. Mesh networks typically don't have full fuctionality that a router provides. Just put your mesh net in AP mode so it stop issuing IP addresses and just passes those requests on to the router.

Edit: Disable the DHCP server on you mesh. Section 5.2 of the manual.

I put my VM hub into bridge mode and have 3 Deco M4 working flawlessly throughout the house, all throwing out max speeds. I installed a switch at the back of the hub and that took care of my existing wired devices. Using the M4 in access point mode takes away some of the additional controls in the app as far as I know. I’m using these since mid July and haven’t had a single WiFi dropout or and issues with any device since.

garo · 30-09-2020 9:45am

Hellrazer wrote: »

So in the Mesh settings what do I put as the dhcp server?Is it the IP of the virgin router?

Sorry I didn’t realise you have a Virgin router. Didn’t read your original post carefully. As Aquos76 said best to put the Virgin router in bridge mode. Contact Virgin first and ask them to give you a fixed IPv4 address. The DS-Lite IPv6 doesn’t work very well with bridge mode. Then go to the virgin configuration and set it to bridge mode and Wi-Fi off. Do not connect anything directly to the Virgin router other than your mesh router. So connect your PCs to the mesh router.

Hellrazer · 30-09-2020 10:02am

garo wrote: »

Sorry I didn’t realise you have a Virgin router. Didn’t read your original post carefully. As Aquos76 said best to put the Virgin router in bridge mode. Contact Virgin first and ask them to give you a fixed IPv4 address. The DS-Lite IPv6 doesn’t work very well with bridge mode. Then go to the virgin configuration and set it to bridge mode and Wi-Fi off. Do not connect anything directly to the Virgin router other than your mesh router. So connect your PCs to the mesh router.

I dont have a mesh router...The mesh system came with 3 mesh devices. One is attached to the Virgin router via ethernet and then the other 2 are paired to that first one.

My 2 pcs are directly wired to the Virgin router giving me full speed 250mb down.

I only put the mesh in because the virgin wifi was so flakey and to be honest it works amazingly - from between 2-5mb to almost 100mb in every room on wireless mesh now.

Im not even really bothered about the streaming but its one of those things that Im sure theres a workaround for. Its annoying me more than anything.

garo · 30-09-2020 10:29am

Yes you do. Read the pdf you linked. It clearly uses the term mesh router.

What you seem to want is to put your mesh system in AP mode. I didn't find anything in that document on how you could do that. Only did a quick scan. In AP mode the mesh system/router won't be handing out any IP addresses, doing any routing and just doing the wifi bit. If you find a way to do it, great.

If not, your only other option is to put the VM router in bridge mode and use your Mercusys system as a router.

Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5HKqab_Y7M This looks like instruction to put your Mercusys into AP/Wifi extender only mode.

Hellrazer · 30-09-2020 10:44am

garo wrote: »

Yes you do. Read the pdf you linked. It clearly uses the term mesh router.

Ah ok I get you now. The individual "cubes" can act as routers?

What you seem to want is to put your mesh system in AP mode. I didn't find anything in that document on how you could do that. Only did a quick scan. In AP mode the mesh system/router won't be handing out any IP addresses, doing any routing and just doing the wifi bit. If you find a way to do it, great.

.

I think thats what I need to do ie stop the mesh system giving out a different range of IPs

If not, your only other option is to put the VM router in bridge mode and use your Mercusys system as a router.

Only problem there is the ethernet ports are limited to 100mbps.

Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5HKqab_Y7M This looks like instruction to put your Mercusys into AP/Wifi extender only mode.

Ill look at this when I get home.

I really appreciate the help.

bobbyg · 30-09-2020 11:46am

mik_da_man wrote: »

Yeah, that's what I have been reading, along with the double NAT issues the Sky Q boxes create their own mesh that can conflict with a new mesh if you set it up.

My M4 is due to arrive tomorrow so I will test it with the Sky broadband and Sky Q but I suspect based on what you have said I am going to have issues. Do you know if I switch to Eir Broadband and keep Sky Q if I will still have the same issues with Sky Q? Sorry if this is a stupid question this is all new to me.

BoardsMember · 01-10-2020 2:18pm

Looking to get better signal into a back bedroom. Old house, not too big, but solid walls and the Uniquiti Unifi AS AS Pro I bought about 3 years ago doesn't quite do the job - seems to have good signal at times, and then drops to very poor. Any suggestions welcome for how to "tune" it. It's not doing DHCP, just an access point.

Started looking at mesh systems. We're a google/android house, so was interested in the Nest Wifi. The cabinet where my Virgin broadband comes into has some ethernet connected devices: my amp, printer, hue bridge etc. How many ethernet ports does the nest have? I suppose I would need to get a switch if it only has one.

Gooey Looey · 01-10-2020 2:28pm

BoardsMember wrote: »

Looking to get better signal into a back bedroom. Old house, not too big, but solid walls and the Uniquiti Unifi AS AS Pro I bought about 3 years ago doesn't quite do the job - seems to have good signal at times, and then drops to very poor. Any suggestions welcome for how to "tune" it. It's not doing DHCP, just an access point.

Started looking at mesh systems. We're a google/android house, so was interested in the Nest Wifi. The cabinet where my Virgin broadband comes into has some ethernet connected devices: my amp, printer, hue bridge etc. How many ethernet ports does the nest have? I suppose I would need to get a switch if it only has one.

Just get another Ubiquiti Unifi lite and run a cable to closer to the area. It's pointless dumping a Ubiquiti AP system for mesh, just expand it

BoardsMember · 01-10-2020 2:39pm

Gooey Looey wrote: »

Just get another Ubiquiti Unifi lite and run a cable to closer to the area. It's pointless dumping a Ubiquiti AP system for mesh, just expand it

Not an easy option with my house set up to run a cable, if I'm right in understanding what you're saying, the lite would need to be wired back to the router/switch?

Gooey Looey · 01-10-2020 2:45pm

BoardsMember wrote: »

Not an easy option with my house set up to run a cable, if I'm right in understanding what you're saying, the lite would need to be wired back to the router/switch?

Or to the original ap if it's one with a lan port. If you have solid obstacles like walls blocking your wireless signal mesh will not be the answer for you

BoardsMember · 01-10-2020 3:01pm

Gooey Looey wrote: »

Or to the original ap if it's one with a lan port. If you have solid obstacles like walls blocking your wireless signal mesh will not be the answer for you

Thanks. I just had a look and it has an ethernet port on it with "secondary" printed on it, so sounds like it. I might need to get the drill out to run a cable from the primary through to the hall or somewhere closer to the back room....

Gooey Looey · 01-10-2020 3:17pm

BoardsMember wrote: »

Thanks. I just had a look and it has an ethernet port on it with "secondary" printed on it, so sounds like it. I might need to get the drill out to run a cable from the primary through to the hall or somewhere closer to the back room....

Don't forget you'll need to plan power, the Ubiquiti will come with a poe adapter

Gooey Looey · 01-10-2020 3:18pm

BoardsMember wrote: »

Thanks. I just had a look and it has an ethernet port on it with "secondary" printed on it, so sounds like it. I might need to get the drill out to run a cable from the primary through to the hall or somewhere closer to the back room....

Don't forget you'll need to plan power, the Ubiquiti will come with a poe adapter

BoardsMember · 01-10-2020 3:21pm

Gooey Looey wrote: »

Don't forget you'll need to plan power, the Ubiquiti will come with a poe adapter

Thanks, yes, was working that into the mix. The PoE in the primary is not pass thru, which would have been very handy.

bobbyg · 01-10-2020 4:37pm

My M4s arrived today and I just set them up. As I am in the middle of getting the house renovated I just set up two wirelessly, one at the router in the hall and one upstairs. Before I set them up I did a speed test and was getting 61.5 Mbps on the phone pretty much everywhere in the house but only getting 25 Mbps on the laptop upstairs in box bedroom. I just did a test and the same speed on the phone but now getting 65 Mbps on the laptop. The Sky Q seems to be working fine but I have literally just set it up. This is with sky broadband

Grumpypants · 05-10-2020 5:58pm

Eero 3 pack landed today so I swapped out my Tenda MW6.

It was easier to set up (but still not straight forward) I couldn't find any of the devices using the app, but all I had to do was type in the serial number on the bottom and it set it up. A few seconds later it connected. Each one took about 2 mins for the app to stop searching and ask for the number. Antoher 30 seconds to set up and that was it.

All in all, about ten mins.

I have each one wired in with LAN cables. I'm on a 150mb line and in my upstairs bedroom, I now get 142mb download speeds.

There was nothing wrong with the Tenda, it is a good system. It just left me with some small pockets of low speeds. My house is just full of concrete and a weird L shape so I needed the extra boost the Eero gives.

I'll pop the Tenda up on adverts it will serve someone very well in fairness.

neddynasty · 08-10-2020 2:18pm

I got the Linksys Velop system 3-4 weeks ago. Tee nodes are really simple to setup, as is the app. First couple of weeks I had a few issues but that was due to having the nodes too far apart. Where I had the nodes seemed to interfere with the Sky mini box signal occasionally too. A week ago I reset them and placed them in better positions it's been flawless since. My main aim was a better connection in the attic where both my wife & I are WFH. We have FTTH and were getting about 3-5MB download in the attic from the original Vodafone router located in the living room. Getting 150MB in the attic now with the Velop system and no more complaints.

My only issue with it is the size of the plugs! No idea why they made them so wide.

howdy2009 · 09-10-2020 8:03pm

Hi,
I recently got an office pod built which is ~25 mtrs from the house (35mtrs from the router) and was looking for my best bet for good signal to allow work video calls etc.
I was going to buy the google mesh but read most of the thread (apologies if i missed a good answer) and am more confused!

I didn't get a cat 5 installed as it would have required work in the house and the TP link powerline isnt working for some reason (might be too far or different circuit).

Was thinking i could install one mesh point at the back window and another in the pod.

So can someone advise if:
- Would the mesh set up work?
- Is the mesh is the best option? Would a repeater or something else be better?

Thanks!

garo · 09-10-2020 8:15pm

A catc6 would have worked best. A mesh system will work but make sure it has the range. Different mesh systems have different Wi-Fi and backhaul range.

n1ck · 13-10-2020 2:13pm

Hey all, just looking at the Amazon Prime Day sale and there are mesh systems on sale there - I am currently on 500mb/s Virgin BB at the moment and wondering if anyone could recommend a system? I've done some research but still a bit out of my depth. TIA!

Clareman · 13-10-2020 2:26pm

n1ck wrote: »

Hey all, just looking at the Amazon Prime Day sale and there are mesh systems on sale there - I am currently on 500mb/s Virgin BB at the moment and wondering if anyone could recommend a system? I've done some research but still a bit out of my depth. TIA!

What are you hoping to achieve? Are you suffer coverage drop outs, do you have many devices are you looking to expand cover?

n1ck · 13-10-2020 2:28pm

Clareman wrote: »

What are you hoping to achieve? Are you suffer coverage drop outs, do you have many devices are you looking to expand cover?

It's primarily to solve poor signal in the far end of the house and to resolve limited speed directly to my PC - I've currently ethernet over power to the PC but still not quick at all (getting 5MB/s max) so ideally want a system that would improve speed to the PC as well - i.e. satellite takes wired connections as well.

Number of devices is not a big deal at the moment but adding more smart devices over time, but not an excessive amount.

Aquos76 · 13-10-2020 2:36pm

n1ck wrote: »

It's primarily to solve poor signal in the far end of the house and to resolve limited speed directly to my PC - I've currently ethernet over power to the PC but still not quick at all (getting 5MB/s max) so ideally want a system that would improve speed to the PC as well - i.e. satellite takes wired connections as well.

Number of devices is not a big deal at the moment but adding more smart devices over time, but not an excessive amount.

If you could backhaul each unit with Ethernet then the Deco M4 triple pack is excellent value at £99. I’m using these since July with VM 360 meg package and haven’t had a single issue since, no more slow speeds and WiFi dropouts. I’m getting full speeds now everywhere in the house and back garden now.

n1ck · 13-10-2020 2:48pm

Aquos76 wrote: »

If you could backhaul each unit with Ethernet then the Deco M4 triple pack is excellent value at £99. I’m using these since July with VM 360 meg package and haven’t had a single issue since, no more slow speeds and WiFi dropouts. I’m getting full speeds now everywhere in the house and back garden now.

That is part of the problem, no where is wired except main connection to the router on the far side of the house. My main concern/issue is the PC, not necessarily the dead spots, they're an issue but not as big of one. Ideally, if it would backhaul over WiFi, then I can connect my PC to the satellite directly. I am assuming this is possible.

Clareman · 13-10-2020 3:00pm

The Deco ticks a lot of boxes for you, to discount the PC could you move it to the router area and plug it in directly to see what the performance is like, could be a simple issue like a fault network cable somewhere.

n1ck · 13-10-2020 4:13pm

Clareman wrote: »

The Deco ticks a lot of boxes for you, to discount the PC could you move it to the router area and plug it in directly to see what the performance is like, could be a simple issue like a fault network cable somewhere.

I will move it and give it a shot, appreciate the help!

Wifi mesh systems

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