WiFi home mesh
Discussion
I live in a 1850 Welsh cottage, thick walls.
Including garden and garage about .25-50 acre
Looking for a reliable system.
Just 2 of us internet viewing and CCTV
We currently use in part power line adapters and WiFi sockets bit of a mosh mash system which overall works but poor.
One power line adaptor has just died so thinking of starting again.
We have a Vodaphone router on a standard telephone line it is wales so it is what it is.
We don’t really need parental access, and security as we have no neighbours so a basic system.
I’m confused what to spend £100-2k
But the biggest question I have is range that’s not so clear.
The link I’ve inserted looks good but I’m open to help.
Thanks
https://uk.pcmag.com/wi-fi-mesh-networking-system/...
Including garden and garage about .25-50 acre
Looking for a reliable system.
Just 2 of us internet viewing and CCTV
We currently use in part power line adapters and WiFi sockets bit of a mosh mash system which overall works but poor.
One power line adaptor has just died so thinking of starting again.
We have a Vodaphone router on a standard telephone line it is wales so it is what it is.
We don’t really need parental access, and security as we have no neighbours so a basic system.
I’m confused what to spend £100-2k
But the biggest question I have is range that’s not so clear.
The link I’ve inserted looks good but I’m open to help.
Thanks
https://uk.pcmag.com/wi-fi-mesh-networking-system/...
Tbh that is likely overkill feature wise given I assume you already have Wi-Fi penetration issues due to thick internal walls?
In all honesty if at all possible if you have normal wooden board & joists floors then get a ethernet cable or two to your loft and put access points in the loft.
I’ve got a single access point in mine & covers a 1900’s three bed detached with solid walls on the 1st floor, open plan gf with three big steels and extension.
The number of access points depends on the sq meters and layout of the home
In all honesty if at all possible if you have normal wooden board & joists floors then get a ethernet cable or two to your loft and put access points in the loft.
I’ve got a single access point in mine & covers a 1900’s three bed detached with solid walls on the 1st floor, open plan gf with three big steels and extension.
The number of access points depends on the sq meters and layout of the home
Whatever solution the op goes for it’s always worth buying from Amazon prime so you have an easy return if it doesn’t work as expected.
It’s also worth remembering most mesh systems that use wireless for the interconnect between nodes use the 5GHz frq this has a lower penetration through solid walls than the slower 2.4GHz frq.
As per my earlier post it really comes down to the construction & layout as to how many nodes are optimal.
It’s worth also pointing out you need to place the wireless mesh nodes with reasonable overlap.
If you put a node in a location that’s a Wi-Fi dead zone it will struggle to maintain a good connection to other nodes in the mesh. Think about ripples in a pond from pebbles, if the distance is to great the conjoining ripples will be very weak, if too close they’ll be choppy & overpower each other.
It’s also worth remembering most mesh systems that use wireless for the interconnect between nodes use the 5GHz frq this has a lower penetration through solid walls than the slower 2.4GHz frq.
As per my earlier post it really comes down to the construction & layout as to how many nodes are optimal.
It’s worth also pointing out you need to place the wireless mesh nodes with reasonable overlap.
If you put a node in a location that’s a Wi-Fi dead zone it will struggle to maintain a good connection to other nodes in the mesh. Think about ripples in a pond from pebbles, if the distance is to great the conjoining ripples will be very weak, if too close they’ll be choppy & overpower each other.
Captain_Morgan said:
Tbh that is likely overkill feature wise given I assume you already have Wi-Fi penetration issues due to thick internal walls?
In all honesty if at all possible if you have normal wooden board & joists floors then get a ethernet cable or two to your loft and put access points in the loft.
I’ve got a single access point in mine & covers a 1900’s three bed detached with solid walls on the 1st floor, open plan gf with three big steels and extension.
The number of access points depends on the sq meters and layout of the home
No loft, so a mare with cables I do agree it’s the best solution.In all honesty if at all possible if you have normal wooden board & joists floors then get a ethernet cable or two to your loft and put access points in the loft.
I’ve got a single access point in mine & covers a 1900’s three bed detached with solid walls on the 1st floor, open plan gf with three big steels and extension.
The number of access points depends on the sq meters and layout of the home
However not sure if I’m any better off with spending more money on a expensive mesh system or a cheaper system, than I already have.
I have some very nice professional Wi-Fi access points at home connected using ethernet backhaul to maximize the use of my Gigabit internet connection that is easily achievable for the higher end of your budget, and as great as it, is for the vast majority of homes you can get perfectly reliable Wi-Fi service using some cheap components.
I would suggest sticking with the ADSL modem provided by your internet supplier and then using something like the Tenda MW3 Mesh WiFi (a three-node mesh Wi-Fi system) that should cost less than £50. They can connect wirelessly, but if you use Powerline adapters (e.g. TP-Link AV500 adapters, less than £25 for a pair), then you can place the primary node next to your router and connect them together using an ethernet cable (and turn the router's Wi-Fi off to simplify things), and then place the two secondary nodes elsewhere in the house using the powerline adapters to allow you cover the key areas. Powerline speeds are very dependent on your home's electrical wiring, but I found that using those TP-Link adapters you can reliably get 100 Mbps.
Those Tenda MW3 access points connected over powerline won't be as fast as the latest Wi-Fi 6 access points connected together using 1000 Mbps ethernet, but if your internet access is delivered over phone lines (most ADSL-based services won't be faster than 80 Mbps) then it will be faster than your internet connection, more than fast enough to most the majority of average users, should allow you to have three areas in the house with excellent Wi-Fi (one by the router, two of your choice), and cost less than £100.
The specific items you buy are up to you, I've just happened to use those Tenda and TP-Link components in the past ( and other comparable components are available), but they should provide you with decent service, especially if your internet speeds are sub 80 Mbps and you're not trying to copy gigabyte files around all day long.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CTKHRG8/ Tenda Nova MW3 Mesh WiFi System
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07H2R7J7L/ TP-LINK AV500 Powerline Adapter Starter Kit - Twin Pack
and some cheap ethernet cables to connect them together, but a 5 cable multi-pack can be had for less than £10
I would suggest sticking with the ADSL modem provided by your internet supplier and then using something like the Tenda MW3 Mesh WiFi (a three-node mesh Wi-Fi system) that should cost less than £50. They can connect wirelessly, but if you use Powerline adapters (e.g. TP-Link AV500 adapters, less than £25 for a pair), then you can place the primary node next to your router and connect them together using an ethernet cable (and turn the router's Wi-Fi off to simplify things), and then place the two secondary nodes elsewhere in the house using the powerline adapters to allow you cover the key areas. Powerline speeds are very dependent on your home's electrical wiring, but I found that using those TP-Link adapters you can reliably get 100 Mbps.
Those Tenda MW3 access points connected over powerline won't be as fast as the latest Wi-Fi 6 access points connected together using 1000 Mbps ethernet, but if your internet access is delivered over phone lines (most ADSL-based services won't be faster than 80 Mbps) then it will be faster than your internet connection, more than fast enough to most the majority of average users, should allow you to have three areas in the house with excellent Wi-Fi (one by the router, two of your choice), and cost less than £100.
The specific items you buy are up to you, I've just happened to use those Tenda and TP-Link components in the past ( and other comparable components are available), but they should provide you with decent service, especially if your internet speeds are sub 80 Mbps and you're not trying to copy gigabyte files around all day long.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CTKHRG8/ Tenda Nova MW3 Mesh WiFi System
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07H2R7J7L/ TP-LINK AV500 Powerline Adapter Starter Kit - Twin Pack
and some cheap ethernet cables to connect them together, but a 5 cable multi-pack can be had for less than £10
GoodDoc said:
I would suggest sticking with the ADSL modem provided by your internet supplier and then using something like the Tenda MW3 Mesh WiFi (a three-node mesh Wi-Fi system) that should cost less than £50.
I have some MW3 units gathering dust. Happy to send them on for the cost of postage and a pint. PM me Sorry mods if this falls foul of the rules.
The BT complete mesh system has worked wonders in our old stone walled house. They even sent me 2 extra discs for free so we have complete coverage throughout the house and even down to my office which is 30m away.
We have now got rid of all the various powerline adapters we were using
We have now got rid of all the various powerline adapters we were using
alfabeat said:
We have now got rid of all the various powerline adapters we were using
The gold standard for multiple access point connectivity is ethernet cable. Cheap and ultra-reliable, but for most homes ethernet can be an absolute nightmare to install (I ran all mine while some major building work going on).Wirelessly connected access points are the next fastest, I've seen about 500 Mbps in a well-setup system using the latest Wi-Fi standards, but the placement of the nodes is key to ensure they can reliably connect to each other.
Finally Powerline adapters, very much the poor relation, limited to about 100 Mbps, but I've used them to connect two parts of a house cheaply and easily (a garden office built about 25 m from the main house). However powerline speed is utterly dependent on the house's wiring, in one Victorian house with a modern extension I saw sub 20 Mbps in one socket, but moving to a socket less than a meter away and I got 100 Mbps. I suspect the two adjacent sockets were on different ring mains because of the building work.
As with so many things, working out what's best for you can be a minefield, but don't spend hundreds or even thousands chasing the greatest performance. That £500 Asus system that OP linked to can deliver better performance than the £50 Tenda system, but not 5x better (and will probably deliver about 80% of the performance for a fifth of the price).
And don't lose sight of what you're trying to achieve. Almost nobody needs 1 Gbs internet with wired access in each room and Wi-Fi 6 speeds in every corner of the house. For most people the cheaper solutions are more than enough, the big step forward is using multiple access points working together (like the BT whole home discs, or the Tenda Mesh, or any of the options from other manufacturers).
Captain_Morgan said:
It’s also worth remembering most mesh systems that use wireless for the interconnect between nodes use the 5GHz frq this has a lower penetration through solid walls than the slower 2.4GHz frq.
The TP-Link Deco S3 I have allows you to swap between the two frequencies, or have it set to both (which is the default and what mine is set to).Can't help with the OP specifically, but the S3 works well for me and is currently £95 on Amazon for a pack of 3.
The power of the wifi signal is ultimately limited by the regulations so a more expensive system won't transmit any further than a cheap system. As Captain_Morgan has pointed out, its the positioning and overlap of the nodes that matters.
If you want a no-frills solution I'd recommend Mercusys; https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09C7JDYJ1/
You can always buy 2 packs to get more nodes.
If you want a no-frills solution I'd recommend Mercusys; https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09C7JDYJ1/
You can always buy 2 packs to get more nodes.
knk said:
I have a mixture of tp-link deco devices, some have built in powerline connection.
It provides really good and reliable mesh wifi throughout a large house and annex.
You can mix'n'match.
I have the same, three P9's and an M4. The P9's have built in powerline so my master unit in the utilities cupboard, and the one in the kitchen, where I couldn't get an ethernet cable to, use the powerline for backhaul, while the other two units (the M4 and third P9) are connected via ethernet. I get a much lower data rate in the kitchen due to the reduced speed of the powerline, but it is at least a reliable connection, whereas I get my full speed in the other rooms. In hindsight I should have bought a twin pack of the M4's to have one on the top floor as well.It provides really good and reliable mesh wifi throughout a large house and annex.
You can mix'n'match.
The PX50 is the newer Wifi 6 equivalent of the P9.
If it's possible to run cables anywhere it's worth doing. I had phone cables in ducts to several rooms so used them to pull pairs of Cat5e cables through the ducts.
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Wednesday 31st May 15:08
daver777 said:
Orbi system should do the trick.
FWIW - I'm a big fan of the Orbi. I've installed several of them for my partner, parents and in my place. Very simple to instal and work really well.https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01IGYKKF6
M
camel_landy said:
daver777 said:
Orbi system should do the trick.
FWIW - I'm a big fan of the Orbi. I've installed several of them for my partner, parents and in my place. Very simple to instal and work really well.https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01IGYKKF6
M
3 x Orbi in my house was transformational when my fam had to start working from home during lockdown. Think we paid about £500 for 3 of them and is well worth the money
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