TP Link mesh wifi and router

[Mikey G]

Couple of weeks ago I changed Broadband suppliers from Sky to a short contract with Onestream. I should be changing to a new provider next year that is offering FTTP in my street. I opted for the advanced router and they supplied me with a TP link Archer 400 with AC1200.
In the 7 years living here I have had routers from Plusnet, BT and then Sky and never had a problem with WiFi signals across the 3 floors of my house, routers have always been setup in the middle floor of a 3 storey house in the same location in the living room.
Anyway new router now means I have little to no Wifi upstairs in the bedrooms and then downstairs in the kitchen diner. Living room is fine, well I am sat next to the router so it should be.
To improve this I bought 2 TP link Deco mesh units to extend the Wifi on the understanding these are a modern seamless addition to extend the network with the intention of putting one upstairs and one in the 'basement'... What a load of crap, I thought these would be easy to setup and act as some sort of modern repeater. Both my router and units are TP link, it wants me to not use the routers Wifi and only connect to the Deco units which only seem to connect via ethernet. I wanted to use the same SSID as the router but it wont allow it so I have to setup a completely seperate Wifi network?
Router has the Onemesh activated so would have thought a seamless wireless network could be setup, but no.

Mesh is new to me, have I bought the wrong kit and just need a couple of wireless extenders?

[simon_harris]

My main router is an AX6000 and the one mesh extenders I bought are the AC1750's (big house with brick walls so wifi is tricky) and it was utterly seamless and simplicity itself to setup. Works flawlessly as well.

[Fore Left]

According to this forum post they are different mesh technologies so will not work together.

With a mesh you normally turn off the router's wifi and have one unit connected to the router via Ethernet and the others connect to it (and/or each other) via wifi.

I have these Mercusys units connected to my Virgin Media router and they've been pretty flawless for the last 12 months.

[Mikey G]

Fore Left said:

According to this forum post they are different mesh technologies so will not work together.

With a mesh you normally turn off the router's wifi and have one unit connected to the router via Ethernet and the others connect to it (and/or each other) via wifi.

I have these Mercusys units connected to my Virgin Media router and they've been pretty flawless for the last 12 months.

Well thats typical isnt it, thanks for finding that, back in the box they go and find different ones.
I was hoping to use one on either floor and the router in the middle. I could do with a seamless sytem as I rely on Wifi calling due to poor mobile signal here and now I have no landline so reliability is a must.

[somouk]

Mesh systems are usually a closed system so they only work together with each other.

Buy a 3 pack, one by the router and then 1 on each floor and you should be in a better position.

Is possible get cables to the mesh units so you can backhaul over cable instead of wireless backhaul. The more expensive you go the better the backhaul gets as the more expensive ones have dedicated backhaul channels so it doesn't make the network your devices are on as congested.

[GlenMH]

Fore Left said:

According to this forum post they are different mesh technologies so will not work together.

With a mesh you normally turn off the router's wifi and have one unit connected to the router via Ethernet and the others connect to it (and/or each other) via wifi.

I have these Mercusys units connected to my Virgin Media router and they've been pretty flawless for the last 12 months.

I too have gone with Mercusys and apart from one duff power supply, which Amazon sorted very quickly, they have been great for me too.
I live in a Victorian house with wifi-impenetrable plaster on the walls so have used wired backhaul. Only took 10 mins to set up.

Just be aware that if Mercusys turn off the managment server they talk to, you probably won't be able to make any changes: the web interface doesn't have anywhere near the same options as the phone app.

[Mikey G]

All sorted now, just installed 2 TP Link RE300's one upstairs and one downstairs in kitchen, all working as it should and was cheaper than the initial Deco units I first bought. I can control all devices via the Tether app on my phone aswell.