WiFi mesh systems

jdcobra

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Looking around to upgrade my router and figured maybe I’d just do a mesh system. Who out there has em? And what are the pros and cons?
 

bigmoose

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Depends on the size of your house and router placement. The cons of the typical mesh is the basic interface. How advanced do you want to get?

I ended up with a nice ASUS router, RT-AC86U (not to be confused with the 68U). The web interface for management is light years ahead of Netgear. ASUS also has its own AiMesh feature where you can add additional routers at any time to build your own mesh. I went this route in case I needed more coverage later on. I ended up not needing any since my one router was far superior than my stock FiOS and Netgear R7000 router.
 

nickf2005

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I put in the Samsung 3 pack system. Easy set up and the Plume ap is nice to interface. However, sometimes in the evening it seems like it doesn't want to optimize correctly and speed at my devices suck. That was within the first couple weeks of install. Signals and speeds have been pretty solid the last couple weeks. Can stream 4K Amazon Prime Video across it with a 45mbps service coming in.

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Blown00gt1

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As stated size of the home will matter. Ubiquiti is a great system. Google WiFi is a good introductory mesh however the range is not as large (about 800-1000 sqft) before speeds start diminishing. The problem I have had with Velop is the nodes seem to act like they are their own network. I lose rooms and controllability with Sonos. Velop said they fixed it however still see it happening. Eero is similar to google hoverer slightly larger range. About 1500 sqft per node. I personally like Orbi. I have seen larger ranges with faster speeds. The orbi also seems to do better distributing WiFi evenly if you do not use the prioritization.
 

jdcobra

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The home is 1 story 2000 sq ft so not big but there are some obstructions in the way (walls, microwave, etc)
 

nickf2005

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The home is 1 story 2000 sq ft so not big but there are some obstructions in the way (walls, microwave, etc)
I use the Samsung 3-hub system in my 3,500 sq ft. home. The main hub is connected to my Uverse gateway on the main floor. Second is in a second story bedroom. Third is in a further away, 2nd story bedroom/office, with ethernet connected to our desktop. It's pretty solid, just intermittent speed issues.
Screenshot_20190616-222414_Speedtest.jpeg


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jdcobra

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I use the Samsung 3-hub system in my 3,500 sq ft. home. The main hub is connected to my Uverse gateway on the main floor. Second is in a second story bedroom. Third is in a further away, 2nd story bedroom/office, with ethernet connected to our desktop. It's pretty solid, just intermittent speed issues. View attachment 1580163

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Damn. With a house that big I feel like setting up 2 access points would be better no?
 

GodStang

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I run ASUS AiMesh. It is fantastic. I can use it down the street and it allowed me to use an old router I had sitting around plus added a new one so that I had two access points. Been running it a year and have yet to have a single issue.

I can cut the grass go to the mail box across the street and so on without dropping signal.
 

nickf2005

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Damn. With a house that big I feel like setting up 2 access points would be better no?
What do you mean by "2 access points"? 2 wired points talking to the other "routers"?

Honestly, I think part of my speed issues was due to the system learning. It's constantly looking to connect your device to the hub best served for the location. It was not always optimizing my connection the best and I noticed it the most when trying to stream Amazon video on my 4k TV furthest from the wired hub. It's been great the last 2 weeks. Ps... Hannah is a great Prime Original series.

Now, when we finish the basement, I think I'll have to run a wired connection down there, but should be easy to do versus an upstairs bonus room where we watch movies now.

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Stanger00

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I run Orbi system in 2 story 3300 sqft home and nearly all of the home runs on 5ghz channel even half of the 3 car garage. I have their first generation mesh system and the only complaint is having to reset both routers every few months. I’m probably due to upgrade modem since I run a Motorola CM600. Our connections have doubled in the last 2 years.


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CobraBob

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I use a similar system from eero. Works great and their customer support (US based) is 5-star. I’ve used eero (4 devices cover the entire house/garage) for a couple of years.



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03cobra#2

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If you can, running a network wire to a separate access point is the best bang for the $$$. Coverage will be good, fast speeds, and cost will be much less. For my system I'm running a Linksys WRT3200 that resides in my basement. I was having trouble getting wifi in my addition on the other side of the house that sits on a slab. Tried everything. Finally decided to run a wire from my WRT3200 to the addition where my TV / surround system is and installed a Linksys AC2200 that is set up as a access point. Thoes together provide excellent coverage for the whole house, faster speed then I'll need for years to come, and is 100% reliable because it's a wired connection. Mesh systems are really cool, and simple. Problems are they have limited firmware adjustments, good systems are pricey, and overall speeds are a bit slower then a wired access point setup. Just my thoughts.
 

colin450

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I actually just installed the Eero system in my house a couple months ago. Super easy install with directions through their app, my 3000 sq ft house is fully covered and even decent coverage in the backyard. Only time I've dropped wifi is when it does an update for a couple minutes. I just got one for my Dad for father's day too.
 

Sinister04L

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This. I use the three node system in my 4400 sq ft house and it works great. Plenty of range and no dead spots

I bought the 2 node system for my 1.5 story 3700 sqft house hoping it'd be enough coverage (and knowing I could add a 3rd if needed) and it did the trick. Full signal everywhere and extremely stable.
 

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