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Mesh Wi-Fi setup installed!

DSM10000

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Having moved our Broadband supplier recently now seemed the time to address the issue of WiFi coverage around the house.

Some parts of the property are circa 14th century (wooden supports and beams) with thick and solid internal walls and no direct line of sight from the router.

Up to this point I have used several extenders to get the signal from the router (difficult to move) to the sitting room, kitchen, study, guest rooms etc.

Today I received a Mesh system by TP-Link with 5 nodes. Setup via the app was straightforward although once more the Sonos system didn't like the change of network and for some reason one smart bulb didn't want to join in but that was sorted by removing it and adding it again.

Download speeds by the TV SKY Puck (shielded by a large stone fireplace and chimney
are now virtually the same as by the router as are speeds in the kitchen, dining room and guest rooms (they were alway rather patchy). Aesthetically they are unobtrusive and have passed management sign off 👌😁
 
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Many different suppliers available. We went for the TP-Link system as we use their Smart bulbs and plugs and they have proven reliable and easy to use 👍

A friend used a Netgear system that he installed above rooms in his loft space.
 
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I bought a 3 pack and a 2 pack as I wanted to get reliable WiFi in the barn as well if possible.

Our guest rooms always struggled to stream any TV or Netflix etc
Now it seems to work without problem 👍

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Old houses are a real pain to get WiFi through to other rooms, i know because it has been a niggle in our house for years - Now resolved though. Oddly enough the BT extenders work well but i needed 5 of them to get the signal around the house. Bit limited on what you can do as the house is a listed building ( Grrrrr that is a whole new pain! )
One thing that will never work is the BT / EE WiFi back up unit, which is supposed to immediately switch the WiFi signal via the EE 5G network seamlessly - Which it probably would do ......... if i lived anywhere with a phone signal.
Cannot even get radio / DAB signal in the house.
 
Old houses are a real pain to get WiFi through to other rooms, i know because it has been a niggle in our house for years - Now resolved though. Oddly enough the BT extenders work well but i needed 5 of them to get the signal around the house. Bit limited on what you can do as the house is a listed building ( Grrrrr that is a whole new pain! )
One thing that will never work is the BT / EE WiFi back up unit, which is supposed to immediately switch the WiFi signal via the EE 5G network seamlessly - Which it probably would do ......... if i lived anywhere with a phone signal.
Cannot even get radio / DAB signal in the house.
Our house is also Grade 2 listed!

It makes repair and restoration "interesting!
 
Our house is basically 2 x 1780 built cottages put into one plus a new 2 floor extension at the rear. Walls are about 3 ft thick so have just hard wired 3 Wi-Fi hubs into the building , Wi-Fi modem is in the utility room , external to the main house and then the hubs are wired in 2 downstairs and one up. Now running Smart TV’s, sound bar, and all IPads , phones and a set of 3 Denon speakers via the internet , signal is max strength in every room , internet connection is fibre to the street box then copper to the house. The installation included a new cable from the BT telegraph pole to the house. It cost about £1500 ( including installation of new TV’s on walls ) but delighted with the results and as a bonus saving about £60 pm by having Plusnet for internet and no Sky connection.
 
This helpful thread has had me looking at these mesh systems.

The Internet has told me that wifi 6 would be better, especially for range, and I'd like one of these systems to cover the big shed about 25m from the end of the house. I think I need a 3 unit wifi 6 system (see below).

The Internet has also told me that potentially tri band is better, as one of the bands can be used for dedicated backhauling of data to limit overall speed compromise.

The Deco units that DSM helpfully suggested are well rated for ease of setup, but the wifi 6 versions (e.g. Deco X60) seem to have alarming reports of some units getting very hot.

Linksys seems to not suffer from this issue, and in the interests of keeping budget down, I've found plenty of the Linksys tri band wifi 6, AX4200 units for sale on ebay, as these seem to have been handed out via Community Fibre and can be hand for about £50 each:

Does anyone know if these are a decent buy, and is there a 'parent' and a 'satellite/node', or are they all the same?


Alternatively on the dual band front, there is the Linksys AX5400 available for around £36.

Again, same questions. Ar these a decent buy, and is there a 'parent' and a 'satellite/node', or are they all the same?

The problem I found when researching these is the same as when searching for any tech purchase/TVs/speakers/graphics cards etc. Just spend another £100 and get n+1. Then looking at n+1, just spend another hundred and get n+2, etc.

Do any tech enthusiasts have any advice here?
 
I noticed when looking at the comprehensive settings and management options on the app that it had an Ip6 setting. I didn't investigate as we are using Ip4.

Getting WiFi to a building 25 m away might be better achieved by running a cable if possible?

Pity you are not closer I could use my mini digger 🤣
 
Can you use one of the plug in adapters that channel the internet/broadband through your existing mains wiring?
 
I should add a couple more details.

The big shed doesn't have power. When I'm down there, I run a 25m extension reel from the outdoor sockets on the back of the house. I considered putting a trench in, but the extension reel works 100% and is more than adequate. Maybe powerline adapters might work through this (see below), but improved wifi in other areas towards the back of the house would be useful.

I'd lazily dismissed powerline adaptors as I know a few people who've had zero success with them, and I know the outdoor sockets are on a different ring main to the socket that powers the router next to the front door. The mesh system would be in a long line from front to back of house.

We currently have 75mb speed into the house (actual). I can't see any near-to-medium term need to get much/any faster Internet. It seems to do all we need.
 
Don't the mesh adapters need power? Or are you relying on the extension lead?
 
Don't the mesh adapters need power? Or are you relying on the extension lead?
For the shed wifi, I was hoping to get this via a mesh node/child situated at the very back of the house, and so only 1 modern wall and 25m to the shed for the signal to deal with.

When I'm e.g. watching TV in the shed, I do run a power lead to the shed, so I could try powerline adapters running through the copper house wiring, but I know they are on separate ring mains and it would be a bit of a waste to shell out for those if they end up not working.

I could also power up a mesh node/child in the shed, but if the wifi signal can get to the shed, this seems like inconvenient and expensive overkill if I could connect to the mesh/child node at the back of the house.

This was one of the reasons I was asking about wifi 6, as I think it has better range, and the AX4200 has more antennas than the 'M' series Deco that was originally mentioned at the beginning of this thread.
 
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