Ideas on best wifi setup...

[DelayedZ]

So we've been carrying the same modem/router combo since we left Las Vegas, this house in Jersey is much larger and the setup really isn't cutting it anymore. Currently we have the Arris SBG6900AC, it was top of the line when we bought it but now it just isn't working.

Here's my details,

House is 3000 square feet, two stories, plus an additional finished basement underneath with 2000 square feet. Also my attached garage.

Now what I'm looking for is to replace what I have so that I can get pretty solid connectivity through the household. I'm assuming that means going mesh. What is good for this setup?

Basically, has anyone had any good experiences so that I can apply them to my household?

Thanks. Oh and family of six if that matters for device usage.

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[loganb]

What's your budget and level of comfort/enjoyment with networking and computers?

Huge fan of Ubiquiti gear, it pro grade gear that can be used by the consumer and signal strength, speed, lack of drop outs is far better than top of the line consumer targeted stuff that often costs more. Plus with the increased strength you may be able to use fewer access points

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[javyLSU]

I've been using Asus mesh-compatible routers (Asus calls it AiMesh) with great success - my house is almost exactly the same size/layout as yours. Price is very good for the quality and support you get.

 

[Git]

I would pick up something from Costco. That way you can try it out and if it doesn't work, send it back for a full refund

I am currently using a 3 piece Orbi Mesh system that I paid $400 on sale from Costco in January. Works great, excellent coverage throughout our 4,000 sq foot home and backyard. They currently have a newer version on sale for $440. If you are not currently a Costco member you can buy a 1 year membership through Groupon for $60 and get a $40 gift card and a $40 credit at Costco.com - so you actually make $20

https://www.groupon.com/deals/n-cos...E22D4882_ED837B7E-EB76-426A-A387-7801A2568DD3

 

[ncfireman1918]

Orbi and Ubiquiti both make great mesh networks. I ended up going with Google Wifi several years ago because I was tired of the performance and spotty coverage of my old network. It was on sale (and still pretty new) when I purchased, but I ended up saving something like $200-250 over a comparable mesh network from another manufacturer. I long ago accepted the fact that Google is going to use my browsing history to amass data about me, so I'm not particularly bothered by using their Wifi products. I have been very pleased with the performance, and can set any point to be mesh Wifi or wired to the network. When I built the shop, I ran a direct bury CAT6 and wired that wifi point. Works like a champ. Good luck with it. Mesh networks have come a long way in the last 5 years or so.

Chris

 

[liliysdad]

I don't know about best, but the Amazon Eero mesh setup has been flawless for us and our uses.

 

[Eric29]

I don’t believe the Orbi works with devices that run at 2.4 GHz. I have a wireless printer that requires such a connection.

 

[VaEngineer]

I use a Linksys Velop (2 year old version - not the latest) with 3 nodes and get great coverage throughout my 4,000 sf house and into the yard. I'm getting ready to build a separate garage approximately 80' from the house and expect to be able to add a 4th node to the system to get great signal strength. The parent node is hardwired to a Comcast modem.

 

[Git]

I don’t believe the Orbi works with devices that run at 2.4 GHz. I have a wireless printer that requires such a connection.

With my Orbi, out of the (29) attached devices on WiFi, (15) of them are using 2.4 GHz. Honeywell Thermostat, Lennox Thermostat, Epson Printer, Rachio Irrigation Controller, and several Amazon Echos and Rokus.

 

[DelayedZ]

Now with the mesh, only one of the satellite units has to be physically attached to the modem correct?

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[Eric29]

Thanks. I’ll check it out again

With my Orbi, out of the (29) attached devices on WiFi, (15) of them are using 2.4 GHz. Honeywell Thermostat, Lennox Thermostat, Epson Printer, Rachio Irrigation Controller, and several Amazon Echos and Rokus.

 

[Git]

Now with the mesh, only one of the satellite units has to be physically attached to the modem correct?

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With the Orbi - yes. The satellites can be placed throughout your house, as long as they get a good wifi signal. Orbi adds a second, dedicated 5 GHz channel just for the backhaul to the main router

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/netgear-orbi,review-4263.html

 

[HenryAZ]

The best, (though it may not be practical or the cheapest for your situation), is to have dedicated, cabled access points in different areas where you need service. Cable them (cat5e or cat6) directly back to the modem, or preferably to a switch that is cabled to the modem. The switch need not be right next to the modem, you can locate it in a more central place to make cabling the APs easier. Separate, cabled APs eliminates any signal extension using wi-fi, where there would be some loss at the remote ends.

To make it a unified network, give each AP the same SSID, password, and security configuration (WPA2, for example). Your client devices will pick up the strongest signal at their location.

 

[DelayedZ]

The best, (though it may not be practical or the cheapest for your situation), is to have dedicated, cabled access points in different areas where you need service. Cable them (cat5e or cat6) directly back to the modem, or preferably to a switch that is cabled to the modem. The switch need not be right next to the modem, you can locate it in a more central place to make cabling the APs easier. Separate, cabled APs eliminates any signal extension using wi-fi, where there would be some loss at the remote ends.

To make it a unified network, give each AP the same SSID, password, and security configuration (WPA2, for example). Your client devices will pick up the strongest signal at their location.

Haha, this is my dream setup. In Vegas when we were looking at houses one of them had this beautiful switch board setup. Every room had a dedicated line and they all ran to this switch board wall that could be attached to your modem, it was awesome. In this house it wouldn't be feasible. But if we move again we're building from the ground up and that is the way I'm going.




Alright, so the way it sounds I need to snag a new modem, one of these mesh kits with the three satellites, do I need a dedicated router or do the little satellites act as a router for each location in the house?

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[Showkey]

The best, (though it may not be practical or the cheapest for your situation), is to have dedicated, cabled access points in different areas where you need service. Cable them (cat5e or cat6) directly back to the modem, or preferably to a switch that is cabled to the modem. The switch need not be right next to the modem, you can locate it in a more central place to make cabling the APs easier. Separate, cabled APs eliminates any signal extension using wi-fi, where there would be some loss at the remote ends.

To make it a unified network, give each AP the same SSID, password, and security configuration (WPA2, for example). Your client devices will pick up the strongest signal at their location.

^^^^^^^^^^ The other side of that story
There’s a dozen other posts that says its not a dream but a nightmare.
WiFi should not be a new hobby. Practical is a requirement not option.

The mesh can be setup in 10 minutes witha cost of $200-$500 with coverage to 10,000 sqft. With speeds equal to wire connections. Mine covers 2 acres and three buildings and two levels.

 

[liliysdad]

^^^^^^^^^^ The other side of that story
There’s a dozen other posts that says its not a dream but a nightmare.
WiFi should not be a new hobby.

The mesh can be setup in 10 minutes witha cost of $200-$500 with coverage to 10,000 sqft.

This is the best thing I have see from all these threads.....

 

[mobiledynamics]

I understand when there is no wire and you have a need to get access to extend. What I can't get clarity on, until see it in person, is mesh with weak signal from the (extender) and then extending it down to the next AP. Garbage in, garbage out no ?

 

[Git]

I understand when there is no wire and you have a need to get access to extend. What I can't get clarity on, until see it in person, is mesh with weak signal from the (extender) and then extending it down to the next AP. Garbage in, garbage out no ?

With the Orbi system, for example, I have the main 'router' and two satellites. I placed the Orbi router where I used to have my old school router, and that alone provided coverage to a good part of my house. I then placed the satellites to fill in these weak areas. Any device on my wifi network is free to connect to any of the three Orbis which usually would be the one with the strongest signal

As I said before, buy a mesh system from Costco.com, play around with it, if it doesn't work out return it for a full refund. They even send UPS to your house to pick it up, you have nothing to lose for trying it.

 

[loganb]

I understand when there is no wire and you have a need to get access to extend. What I can't get clarity on, until see it in person, is mesh with weak signal from the (extender) and then extending it down to the next AP. Garbage in, garbage out no ?

Correct, the outer mesh devices can't fix a bad/weak/intermittent signal coming into them. If that's a problem would likely rearrange devices to get them closer together(which may require additional devices for desired coverage).

Other option for where pulling ethernet cabling isn't desired could be a Powerline network device which allows you to send network traffic across existing in home wiring via a pair of wall devices that you plug in. This could enable better speeds at outlying areas of the house, but depends on how successful the mesh setup is

Setup would likely look like:

At modem: connect to powerline adapter plugged into wall via ethernet cable

In outlying area of house: Powerline adapter plugged into wall connects to wireless access point configured to match other access points for easy "roaming" in house

Cost compared to a mesh network is hard to compare, will likely be more work to setup and there are more independent devices but some house construction doesn't easily support mesh configuration due to dead spots or interference



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[Barkleyotis]

I have the google/nest system in my cabin and shed. The primary one connected to the modem with one other access point in the cabin. I have two access points in the shed (3,000 sq. feet) The shed is about 200 feet away but the signal strength within it is adequate for my needs

 

[Innovate1]

Depends on how much programming you want to do. The whole thing can be done with a couple low end routers reflashed with ddwrt software in repeater bridge mode. Then use the routers to connect to wired or wireless devices at their locations - they use wifi to connect back to the modem.

 

[mobiledynamics]

haven't touched powerline in ages....but have done MOCA for F&F and that works really well when pulling cable in intrusive and coax does exists.

I think for said -mesh- systems, where the usage on good wifi (not just internet browsing) but something like Zoom which is used so typical these days....the flaws in what good or bad wifi is, shows. Or remote, etc Just tinkering on the web.....may now show

 

[Git]

haven't touched powerline in ages....but have done MOCA for F&F and that works really well when pulling cable in intrusive and coax does exists.

I think for said -mesh- systems, where the usage on good wifi (not just internet browsing) but something like Zoom which is used so typical these days....the flaws in what good or bad wifi is, shows. Or remote, etc Just tinkering on the web.....may now show

Bandwidth requirements for Zoom are less than a SD stream from Netflix - pretty sad if a system nowadays can't handle that unless your on satellite or some other unusual configuration

 

[Git]

Depends on how much programming you want to do. The whole thing can be done with a couple low end routers reflashed with ddwrt software in repeater bridge mode. Then use the routers to connect to wired or wireless devices at their locations - they use wifi to connect back to the modem.

Some of the problems with, other than having to flash the firmware, then go in and make the changes to bridge mode is you would need to have an ethernet connection where you plan on placing these other routers. As with range extenders or repeaters, they will repeat EVERYTHING on the wifi network which can slow down your network. You can have similar SSID's but if your connected to one of your bridge mode routers, it's not going to automatically connect to a better signal like a mesh system will. It's going to stay with whatever connection is established until it completely dies off.

 

[dogdog]

best wifi setup is the a mesh one that is coupled nicely with lan wires (cat6 or 5)


choose a mesh system , it's brand specific , you can't mix and match. So if you go with google, you can't mix in Asus or Netgear stuff and expect them to play nicely, they would work, just not together seamlessly..

3000 sqft is not a lot or less, it all dependents on your area of radio traffic... so your results may vary, at least with cat5/6 wires going to each node.. you are eleminate some of the radio traffic and unreliability ... (IMO of cause)

for example.. I lived in a congested City, where I can reach over my windows and punch my neighbor close (figuratively of cause) my best Asus AC5300 or AC1900 unit won't even go through two story or adjacent rooms nicely when the neighbor decide to boost his signal...

but in my parents place, even though they don't have Internet services, I can pick up the neighbor's wifi signal very far away... and I can get the MCD Wifi on a good day if I use the high power antenna/usb dongle on a tripod outside somewhere... the signal is about 3000' away line of sight sort of.... I get 1 bar.

what that means is that terrain / and radio signal congestion matters.

 

[mobiledynamics]

It's not the bandwidth. it's the quality of the signal.....

 

[loganb]

It's not the bandwidth. it's the quality of the signal.....

+1

There is a reason office/schools/industrial applications run cabling wherever possible...its more reliable and causes fewer issues.

For a home, your usage, importance of traffic and environment matters. As mentioned a dense neighborhood will likely have more interference(and therefore less range) than a rural area or larger lot, outlying suburb development.

If people are frequently working from home, I would(and personally have) put a priority on hardwiring ethernet jacks for those computers to improve quality/speed etc. Just moved and one of the first things I did was run CAT5 from basement to 2nd floor attic to drop down to the new home office.

I know lots of people who have mesh networks and are happy with them...I also know may others who tried and weren't happy and went to a more reliable hardwired solution. Its a personal calculus that has to be done based on the needs, site impact and goals for each person and residence...one solution will not provide equal results to all and what may be considered overkill for one party may not even be table stakes for someone else.

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[Showkey]

+1

There is a reason office/schools/industrial applications run cabling wherever possible...its more reliable and causes fewer issues.



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Except every hotel and school in the last 7 years .........has NO WIRED CONNECTIONS at the end user.

I don’t think I used a wired connection in a hotel in 10 years.

Then there those 30 kids with iPads in third grade all connected to WiFi at the same time.

 

[pwhittle]

I helped set up WiFi for a 7800 sq ft house, three levels including the finished basement.

A single Ubiquiti AP Pro access point mounted on the foyer ceiling covers all three levels and even outside.

Paul


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[pizza]

the best means different things to different people. here's my take. it's what i've done:

0. choose where you want your 'network closet'. it should be centrally located. your router, switch, and possibly server(s) will go here. pick a spot that's easy to run cat6 to and from. also, your ISP uplink obviously needs to be accessible here.

1a. using common sense, identify spots that would be good for access points. for starters, count on at least one access point per floor.

1b. of those spots, focus on the ones that you can easily run cat6 to.
an aside: the cost difference between cat5/5e and cat6 is negligible. if you're going through all that work to run cable, you're an idiot if you run cat5. ESPECIALLY if you're buying new cable. which cable? get solid (not stranded) because most IDC technologies are designed for it, and it can be a bit more compact and durable. also, don't be a cheap ***. get copper (not copper clad aluminum).

2. decide what system you want to use. use cisco if you're familiar with it and you're rich. if you want something almost as good but much more reasonably priced, use Ubiquiti UniFi. for your environment, i suggest these specific products:

• router: USG or UDM-Pro
• switch: US-8-150W
• access points: nanoHD or UAP-IW-HD-US (this is kind of a nice product. it's an in-wall AP (sits in a 1-Gang Electrical Wall Box), and it also gives you a 4-port gigE switch right there if it's a spot you want to plug wired devices into).

3a. adopt the APs in your controller and set them to low or medium Tx power, depending on your guesstimated AP density.

3b. after familiarizing yourself with their beam patterns, test mount your APs in the spots you selected. don't run cat6 yet. just power them up via PoE at nearby wall outlets. you can use masking tape to stick them to walls or ceilings. you can also tape them to a piece of wood and lean that against walls like this:

3c. conduct a wifi survey using software like netspot to create various spectral heat maps of your environment. use them to evaluate your location candidates for your APs. look for dead zones (especially in 5GHz band) and sources of interference.

3d. adjust the AP locations, tweak Tx power, add/remove APs, and conduct more surveys as needed until you're satisfied with the results. remember that sometimes, rotating an AP by 90° can make a difference, so if you just need a small tweak, try that out. it can sometimes be an easy fix. this is an iterative process!

4. when you're happy, run cat6 from your network closet and install your APs.

5. the hard part is over. crack some beers and install your network closet gear. terminate your cable runs by punching down into a patch panel and mount your switch and router on something pretty. maybe a nice piece of wood or a network rack. then set up your unifi controller. based on your survey data from before, tweak Tx power and select appropriate wifi channels.

hope that helps someone (i bet it won't )

 

[Denwood]

For your needs, and because you're not interested in wiring, I'd just purchase the Orbi whole house system like this:

https://www.netgear.com/images/datasheet/orbi/RBK852.pdf

It will likely cover your house just fine, and if not, you can just purchase another satellite. It's not cheap, but for a family of six, I'd just bite the bullet and be done with it. With wifi6, it will age well for your family as consumer electronics come up to speed.

As an IT industry guy, it's wired access points and a Core i5 based pfsense router as my professional recommendation, however the Netgear Orbi systems perform well and is geared to the home user. They have been working for some time now at maturing their dedicated back haul radio system (dedicated 4 x 433Mbps channels), and their latest iteration is quite fast, if not the fastest, in current reviews.

 

[SweetD]

Without reading the whole thread, and as a non-IT person but working with power nerd IT ppl (no offense) - everyone in my office has the Orbi system at their home.

For your sized home I think it would work great.

 

[loganb]

Except every hotel and school in the last 7 years .........has NO WIRED CONNECTIONS at the end user.

I don’t think I used a wired connection in a hotel in 10 years.

Then there those 30 kids with iPads in third grade all connected to WiFi at the same time.

So I should have been more clear...

Every situation where dedicated, stationary devices are being used they are cabling.

Schools...desktop pc's in the labs...wired. Teachers desks....copy machines...libraries...all wired if they're stationary. Yes hotel rooms are generally wireless, but most still have jacks...albeit often in inconvenient places but I've its often faster service anyway...and I keep a cable in my bag as often times the wireless is flaky but the jack is working fine.

You're right that wireless has gotten immensely better, but when given a choice between a wireless connection and a wired connection for a stationary device like a desktop or a laptop docking station...they'll be running cable there if possible.



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[wyliesdiesels]

Except every hotel and school in the last 7 years .........has NO WIRED CONNECTIONS at the end user.

I don’t think I used a wired connection in a hotel in 10 years.

Then there those 30 kids with iPads in third grade all connected to WiFi at the same time.

TOTALLY FALSE.

Ive worked on newer schools and hotels. Even been sent the plans for new hotel builds. THEY ALL had wired connections in EVERY ROOM!

 

[Innovate1]

Some of the problems with, other than having to flash the firmware, then go in and make the changes to bridge mode is you would need to have an ethernet connection where you plan on placing these other routers. As with range extenders or repeaters, they will repeat EVERYTHING on the wifi network which can slow down your network. You can have similar SSID's but if your connected to one of your bridge mode routers, it's not going to automatically connect to a better signal like a mesh system will. It's going to stay with whatever connection is established until it completely dies off.

Repeater bridge mode has no need for existing ethernet connection at the routers. It uses wifi signal to connect back to modem. It can PROVIDE an ethernet or wifi connection. It has limitations but for my use it is fine.

 

[loganb]

the best

2. decide what system you want to use. use cisco if you're familiar with it and you're rich. if you want something almost as good but much more reasonably priced, use Ubiquiti UniFi. for your environment, i suggest these specific products:

• router: USG or UDM-Pro
• switch: US-8-150W
• access points: nanoHD or UAP-IW-HD-US (this is kind of a nice product. it's an in-wall AP (sits in a 1-Gang Electrical Wall Box), and it also gives you a 4-port gigE switch right there if it's a spot you want to plug wired devices into).

Solid list! Aligns with what I just put into my new house. UDM-Pro cause I wanted it, not cause I needed it, 1 AP LR, 1 standard AP and the new nanoHD AP in my office area as I really liked the 4 port switch functionality it brought...didn't think I needed it for coverage but as it's an upstairs office off the master it was an area I needed strong wifi so I put it in....very happy 3 weeks in!

Still want to put in a Unifi PoE switch, haven't pulled that trigger yet as I'm waiting to decide how many and where I want exterior cameras, but should be coming in the next couple of months.

 

[Git]

Repeater bridge mode has no need for existing ethernet connection at the routers. It uses wifi signal to connect back to modem. It can PROVIDE an ethernet or wifi connection. It has limitations but for my use it is fine.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am understanding that 'repeater bridge mode' is only available to a router running DD-WRT? Keep in mind, that not all routers can be flashed to DD-WRT and I think most homeowners would rather not have to deal with flashing a router when their are readily available alternatives.

 

[Git]

Solid list! Aligns with what I just put into my new house. UDM-Pro cause I wanted it, not cause I needed it, 1 AP LR, 1 standard AP and the new nanoHD AP in my office area as I really liked the 4 port switch functionality it brought...didn't think I needed it for coverage but as it's an upstairs office off the master it was an area I needed strong wifi so I put it in....very happy 3 weeks in!

Still want to put in a Unifi PoE switch, haven't pulled that trigger yet as I'm waiting to decide how many and where I want exterior cameras, but should be coming in the next couple of months.

UDM-Pro........$379
AP LR............$110
standard AP....$81
nanoHD AP.....$180
$750

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Solid list! Aligns with what I just put into my new house. UDM-Pro cause I wanted it, not cause I needed it, 1 AP LR, 1 standard AP and the new nanoHD AP in my office area as I really liked the 4 port switch functionality it brought...didn't think I needed it for coverage but as it's an upstairs office off the master it was an area I needed strong wifi so I put it in....very happy 3 weeks in!

Still want to put in a Unifi PoE switch, haven't pulled that trigger yet as I'm waiting to decide how many and where I want exterior cameras, but should be coming in the next couple of months.

If you bought the UDM-pro for UTM(universal threat management), its a waste of money.

https://set-inform.com/2020/02/23/i-dont-love-unifi-threat-management-and-neither-should-you/

 

[Git]

If you bought the UDM-pro for UTM(universal threat management), its a waste of money.

https://set-inform.com/2020/02/23/i-dont-love-unifi-threat-management-and-neither-should-you/

basically what pfSense does for free...