MESH Router

[Ramper]

We live in the country and next week are getting 200mbs Fiber Optic. It will be a big step up from our DSL 5mbs (on a good day)
We need a new router
Three story house (1500 each floor) and a metal sided shop about 50 feet away.
We think we want a mesh system, but are confused on the varies wifi systems. We think wifi6 might be our best option (or maybe 6+) as it seems 6E and 7 don't work well with older devices.
No gaming, just streaming videos and computers (internet/email) and phones (both android and apple)
We understand that we may not be able to get internet in the shop (without lots of $$ and lots of equipment). We only use the internet in the shop to stream music and to look up stuff on the internet to help with a project.

Any suggestions?

 

[mike93lx]

My orbi mesh has been good. Do you have a window in the shop facing the house? 50ft shouldn't be a problem for a good system to cover and if you put a satellite in a window of the shop, I expect it would work fine.

I'm not up on the latest and greatest, but mine is not even wifi 6 and I can get 200+ in most parts of my house and it works fine with three 4k tv's as well as all the video conferencing I do for work. Our stuff is 100% wireless

Edit, They also have an outdoor satellite

 

[Paycheck]

Eero has an outdoor mesh unit now. That might do it.

 

[Boatman62]

Wireless bridge to the shop would work for not much cost. My metal clad shop is 450' away and I installed a wireless bridge 3 ago. Works perfectly and we can even stream TV in the apartment above without issue.

 

[Husky79]

If both buildings have overhang, you can get 2 mesh and mount it on the soffit. 2 ways to set up this way is by having the main mesh at the house connected wireless to the indoor wifi, and the 2nd mesh at the garage, you should be able to get internet inside. That worked for me but not the best, probably would need a 3rd mesh inside the garage.

2nd way is to run hard line from main house wifi to the outdoor mesh, and then run hard line from a wifi router inside garage to outoor mesh on the garage soffit.

Other option which I eventually ended up doing later was getting a spool of cat6 from amazon along with the tool and connectors to make my own ethernet cable. I just ran the line from house to garage, never had a problem, I dug the line 1 ft deep in ground.

 

[Dixie_Flatline]

Other option which I eventually ended up doing later was getting a spool of cat6 from amazon along with the tool and connectors to make my own ethernet cable. I just ran the line from house to garage, never had a problem, I dug the line 1 ft deep in ground.

This is what I did, and even put it inside some PVC since I will likely end up forgetting exactly where it was buried. Put a WiFi router out there as an access point. There are a lot of competing signals in the neighborhood, so finding an empty channel is basically impossible.

 

[manwithtools]

We use Eero and are very satisfied. As mentioned they now have an outdoor mesh unit, should give you coverage in your shop. Another alternative to try as @mike93lx said, putting mesh units near a window in the house and shop would likely work just fine. With 1500 feet on each floor, one mesh unit per floor will be needed at least.

I'd buy three devices (Eero 6+ 3 pack is $195) Eero 6+ 3 pack and setup one in your shop to test connectivity to the ones in the house, you might find it works just fine. If it does, then buy additional units to get the coverage you need. Playing around with placement of the first 3 devices will tell you what you ultimately will need. BTW, you can get Ring alarm devices with Eero's mesh built in. Pretty handy the way it all integrates.

 

[larry4406]

We have Orbi 750 with WiFi6 at our house. Bought it from Costco at the beginning of Covid. Router and 2 satellites. Has worked fantastic for us. To my knowledge, they don't offer an outdoor rated unit, but I admit I have not looked in some time.

 

[mike93lx]

We have Orbi 750 with WiFi6 at our house. Bought it from Costco at the beginning of Covid. Router and 2 satellites. Has worked fantastic for us. To my knowledge, they don't offer an outdoor rated unit, but I admit I have not looked in some time.

They used to, but it looks discontinued

Welcome to LWC Communities!

www.netgear.com

 

[PoorUB]

Depending how far the shop is I might just run a CAT6 cable out to it. My garage is all metal sided and it is tough to get w WiFi signal into it. Over the years I have tried 3-4 different access points and had one that worked, but it was years ago and it fell behind in technology. A couple years ago I trenched in a CAT6 and now have wonderful WiFi in the shop.

 

[JimH74]

I have a Deco DP AX5000 mesh system that I bought at Costco. I'm not too computer savvy, but this works for me. My metal sided shop is about 150 feet from the house. I put one of the units in the shed window and I now have good coverage out there.

 

[larry4406]

They used to, but it looks discontinued

Welcome to LWC Communities!

www.netgear.com

Yeah I found that there was a discontinued one a couple years ago, hence why I didn't mention it.

 

[ncfireman1918]

I just replaced my Google Wifi mesh network (originally installed in 2015-2016 range) with an Asus Zenwifi mesh network. After a TON of research, I decided that Asus best met my needs. Setup was straightforward, and the management of the network can be done through a browser or via the app. It has been running for 6 weeks or so, and I'm quite pleased with it. I upgraded last year from 9Mb DSL to gigabit fiber as soon as it was available in my area, and as you might imagine, it was a huge difference. My shop is ~200 ft from the house, and I buried CAT6 to it when I built. I use a wired connection out there for reliability to the access point.

 

[ericm]

We have an Orbi that's about 6 years old. The main router is in the attic above the garage where the radio antenna is, and the satellite units are about 50' away, though not behind metal siding. They work great.

 

[djbmw]

If you want GREAT wireless speeds then plan to have an AP every 40 feet or or so. However, a single central AP on the main floor can provide a 2,500 sq/ft home (sheetrock) with a stable connection... it's just that your bandwidth (speed) drops off every 5' of distance you are from the access point. Setting up a mesh network can be a bit tricky (specifically with the controller).... but some of the new systems are mostly plug & play and handle the 'handoff' quite well. Having said that, OCCASIONALLY your mobile device will stay connected to a node/access point that is further away and you'll have degraded quality for a bit. Just remember that most wireless systems default their bandwidth settings, splitting your connection 50/50 (upload/download)... and if you care more about one vs the other you'll need to change this.

As for the shop... I would just bury a CAT6e cable... BUT, if you HAVE to go wireless then look at a cheap bridge setup. You can easily set up a 100 Mbps link for $100 from a cheap Amazon system.

 

[manwithtools]

As for the shop... I would just bury a CAT6e cable... BUT, if you HAVE to go wireless then look at a cheap bridge setup. You can easily set up a 100 Mbps link for $100 from a cheap Amazon system.

I'd test the mesh system before I committed to a cable. you might be VERY surprised.

 

[djbmw]

I'd test the mesh system before I committed to a cable. you might be VERY surprised.

True. If all he needs is 100 Mbps real-world speed or less in the shop.... then a cheap ($150) wireless bridge is fine.

If you want closer to gigabit speeds then burrial rated ethernet cable would be my preference as its cheap and reliable. To get the same speeds and reliability you're spending $$ on Ubiquiti point to point gear or similar.

 

[908Jim]

I setup EERO for my parents and it has been exceptionally reliable and trouble free for 3+ years now and I cannot recommend it enough for hands-off no hassle WiFi. If you like to tinker, it isn't the system for you but if you just need plug and play WiFi that works reliably, it's great.

With that said reception in a building 50 feet away will be tricky. You might try the outdoor unit, but I would personally opt to direct bury appropriate ethernet and to wire the shop EERO unit to the home EERO via wired back haul. Signal in the building will be very week and using wireless mesh will just be a very slow repeater.

 

[hans109h]

What is your current router and can you access it from the shop?