Home Wifi Mesh Systems

[wadesworld]

I'll start with the TLDR and then provide details below in case it's helpful or of any interest.  Wondering if people have recommendations for home wifi mesh systems.  Our current provider charges $5/month/Deco and based on their recommendations for how much space each Deco covers, we went with 3 Decos.  No problem with the extra $15/month, but right now we're haven't even put one in the basement because we haven't finished putting the basement together, and the performance still isn't great even on our main level.  I'm thinking we would possibly need 2 more once we want full coverage of the whole house, and don't think we should need 5 mesh points.  In simply doing a Google search, it seems like Deco is fine but I see Eeros consistently ranking the highest for mesh systems.  Does anyone have any recommendations or thoughts?

More details: We moved to a bigger house 2 months ago and the internet provider we had at the previous house didn't provide Fiber internet to our new location (even though they're only 2 miles apart).  So we had to go with a new internet company (who people in our previous neighborhood were hoping would start providing internet to that neighborhood).

We had great wifi coverage and never had any issues with our previous house.  When we were trying to make sure we'd have our internet set up in the new house as quickly as possible when we moved in, the new provider told us that we would need verbal confirmation from our sellers to dig into the yard and get Fiber access to the house.  When we got verbal confirmation and I called to tell them this, they looked up the address and told us that they were already servicing the address so they wouldn't need to do that step and could simply install it the day we moved in.  They came to set up the internet the day we moved in, and of course there was no Fiber going into the house, so we had to wait a couple weeks to get Fiber access and then have them come back to do the install.  When they had first come the day we moved in the person did ask where we wanted it to go into the home and we mentioned there was an office area on the first floor and told him where it was.  A different guy came to do the install and he basically told us that the office was on the opposite side of where the Fiber line(?) was and that it'd cost extra to get the line over to that side of the house, plus there would be a line running all the way along the outside of the house to get it there.  So he recommended putting it in a bedroom above our garage, which is basically in a far corner of the house.  I'm guessing that this is the main reason we're seemingly needing extra mesh points, because the router is in probably the spot that least needs wifi coverage in the house and far from the main part of the house.

[Jay Bee]

I used eero (bought new off Amazon) at my previous crib, which was 4.25k sq ft. Three levels, just needed the main eero router thing on main level, then one extender in both the lower/basement level and upstairs level. Don't want to overstate it, but it worked wonders. Best extender since Ron Jeremy.

There have been various iterations of eero.. you could* go a less expensive route and buy used or an older version and probably be just fine. Before I downsized, I was considering getting one more extender to help push the signal to fully cover the sport court in back, but regardless... I think if you buy the main router thingy, plus two to three extenders, you're probably going to be just fine.

It was super easy to setup with no ongoing fees, UNLESS you want to monitor stuff (which I did for a short period of time)... then that was like $10 a month and it gave great insight on what devices used what about of data, and when, etc.

Overall, I found eero to be effectively and relatively inexpensive.

[Skatastrophy]

I don't recommend mesh networks, I recommend access points that are wired back to a router/switch.

The challenge with mesh networks is each node acts as a repeater, and they can only repeat at the signal strength that they receive, so you need to put each mesh network nodes more frequently throughout a home and they'll be repeating a degraded signal each time. The benefit is that you wouldn't need to run wires to each node so they're easier to sell/install.

Wired access points each broadcast a signal at full strength. So you run a wire to a place that is low signal and plug in an access point and bam 100% signal. No dicking around.

We work from home so the wifi needs to be great. Runing ethernet to a few points in my home from our router/switch was worth the day of work.

[WhiteTrash]

I wouldn't do anything. This inter-web thingy is a passing fad and Al Gore's get rich quick scheme.

[#UnleashSean]

Tplink has always been ass. From when I was 11 until now 20 years later. Absolutely garbage.

I setup a deco system at my mother's house (she went cheap) bad signals, terrible setup, slow, breaks.

I have a nighthawk mesh system at my house, and it's almost flawless. One in the office, one in the basement, one in the garage. My 1 acre yard has full wifi coverage.

Only three small issues are the wifi printer doesn't like the changing it's, and gets screwy sometimes. Casting to tvs is perfectly fine, but trying to use an app on a phone for the remotes no longer works. Last problem is older devices (mainly laptops with only 2.4ghz) cannot access the wifi 6.

[Hards Alumni]

I don't recommend mesh networks, I recommend access points that are wired back to a router/switch.

The challenge with mesh networks is each node acts as a repeater, and they can only repeat at the signal strength that they receive, so you need to put each mesh network nodes more frequently throughout a home and they'll be repeating a degraded signal each time. The benefit is that you wouldn't need to run wires to each node so they're easier to sell/install.

Wired access points each broadcast a signal at full strength. So you run a wire to a place that is low signal and plug in an access point and bam 100% signal. No dicking around.

We work from home so the wifi needs to be great. Runing ethernet to a few points in my home from our router/switch was worth the day of work.

Yep, I have Ubiquiti stuff at the office and at home.

[Skatastrophy]

Yep, I have Ubiquiti stuff at the office and at home.

Same.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

We have an orbi system. I've had zero complaints