Mesh Wifi System

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
I don't really need one but I want to try one out. These used to be expensive but they are now in the $200 range.

Do any of you have one?

I'm looking at:

Eero
Orbi
Velop
Googe Wifi
Lyra
Deco
Amplifi

PCMag rates Google and Orbi highest, CNet ranks Velop and Orbi highest and Wirecutter (Engadget) rates Orbi and Eero highest.

So many sites rank Orbi high but from what I read, Orbi isn't even really a mesh WiFi system, it's more like wheel spoke (base to satellite rather than satellite to satellite).

And then there are many levels within each brand, Velop has like 3 or 4 different models, Orbi comes in Mini or Pro versions etc etc.

Thoughts?
 
I tried the Orbi, and I'm no power user, but it did have issues and I returned it since I didn't want to deal with it.  Just go to the Netgear forums and you'll see people with firmware issues, a lot of resets needed on the satellites, but people only post problems, not when things are going great.  My Haiku fans had to use older firmware to get them to work with Orbi's wifi was my main issue.  Both Netgear and Haiku didn't have an ETA of when the newer firmware would support them.  I haven't tried any others since I moved and been using the ATT gateway with no issues.  900meg up/download wired and 350/350 on my iphone near the router. 
 
I use Tenda Nova I got it for around $80 but it normally retails for $199 works pretty good (3 units). I've heard great things about the google device i was looking at buying it but $80 was too hard to pass on.
 
I have the Netgear night hawk, purchased 3 years ago. Initially, when I first setup the router, it was located in master closet since the network closet located there. There are dead zones areas in my house on the opposite side of the master bedroom. I can still live with it until, I purchased the Ring door bell. The Ring door bell would work half of the time because its location and it sit outside.

I then moved my router and base center most to my home and no more dead zone to any area of my house. And I have a 4000 plus area.

When picking a location for your router/wifi you want to look at your house blue print and choose a location that is centered most to your residence. Most router/wifi nowadays on a single base can broadcast and support 5K plus house. So unless your house is bigger than that buying a Mesh system would help, but may not be necessary.
 
I just set up a AI-Mesh network with Asus TM-AC1900 routers "converted" to RT-AC68U.  Originally, I used a Nighthawk R7000 + a mid-range router as an access point downstairs.  Main issue I had was handovers between the 2 access points.  I'm hoping that the AI-Mesh network will resolve these issues.  It was very annoying having facetime cut off when walking around the house.
 
I have the Orbi system that covers 5k sq ft (AC3000/RBK50) which consists of the router and satellite. Get excellent coverage all over the house (3k sq ft). Have had it since May of 2017, no issues at all, would highly recommend.
 
So I see some of you have ditched the spider router... the TI rec?d Nighthawk.

I was at MicroCenter and he said that mesh was still better than the top of the line Nighthawks which surprised me.
 
The cox guy that came out to upgrade my internet service to the 1 gig service said the Orbi was better than the mesh network provided by cox.
 
I use Ubiquiti Unifi gear (https://unifi-sdn.ubnt.com/) and I am very happy with it.

I have 3x PoE access points and a Cloud key (to run their software) plugged to a switch plugged to my At&T routeur in passthrough mode.

I look at the other mesh wifi solution and none seemed very convincing. Unifi is a bit more difficult to install/configure but once it's running it's great, by far the best wireless network I've had.
 
I was thinking about going this route too when I get my NVR setup, but I'm not a networking guy so will probably be doing a lot of research and asking friends q's.  Good to hear that the Ubiquiti routers are being used without issues. 

marmott said:
I use Ubiquiti Unifi gear (https://unifi-sdn.ubnt.com/) and I am very happy with it.

I have 3x PoE access points and a Cloud key (to run their software) plugged to a switch plugged to my At&T routeur in passthrough mode.

I look at the other mesh wifi solution and none seemed very convincing. Unifi is a bit more difficult to install/configure but once it's running it's great, by far the best wireless network I've had.
 
I went with Google WiFi. Very happy with coverage and speed. Setup was a breeze using their app. I love being able to shut down internet access for my kids devices at the push of a button. I also have it scheduled as well depending on the day of the week. The biggest downside could be privacy concerns with google analytics. You can read more about their privacy policy here:https://support.google.com/wifi/answer/6246642?hl=en
 
Excellent thread .  Maybe the experts here can help me with this situation --

My home setup is similar to Compressed-Village where my main modem/router (from Cox)  is located in the master bedroom closet on the upper level of the house.  While the signal is superb on the 2nd floor, it drops dramatically on the first floor. 

I do have CAT-6 outlets on the 1st floor,  so what I did was got an additional nighthawk router and set it up in my office room on the 1st floor.  And somehow, following instructions online, I was able to set it up to work properly on the same network name.  So far so good. 

Problem is now while the signal works well in the living room on 1st floor, it drops quickly in the backyard.  Everything is 5-G and the Cox guy had warned me that 5G while super fast, drops off quickly due to higher frequency / shorter wavelength. 

My question -- would I be served better by

1) getting another, third router and setting it up connecting to another CAT-6 point  on the 1st floor near the backyard
2) getting a wifi extender that plugs into an outlet near the backyard
3) ditching this whole complicated setup and just going with a mesh router system  ?  These do seem expensive and also I am biased to not want to disturb the nice Cox router setup in my master closet that works very well for the 2nd floor. 

thanks
 
fortune11 said:
Excellent thread .  Maybe the experts here can help me with this situation --

My home setup is similar to Compressed-Village where my main modem/router (from Cox)  is located in the master bedroom closet on the upper level of the house.  While the signal is superb on the 2nd floor, it drops dramatically on the first floor. 

I do have CAT-6 outlets on the 1st floor,  so what I did was got an additional nighthawk router and set it up in my office room on the 1st floor.  And somehow, following instructions online, I was able to set it up to work properly on the same network name.  So far so good. 

Problem is now while the signal works well in the living room on 1st floor, it drops quickly in the backyard.  Everything is 5-G and the Cox guy had warned me that 5G while super fast, drops off quickly due to higher frequency / shorter wavelength. 

My question -- would I be served better by

1) getting another, third router and setting it up connecting to another CAT-6 point  on the 1st floor near the backyard
2) getting a wifi extender that plugs into an outlet near the backyard
3) ditching this whole complicated setup and just going with a mesh router system  ?  These do seem expensive and also I am biased to not want to disturb the nice Cox router setup in my master closet that works very well for the 2nd floor. 

thanks

Mesh is proven to be superior over traditional WiFi router Netgear. You already have a secondary WiFi router installed and not getting enough coverage. I would ditched the entire current setup and buy a Mesh. Believe it or not Costco refund the router nighthawk WiFi even after 4 years of use. The setup for Mesh is extremely easy and painless.
 
Ditch your current setup and get the Orbi with a the main router and two satellites. So three pieces.  You can thank us later. It transmits both 2.4 and 5ghZ
 
fortune11 said:
Excellent thread .  Maybe the experts here can help me with this situation --

My home setup is similar to Compressed-Village where my main modem/router (from Cox)  is located in the master bedroom closet on the upper level of the house.  While the signal is superb on the 2nd floor, it drops dramatically on the first floor. 

I do have CAT-6 outlets on the 1st floor,  so what I did was got an additional nighthawk router and set it up in my office room on the 1st floor.  And somehow, following instructions online, I was able to set it up to work properly on the same network name.  So far so good. 

Problem is now while the signal works well in the living room on 1st floor, it drops quickly in the backyard.  Everything is 5-G and the Cox guy had warned me that 5G while super fast, drops off quickly due to higher frequency / shorter wavelength. 

My question -- would I be served better by

1) getting another, third router and setting it up connecting to another CAT-6 point  on the 1st floor near the backyard
2) getting a wifi extender that plugs into an outlet near the backyard
3) ditching this whole complicated setup and just going with a mesh router system  ?  These do seem expensive and also I am biased to not want to disturb the nice Cox router setup in my master closet that works very well for the 2nd floor. 

thanks

Wait for a sale of the Tmobile ASUS Routers < $50.. was recently $38 for refurb and hack it to convert it to a RT-AC68U.  Buy 2 of these and you will get a pretty decent AI Mesh system.
 
I'm genuinely curious, for those with gigabit and have every room wired, why bother with a mesh network when most of the heavy traffic is on devices that are hard wired (PoE security cameras, computers, Roku, etc).  I don't know if I need a faster download than 300 Mbps on my wireless devices (which is basically our phones and Alexa devices).
 
My main use-case was using Facetime and being able to walk around my house without it cutting off and reconnecting to another access point.  Also my aux. bedroom media players are all connected wirelessly.
 
fduzer said:
I'm genuinely curious, for those with gigabit and have every room wired, why bother with a mesh network when most of the heavy traffic is on devices that are hard wired (PoE security cameras, computers, Roku, etc).  I don't know if I need a faster download than 300 Mbps on my wireless devices (which is basically our phones and Alexa devices).

People also have laptops that they walk from room to room with.
 
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