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NFT: BBI - Let's Talk Wifi Extenders

Danny Kanell : 7/17/2024 1:39 pm
I've been taking abuse from the wife and daughters this summer because the wifi extender we have in our house just isn't cutting it out to the pool area in my yard (First world problems). My router is probably about 100 feet from the pool and a story up (The router has to be where it is because it's in my home office).

The closest point the extender can get to my pool is about 40 feet and it sucks.

Any ideas/suggestions/recommendations?
For the simplest solution...  
moze1021 : 7/17/2024 1:43 pm : link
mesh network.

I had had eero for years and love it.

Probably could get a great deal on it today from Amazon since it's Prime Day.
RE: For the simplest solution...  
Section331 : 7/17/2024 1:48 pm : link
In comment 16554887 moze1021 said:
Quote:
mesh network.

I had had eero for years and love it.

Probably could get a great deal on it today from Amazon since it's Prime Day.


I was going to post just this. I tried extenders, and found them to be clunky to set up, and not all that effective. Each extender acts as a separate network. Now sure, once you use an extender on any device, it will remember the new network, but it is still clunky and less effective.

Mesh is simple to set up, it all pros together as one network, you can add nodes anytime and anywhere you like, and they work great. They are more expensive than extenders, but well worth it.
eero  
TyreeHelmet : 7/17/2024 1:53 pm : link
is amazing. I had a huge problem years ago and haven't thought about it since setting it up ( which couldn't be easier). Great product.
Prime day is today  
Mattman : 7/17/2024 1:55 pm : link
highly recommend eero mesh. I think 6e is the sweet spot for the tri band, price and device support.
RE: For the simplest solution...  
Jim in Fairfax : 7/17/2024 2:03 pm : link
In comment 16554887 moze1021 said:
Quote:
mesh network.

I had had eero for years and love it.

Probably could get a great deal on it today from Amazon since it's Prime Day.

Unless a node can be put closer to the pool than the current extender it may not improve coverage there.
Note - a lot of newer windows are Low-E glass  
Eli Wilson : 7/17/2024 2:09 pm : link
Wi-Fi signals don't go through them very well.

Just another factor to consider.
The last two homes I have lived in  
Beer Man : 7/17/2024 2:30 pm : link
had ethernet cable run all over the house into the home office. So I used two additional routers as access points (plugged into the main) to extend my signals.
You need a mesh network  
compton : 7/17/2024 2:42 pm : link
I used to use an extender but never got good results. I switched to TP-Link Deco mesh (3 pack) which covers over 5,000 square feet and I am happy with it. I am thinking of upgrading to a 6E WiFi mesh network.
I made a man cave  
winoguy : 7/17/2024 3:06 pm : link
over my detached garage 3 years ago. My son set up a Google mesh for me. Works great, watch all the games up there...
I know nothing about mesh...For a 3000 ish sq ft house  
DC Gmen Fan : 7/17/2024 3:11 pm : link
which eero should I get? I have the main Fios router in garage, but cant get a good signal in basement or oppo side of house upstairs.
RE: The last two homes I have lived in  
Mattman : 7/17/2024 3:26 pm : link
In comment 16554922 Beer Man said:
Quote:
had ethernet cable run all over the house into the home office. So I used two additional routers as access points (plugged into the main) to extend my signals.


This is the other option. I would assume you have power by the pool. You can get 100 foot or so of direct burial cat 6 or 6a cable and run a drop to the pool area. Then I would up an ip65 box to keep the stuff in, unless you already have an outbuilding there where it would be protected from the weather.
thx for this thread it read my mind  
djm : 7/17/2024 3:33 pm : link
as I have been thinking of getting something to enhance the wifi. I tried some of the regular cheaper extenders but they basically suck. I have a 2000 sq ft house, the internet modem/router is in the basement. Am I correct in thinking the eero Pro 6E mesh is right for me? I want to improve the overall wifi signal in the upstairs bedrooms which are on opposite side and upstairs.

Seems a safe choice? I am about to buy the eero Pro 6E mesh...safe bet?
was going to get the 1-Pack  
djm : 7/17/2024 3:36 pm : link
I assume you set up that router pack upstairs somewhere in between the home base router and the rest of the house and then just connect to it?
RE: was going to get the 1-Pack  
Jim in Fairfax : 7/17/2024 3:51 pm : link
In comment 16554987 djm said:
Quote:
I assume you set up that router pack upstairs somewhere in between the home base router and the rest of the house and then just connect to it?

1 pack doesn’t do anything for you. The first one replaces your existing router.
RE: RE: was going to get the 1-Pack  
djm : 7/17/2024 4:03 pm : link
In comment 16555000 Jim in Fairfax said:
Quote:
In comment 16554987 djm said:


Quote:


I assume you set up that router pack upstairs somewhere in between the home base router and the rest of the house and then just connect to it?


1 pack doesn’t do anything for you. The first one replaces your existing router.


Oh...wow...shows how lost I am. So I guess I would need to get the 2 pack? I presume if I just replaced the existing fios router with the one pack i'd still have wifi issues upstairs on the other side of the house?
RE: thx for this thread it read my mind  
bw in dc : 7/17/2024 4:20 pm : link
In comment 16554984 djm said:
Quote:
as I have been thinking of getting something to enhance the wifi. I tried some of the regular cheaper extenders but they basically suck. I have a 2000 sq ft house, the internet modem/router is in the basement. Am I correct in thinking the eero Pro 6E mesh is right for me? I want to improve the overall wifi signal in the upstairs bedrooms which are on opposite side and upstairs.

Seems a safe choice? I am about to buy the eero Pro 6E mesh...safe bet?


Can you move the modem upstairs? The signal from a modem goes out and then cascades down (I believe). That might also help with the signal strength...
RE: RE: thx for this thread it read my mind  
djm : 7/17/2024 4:26 pm : link
In comment 16555017 bw in dc said:
Quote:
In comment 16554984 djm said:


Quote:


as I have been thinking of getting something to enhance the wifi. I tried some of the regular cheaper extenders but they basically suck. I have a 2000 sq ft house, the internet modem/router is in the basement. Am I correct in thinking the eero Pro 6E mesh is right for me? I want to improve the overall wifi signal in the upstairs bedrooms which are on opposite side and upstairs.

Seems a safe choice? I am about to buy the eero Pro 6E mesh...safe bet?



Can you move the modem upstairs? The signal from a modem goes out and then cascades down (I believe). That might also help with the signal strength...


Yea back when we moved in here I was concerned about my home work office (which I knew back then would be in the lower level) so I had fios install the line/router modem in that lower lvel room. I'd say moving the router is a no...
RE: RE: RE: was going to get the 1-Pack  
Jim in Fairfax : 7/17/2024 4:37 pm : link
In comment 16555006 djm said:
Quote:

Oh...wow...shows how lost I am. So I guess I would need to get the 2 pack? I presume if I just replaced the existing fios router with the one pack i'd still have wifi issues upstairs on the other side of the house?


You might need more than 2. If you just place the 2nd node in the spot where you have a weak signal, the node will have a weak signal back to the base router and you’ll still have bad throughput. Ideally you want the node somewhere in the middle so it gets a good signal to the router and you get a good signal to the node. If that’s not possible you need a third to form a chain connection. Though that will hurt your overall throughput.

I’d recommend you do a little research before jumping in and buying something. Mesh systems are not all equal. One big issue is backhaul - the data communication between nodes. Most systems out there cut your WiFi data speeds in half, because half the overall data throughput is dedicated to backhaul communication. Speeds drop further if you have nodes set up in a chain instead of a star.

There’s two ways to avoid losing data speed to backhaul. You can can provide a wired connection between nodes. Or you can buy a system with a dedicated wireless backhaul channel. As you’d guess, those systems cost more.
RE: RE: RE: RE: was going to get the 1-Pack  
djm : 7/17/2024 4:44 pm : link
In comment 16555022 Jim in Fairfax said:
Quote:
In comment 16555006 djm said:


Quote:



Oh...wow...shows how lost I am. So I guess I would need to get the 2 pack? I presume if I just replaced the existing fios router with the one pack i'd still have wifi issues upstairs on the other side of the house?



You might need more than 2. If you just place the 2nd node in the spot where you have a weak signal, the node will have a weak signal back to the base router and you’ll still have bad throughput. Ideally you want the node somewhere in the middle so it gets a good signal to the router and you get a good signal to the node. If that’s not possible you need a third to form a chain connection. Though that will hurt your overall throughput.

I’d recommend you do a little research before jumping in and buying something. Mesh systems are not all equal. One big issue is backhaul - the data communication between nodes. Most systems out there cut your WiFi data speeds in half, because half the overall data throughput is dedicated to backhaul communication. Speeds drop further if you have nodes set up in a chain instead of a star.

There’s two ways to avoid losing data speed to backhaul. You can can provide a wired connection between nodes. Or you can buy a system with a dedicated wireless backhaul channel. As you’d guess, those systems cost more.


Can't thank you enough I will do more research.
RE: RE: RE: RE: was going to get the 1-Pack  
aimrocky : 7/17/2024 8:51 pm : link
In comment 16555022 Jim in Fairfax said:
Quote:
In comment 16555006 djm said:


Quote:



Oh...wow...shows how lost I am. So I guess I would need to get the 2 pack? I presume if I just replaced the existing fios router with the one pack i'd still have wifi issues upstairs on the other side of the house?



You might need more than 2. If you just place the 2nd node in the spot where you have a weak signal, the node will have a weak signal back to the base router and you’ll still have bad throughput. Ideally you want the node somewhere in the middle so it gets a good signal to the router and you get a good signal to the node. If that’s not possible you need a third to form a chain connection. Though that will hurt your overall throughput.

I’d recommend you do a little research before jumping in and buying something. Mesh systems are not all equal. One big issue is backhaul - the data communication between nodes. Most systems out there cut your WiFi data speeds in half, because half the overall data throughput is dedicated to backhaul communication. Speeds drop further if you have nodes set up in a chain instead of a star.

There’s two ways to avoid losing data speed to backhaul. You can can provide a wired connection between nodes. Or you can buy a system with a dedicated wireless backhaul channel. As you’d guess, those systems cost more.


+1

My mesh system without a hard wired backhaul was alright, but my speed was consistently cut by 50-70%. I still got consistent internet in parts of the property an extender could never get to, so it’s still a step up but at a significant cost.

After I hard wired the backhaul node, I’ll consistently get about 75% of my speed.
Mesh is a great option  
JohnF : 7/17/2024 11:04 pm : link
but if you want to go traditional, this is the best out there. It's a beast, and I've used it in my house and my sister's house, with great results. On sale right now with Amazon Prime Days!


TP-Link AC2600 WiFi Extender(RE650), Up to 2600Mbps, Dual Band WiFi Range Extender - ( New Window )
RE: eero  
GiantCuse : 7/18/2024 12:17 pm : link
In comment 16554893 TyreeHelmet said:
Quote:
is amazing. I had a huge problem years ago and haven't thought about it since setting it up ( which couldn't be easier). Great product.


+1 for Eero. We had Google mesh and it SUCKED. Literally no issues with Eero, going on a year total now.
I have an Orbi system...  
rnargi : 7/18/2024 4:04 pm : link
It's about 5 years old. Should I consider an upgrade?
Just an FYI...if your internet provider  
pjcas18 : 7/21/2024 12:45 pm : link
is Verizon and you have FiOS and you have FiOS for internet and TV it's not a simple install. You can probably do it and it's not technically challenging necessarily, just time consuming and a novice may struggle.

Verizon makes appliance based wifi extenders that seem to work ok.

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