Weapons-grade home WiFi suggestions
Discussion
Soon to complete on a new house. It's a five storey terrace with a posh shed at the end of the garden that is going to be used as a home office/gym room.
Having suffered with poor broadband speeds and poor wifi signal strength in our rented properties (including rural broadband that is about as useful as a length of wet string) I'm determined to get the fastest fibre available and distribute it effectively around the house. I've had a plug-in range extender before and it didn't prove reliable.
What are my best options please? Hard-wire several routers together?
Having suffered with poor broadband speeds and poor wifi signal strength in our rented properties (including rural broadband that is about as useful as a length of wet string) I'm determined to get the fastest fibre available and distribute it effectively around the house. I've had a plug-in range extender before and it didn't prove reliable.
What are my best options please? Hard-wire several routers together?
Previous replies on here suggest one of the 'mesh' systems for the wifi like BT Whole Home.
https://www.shop.bt.com/learnmore/bt-branded-produ...
The posh shed? Some get on well with Powerline adapters, others run an ethernet cable. I have Powerline adaptors and an ethernet switch at the distant end which works well but it's often a suck-it-and see trial.
Powerline adaptors can also be used to get an ethernet socket to the upstairs rooms, with a Wifi access point connected to it
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=se...
https://www.shop.bt.com/learnmore/bt-branded-produ...
The posh shed? Some get on well with Powerline adapters, others run an ethernet cable. I have Powerline adaptors and an ethernet switch at the distant end which works well but it's often a suck-it-and see trial.
Powerline adaptors can also be used to get an ethernet socket to the upstairs rooms, with a Wifi access point connected to it
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=se...
Slushbox said:
Previous replies on here suggest one of the 'mesh' systems for the wifi
This is the correct answer. Someone will be along to try and recommend ubiquiti stuff (I swear they must be paid to do it on PH) but it really is very poor in a home setting - just not designed for it. You need mesh. I ended up with a Netgear Orbi setup that has been better in every way to the prior Ubiquiti.Order66 said:
This is the correct answer. Someone will be along to try and recommend ubiquiti stuff (I swear they must be paid to do it on PH) but it really is very poor in a home setting - just not designed for it. You need mesh. I ended up with a Netgear Orbi setup that has been better in every way to the prior Ubiquiti.
Not designed for home users, granted. Works brilliantly in more challenging homes though.Just replaced a Linksys Velop system in my Mums new house with a cheap as chips Tenda Nova system from Currys that doesnt seem to care about the foil backed underlay and wallpaper, and not a peep out of her. Highly recommended for the price.
Again, another recommendation for a Mesh system. I've used Netgear Orbi systems in a few large settings and they've worked an absolute treat. Tips:
- Have at least one 'satellite' per floor. You may need more more if the floor plates are large (over 100 sqm)
- Always go for the larger satellites, not the smaller spec ones. This means, on paper at least, the system is over-specced, but in reality I find the smaller ones you're too often at the limits of their range. Maybe if you have tiny floor plates they're fine.
- Have at least one 'satellite' per floor. You may need more more if the floor plates are large (over 100 sqm)
- Always go for the larger satellites, not the smaller spec ones. This means, on paper at least, the system is over-specced, but in reality I find the smaller ones you're too often at the limits of their range. Maybe if you have tiny floor plates they're fine.
Order66 said:
This is the correct answer. Someone will be along to try and recommend ubiquiti stuff (I swear they must be paid to do it on PH) but it really is very poor in a home setting - just not designed for it. You need mesh. I ended up with a Netgear Orbi setup that has been better in every way to the prior Ubiquiti.
what makes you say it is very poor? i have fitted it in dozens of very large houses and never ever receive anything other than praise of its performance, in many cases after their diy mesh attempts resulted in disappointment.yes I do get paid to fit it and yes it is expensive but performance wise no mesh system can come close to multiple ac pros hardwired and professionaly designed and configured.
As others have suggested, look at Ubiquiti Unifi. Difficult to advise on access point (AP) position without a plan, but one AP placed on each level would likely work and the shed. You'll need to run in a CAT5/6 to each position, they are PoE so no need for local power, you'll need to decide on a central 'Hub' where all your cables terminate and your incoming broadband router will go.
Add extra cables incase you need more APs, say in the kitchen or lounge.
The UAP AC-Lite will work or go for the more powerful LR if you're areas are large. Ideally they should be ceiling mounted.
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
Bit of advice. Hard-wire anything that will not move and use ethernet rather than WiFi, eg TV, Sky etc.
Add extra cables incase you need more APs, say in the kitchen or lounge.
The UAP AC-Lite will work or go for the more powerful LR if you're areas are large. Ideally they should be ceiling mounted.
https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
Bit of advice. Hard-wire anything that will not move and use ethernet rather than WiFi, eg TV, Sky etc.
Edited by megaphone on Saturday 29th December 11:30
lr are terrible in the home environment they are for large warehouse areas. lite are not what you want either they are cost reduced cut down versions. if you still have a few 2.4ghz devices or your rf propogation environment means many devices might favour 2.4 go for the uap ac pros, if nearly everything is 5ghz look at the nano hd.
tbh for most homes the pro is the best fit.
tbh for most homes the pro is the best fit.
I have this system from linksys
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CZ3YB51/ref=cm_sw_r...
Great piece of kit and so easy to set up through the app.
As for the garden you aren't going to get anything better then a hard wired down there so I suggested some protected cat6 down there.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CZ3YB51/ref=cm_sw_r...
Great piece of kit and so easy to set up through the app.
As for the garden you aren't going to get anything better then a hard wired down there so I suggested some protected cat6 down there.
OldGermanHeaps said:
what makes you say it is very poor? i have fitted it in dozens of very large houses and never ever receive anything other than praise of its performance, in many cases after their diy mesh attempts resulted in disappointment.
yes I do get paid to fit it and yes it is expensive but performance wise no mesh system can come close to multiple ac pros hardwired and professionaly designed and configured.
It is simply syes I do get paid to fit it and yes it is expensive but performance wise no mesh system can come close to multiple ac pros hardwired and professionaly designed and configured.
t in anything except flimsily built new-build properties or an office environment. It also only really works well on the horizontal plane. Put a chimney-breast, thick sandstone walls or go between floors and they really struggle. Yes in an office environment where you have heavy client numbers and huge throughput they have their place, but in the domestic setting you can do much much better. Coverage is poor with a fair material density meaning you need at least as many APs and subsequent wiring as any other method of having multiple APs with greater expense. Add to that abysmal hand-off between APs when they are event remotely close to each other (remember their whole ZHO fiasco) means it just doesn't work well in a domestic situation. Ubiquiti kit is just not designed for this kind of usage. Mesh kills it in almost every metric.
Order66 said:
Just replaced a Linksys Velop system in my Mums new house with a cheap as chips Tenda Nova system from Currys that doesnt seem to care about the foil backed underlay and wallpaper, and not a peep out of her. Highly recommended for the price.
I'll second the Tenda Nova. Simple to setup and just works. I've got a 60's brick built 5 bed house and with the 3 box system works great. Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff