Extending WiFi coverage - mesh network vs. multiple routers

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

mgreen

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
14
0
10,510
I have a Netgear AC1750 R6400 wireless router with four gigabit Ethernet ports. I use it for both wired and wireless connections to computers, printers, smartphones, OOMA VoIP phone, iPad, TV, media player, Alexa, etc. WiFi coverage does not extend throughout my house. I am considering purchasing a WiFi mesh network like Netgear Orbi or Linksys Velop but these are very expensive. I read that their only real benefit is ease of setup and that the same thing can be accomplished by using two or more routers.

I have wired Ethernet ports running to every room in my house so whichever solution I choose, I can run a wired connection to each router or to each mesh node for a backhaul link which I understand will improve WiFi performance. My desire is that as I walk around my house, streaming Netflix or radio to my laptop or phone, that the hand-off transition from one node or router to the next is seemless and unnoticeable. Apparently, this is a strength of mesh systems. Can two or three routers accomplish this as well as a mesh system?

Another benefit of the mesh is that you just sit a node anywhere and it connects wirelessly to the network. However, I'm going to connect each node to wired Ethernet anyway to boost WiFi performance so connecting a router to the network seems just as easy.

It's certainly a lot cheaper to add two more routers, at $70 - $100 each, than to purchase a mesh for $330 - $479. Is there a benefit to a mesh system that I have missed? Could I just buy another router like the one I have (Netgear AC1750 R6400) and configure it as a wireless access point (with hardwired Ethernet connection to my primary router) to create my own mesh network?
Thanks.
 
Solution
B
Sort by date Sort by votes
V

vmfantom

Notable
Nov 28, 2017
181
0
860


If you already had a few Asus routers, you could use their new AiMesh hardware to convert your spare routers into meshed extenders. Some Asus routers can reach nearly 1 Gbps in backhaul throughput in repeater mode if memory serves (from a SmallNetBuilder review). But for the meshed range extender kits, keep in mind that throughput will be much lower than a standalone router, and that not all meshes actually support fast roaming (802.11r). Orbi is great for throughput but won't seamlessly hand off devices from one node to the next based on signal strength. Someone on this forum will almost certainly recommend UniFi, but that's apparently even worse for wifi throughput. (Zero Handoff is a weak spot for UniFi APs, so you'll be asked, "Why would you even want fast roaming?!" as if it were an unnatural request.) The main takeaway is that looking at CPU, RAM, etc., those extenders all have less under the hood than a standalone router, unless you're looking at Aruba, Meraki, etc. But that would defeat the purpose since you want to stay within a reasonable budget for a home deployment.

If you're upgrading your router anyway, you could just swap your R6400 for a respectable 3- or 4-stream MIMO router like a TP-Link C2600 or even an R7000, to get close to 1 watt of transmit power on each band. (Most of these are available at $100.) Then to distribute the wifi signal throughout the house cheaply, you could check out a kit from these guys where fast roaming is native without any chipset/protocol delay. That would end up costing less than 2 more routers and would work a lot better for handoff, though you'd probably want to confirm if the distances involved in your home are a good fit for their setup.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
B

bill001g

Titan
Aug 9, 2012
28,358
2,765
125,640
Maybe I am just getting too old....do you actually walk around your house and watch netflix. I could see pause the movie walk to a different room and restart it but to actually be walking around ?

Years ago I set wifi systems based on expensive cisco technology in a corporate environment. It worked ok but the only application that really needed this ability was VoIP phones. Most other applications the 1-2 second glitch as it changed did not matter. We only were running VoIP on cell phones to avoid paying huge monthly costs for phone minutes. The cell companies have change the billing that is now cheaper to just put micro cells in the building and let them run the phones rather than mess around with wifi.

You are designing something that is extremely complex for something that most people never actually need. A AP in every room on ethernet cable will perform better than almost any mesh system. The only thing it can't do well is the seamless roaming. You have to weigh the value of that feature to the performance loss.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

mgreen

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
14
0
10,510


"Then to distribute the wifi signal throughout the house cheaply, you could check out a kit from these guys where fast roaming is native without any chipset/protocol delay."

I'm not sure what these "kits" are. Can you give me a part number or URL?
Thanks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

mgreen

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
14
0
10,510


You're right, I don't walk around streaming Netflix. I was trying to get across my desire to switch from one node to another with little delay/interruption as I move throughout the house. I cannot pick up radio at my house so I stream radio over wi-fi to my smartphone. I used to have a dual router setup to extend wi-fi coverage but when I walked from one end of the house to the other, there would be a half minute to two minute delay where the audio would stop. Sometimes, it just wouldn't start again.

A year ago, I purchased a new Netgear AC1750 R6400 router hoping that it's greater range would cover my 2900' house. It didn't. Since then, I have to run an Ethernet cable to my laptop whenever I am in my office in order to have internet access. Is there some way, for under $300, that I could set up a system to extend wifi coverage and experience only a 1-2 sec delay when I switch nodes? You mentioned an access point. Do you mean a second router configured as a wireless access point with a hardwired Ethernet line connecting it to the primary router? If something else, could you give me a model number or URL to look at?
Thanks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
V

vmfantom

Notable
Nov 28, 2017
181
0
860
Upvote 0 Downvote
B

bill001g

Titan
Aug 9, 2012
28,358
2,765
125,640


In general the problem with wifi is not that it does not reconnect quickly it is that it does not switch at all. The end device will stay connected to a crappy signal even though you are standing right on top of a second better signal. The device only has a single radio so it can not spend time looking for better signals.

The systems that work the best have clients that talk to a central controller so it can tell them to switch...kinda like a cell tower does. This is what cisco sells but it is outrageously expensive even for a very large company. They require a yearly license fee for every end device you connect. You must also load software on every device. These systems switch with only 1 or 2 packets lost. Of course it does do a lot, the subnets can change and it supports a lot to reduce the times to recalculate the encryption keys..especially when you run in enterprise mode where you do not have pre shared keys.

The system that most smaller people use are put out by ubiquiti Their AP are not all that different but they have a free controller software that will force a disconnect of a end device forcing it to reconnect. It switches most the time in under a second but you will see/hear a glitch if you are watching real time video/audio. The buffers in most applications hide it.

You can do it with any routers running as a AP but without a controller the end device will be in control. Sometime it works ok and other it can be extremely stubborn about not switching. If cost is not your major concern I would look at the ubiquiti system. I like AP that are PoE since I can run 1 UPS on the central switch.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom