What mesh wifi to consider in 2024?

Hardware
1

Hello there,

Isn’t time to recreate an open discussion about mesh wifi in 2024?
Of course I’ve searched into the forum already but, you know, technology is so not static.
I read this thread

But I’m looking over the Internet for 2 weeks now and I’m struggling.

Like the OP of the linked post, my ISP WiFi is a mess. 6 meters away from my box, same floor, through one plasterboard wall, it is not detected and/or disconnect all the time.

Therefore, I’m thinking of a good wifi mesh network.

And here I am with my questions/requirements:

  1. I’ve some Fujitsu AC, Somfy covers and some other equipments that only accept 2.4GHz bandwith and sometimes only on some specific chanel(s) so I need a way to enable that 2.4GHz (maybe as a separated SSID?) and select the chanel if needed
  2. I’d need to have the Ethernet and WiFi devices to share the same LAN without adding route (means the mesh devices should only operate on the first 2 layers of the network stack: physical and data link, not network).
  3. Parental control is a plus but I can live without it if it is not free.
  4. Ethernet backhaul would be highly appreciated
  5. My ISP is providing 2 ways to replace their hardware with a private router:

  • Set the Internet Box in Bridge mode but then there is a warning : “You create 2 separate networks. One on the Internet Box and one on your own router. Devices connected to one network cannot communicate with devices on the other. We strongly recommend that you disable WiFi on the Internet Box and reconnect all your devices behind your router. Remember: the TV Box, VoIP and our WiFi Booster will not work behind a private router.”

  • Remove completely the Internet Box and replace with my own router but it MUST support VLAN tag over WAN to do that.

I already had a look at Tenda and TP-Link Deco X60.

Something to note, my ISP speed is 500/500Mbps so no need to be crazy of Gigabit, 2.5Gbits and such but a good backhaul is required to not lose the power of meshing.

Talking about backhaul, I’ve a secondary question:
Should I connect the mesh devices together (using CPL) or all to the box (also via CPL)? In other words, who is doing the backbone of the network : the box between its ethernet ports or the mesh devices together?

Sorry, it is long post, thank you if you read up to here, hope you can advice me and others

P.S.: My HA configuration is super basic : Core, no VM, no Docker, nothing fancy just a Raspberry Pi with Core installed.

EDIT

I realise, reading my post that point 2 and 5 seems to oppose each other. It is. But the idea is, I’d prefer to keep the ISP Internet Box for the ethernet part and the connection to the TV, the NAS or the media players and fullfill point 2 (same LAN) but if needed then I can remove the box and use the ethernet port of the mesh devices (usually there are 2 or 3 on each) and that is the idea beyond point 5.

2

It’s up to preferences and budget really. There is no “best mesh”. If you can avoid meshing the access points by using cables that’s preferred.

I use Ubiquiti and I think that works great.

4 Likes
3

I would stay away from mesh and use a switch and wired access points. Unifi is popular along with others. A site survey would give you an idea of how many access points are needed.

3 Likes
4

I can’t wired but CPL them.
But at the end, I don’t want multiple WiFi, I don’t want to switch from Basement, FirstFloor and Attic SSID. I guess that it is the point of Unifi, right?

Sorry, CPL is the French abreviation, it is Network over Powerlines

5

This is not a Unifi-specific function, you get this at loads of different vendors. The “point” of Unifi is having a product range that integrates well with each other, a single-pane-of-glass for management and more. Here’s an example of the management:

image
image1853×1013 133 KB

As long as you get decent bandwidth and a reliable connection this should work.

1 Like
6

Hm…
Not that i’m an expert, but…
I have asus mesh system, consisting of 4 routers and i’ve had AiMesh configured for quite some time without problems. Not long ago i decided to try access points system, so i broke my mesh and configured all routers to AP. After two weeks i went back to mesh, because mesh works way better that AP.
Main difference is that mesh seamlessly switches between wifi points, while AP system doesn’t do that well, instead some of my wifi devices would stay connected to weak wifi only to cause problems…

7

Meshing is when all the AP’s work together in the same ‘mesh’

Individual APs can participate in one mesh (UniFi has a selection for APs to mesh or not)

You’re mixing metaphors.

You may have had a poor perfoing mesh on prior hardware but mesh isn’t inherently more or less stable than - not meshing. It’s reality up to the quality of the vendor.

Its generally preferred to go wired than not for the back haul (what people are saying wired not wireless…)

But imho Wireless mesh backhaul is WAY better than any power line network I’ve ever dealt with so I’d pick a wireless backhaul over wired power line most likely)

Personally I love my Ubiquiti gear. But if. You don’t go that way get something that supports at least Wi-Fi6e at this point works in your country and has the option to work as individual APs or a mesh network and reviews well. My selection process also includes managed and capable of VLAN support. Which is what kicked me to Ubiquiti in the first place.

1 Like
8

HI Oliver, Most ISP provided Routers Sucks, sounds like yours in particular ( Or it’s due to other factors.
First Step would be, Buy a decent Router( Based on Specs ! ), and pack away your ISP Router( what ever that is for Device )
And as Mentioned What ever can be Wired Should be Wired ( No it’s not Cool running i.e Your TV over Wifi etc ) , if a Device have an Ethernet port, it’s there for use (additional wifi capabilities should be considered as an Optional feature, taken “consequences” in consideration )

If a MESH is in fact needed (After you got your “Better” Router) , i’ve seen other mentioning “Wired is not possible” But whether that is due to lack of options/fantasies/10" hardened iron walls , some people never tells ( Maybe it’s in the end just because they don’t have a drilling machine, a long drill, or never used tools like this ) :slight_smile: , no offense, just pointing out , if people just say (no, because i dont want to) im out !

I would look for the Specs of a good Router !, Most new Brand-Routers have the option to add additional AP’s, buying a “ready to go” Mesh-System don’t give you any guaranties that you will get a better System in your particular premises

Edit: And for 5gHz wifi devices, like newer Laptops/phones etc, “force” them to use 5gHz

9

If you happen to have coax throughout your house but not Ethernet cable, you can use Moca adapters. They would be better than wireless or power line. That’s what I rely on.

2 Likes
10

Avoid mesh if possible. You lose connectivity speed with each link in the mesh. Ethernet is the best option.

I recently ditched my Verizon FIOS router when it wouldn’t reliably connect with more than 50-60 WiFi clients. The all-in-one routers do suck. They contain a router, switch and WiFi access point in one box, and they don’t do any of them well.

I am now using the TP-Link Omada components and my network is quite reliable. (Omada is Ubiquiti on a budget).

This is the most unreliable connection possible. The best you can get consistently will be around 100Mbps. Turn on a few appliances and that drops further. If your home has split-phase wiring, then half of your home won’t get Internet over powerline.

2 Likes
11

Not far from that, lol. One of the many reason why my WiFi sucks (aside of the well known reason that ISPs are not providing the best of material).

Of course if I can wire, I do. But my floors and outside walls are made of 25cm of reinforced concrete (so with iron grids inside). Not that it is impossible to drill through but I already destroyed 2 sets of “concrete” drilling bits to only fix my curtains in those walls.

My initial plan was to have a “column” on wired devices broadcasting wifi on each floor (+ wires if possible) but when I realised that I can’t drill it myself, I backed up on powerline network, 3 Devolo dLan duo (2 ethernet ports each).

My TV + a RPi running Kodi is running on one
My Box is obviously connected to another one
And the last one was for HA but with the fiber, they moved the internet box to a place where I can connect HA directly to it. So I’ve a spare one.

Reading all the comments so far is as my brain for 2 weeks, one, the other, both, none, think again about drilling through concrete, or not. Forget my powerlines, or not. I’m a computer scientist and I’m confused, can you imagine?

12

That’s easy enough to test. You could do iperf testing between devices on each side of the powerline, test with appliances turned on and off for example. I haven’t used powerline adapters in 12 years. In my usecase they were solid but had poor bandwidth. I had no impact on the connection from appliances being used.

13

As I have 34 circuit breakers at home and my heavy appliances are on separated ones, it is not disturbing the bandwith that much

But the deal has changed. Before my ISP dsl box was only with 100Mbps ports and so my 550Mbps Devolo were more than enough. But now I have a fiber box with Gigabit ports and the WiFi of the new box is way worst than the previous one.

Therefore I have to rethink my whole setup and it has a major cost impact. I’m ready to buy whatever is needed but I’d like to avoid to redo it again in a year.

14

The best solution (performance wise) is always pulling cables :slight_smile:

4 Likes
15

:joy: Yeah sounds like “Blood, Sweat & Tears” ( I also hate when the holes get 2 times bigger than the drill, and ends up in a -80 degree angle ) :slight_smile:

I never tried/dared to go this route, i prefer having household electricity separated for it purpose, and as mentioned , you’r “cut” to 100Mb ( and you just build in yet another failure point )

Yep, it all comes down to your particular Premises and use case ( Which you knows best ), maybe there are other ways of getting a TP cable to upper/lower Floor, it doesn’t have to be shortest/straight ways ( a good shielded cat6 " meter-ware !, cut and “adapt” the the length you need )

As you haven’t specified the Specs of your current Router, nor a “network diagram” with Specified devices/locations, And the “Size” of your Network( I.e Amount of Wired/WIFI Devices/Zigbee Devices etc ) it’s close to guessing “suggestions” ( combined with the usual individual opinions and experiences) you get :smile:

2 Likes
16

Hm… i see that everyone assumes wireless mesh… i have wired mesh, not wireless, so no reduced band here…

2 Likes
17

I “Still” only have 1 Router, covering 3 floors + attached Garage, and parts of the outside Areas
“Still” as i do consider an Additional AP
Cost-vice I would buy a decent(good) Router, with the Specs of your needs ( Forget about your ISP , Use “option 1” disconnect wifi etc on it ( im not familiar with ISP’s who requires VLAN tag over WAN )
Parental control, most (if not all) newer Routers Have
Option to “expand” your network, with either additional AP, or MESH-Nodes , some Routers have.
You need “extra/more ram” for more Devices , in your Router, Routers with more Ram also tend to have better CPU
Range / Signal strength, obviously an important factor to look at ( and you don’t seems to have reasons to be concerned about “choking” your neighbors WIFI networks )
So that’s what i base my “suggestions” upon, look for good Router( WIRE what can be ), expand(eventually if you need to)
But yes 25cm of reinforced concrete floors might need additional Devices, luckily only my Basement, Pan-Room ( And Basement-ceiling ) is “limiting” Signals here, so i just bought a WIFI/Zigbee “Router/extender” im going to try out ( Needs to pick it up in town, waiting for me there )
If it’s of interest, i use/prefer ASUS as Router, and Laptop ( My best experience )
The Device im going to install in coming days is Aqara, for my Tapo/Aqara Devices in the Basement

18

I have one “router” (AP) in each floor, plus one in garage😉
additional benefit of having more devices is that wifi connections are distributed among them, so no single router (ap) is too busy working with tons of wifi devices. Note that cheap routers (ap’s) can cope only with limited number of devices. However, i think that main router must be decently capable (mine is rt-ax88u pro) to be able to drive all that.

Regarding “choking” wifi: asus AiMesh works on the same channel on all mesh points. While this can be drawback it can be an advantage, too. I bet that asus knows what’s doing…

1 Like
19

Wouldn’t that just make it a regular router / access point network? I always thought that mesh refered to the access points being connected to the network wirelessly.

20

I can write for Asus (as much as i know):
there are two options:

  • AP mode: here you can connect asus router(s) to main device via wifi or via cable in AP mode, each AP device is it’s own device, you can access each device via it’s own IP and set/change wifi (and some other) settings.
    Benefit: you can set each AP to a different wifi channel and change some settings.
    Down side: when moving with, say, PC or phone it will stay on one AP until it almost looses connection, only then it will change to a better one.

  • AiMesh mode: all devices are connected to AiMesh, either via wifi or via cable.
    Benefit: whatever wifi you set on main router it’s also set in all mesh points. Consequently all devices uses same wifi channel. In AiMesh mode all mesh devices constantly talk to each other and when one AP “sees” a (moving) wifi device (phone…) with better signal it automatically takes over, not only when signal is (almost) lost. Basically (in theory) you always have the best possible signal.
    Down side: all AP’s work on the same wifi channel, and you can’t access AP points via it’s local IP, since all settings are made on main router. As said: whatever you set on main router is automatically set on all AP’s, too. (i’m not sure if this is a down side at all…)

Note that i found out that for iot devices to work good it’s (among others) necesarry to turn off asus smart connect. There are guides out for best iot settings on asus.
EDIT: pics of my mesh (if it helps):

image
image633×922 93.5 KB

And explanation of green lines:

image
image956×951 105 KB

As you see i have two wired and one wireless device.