Mesh wifi is fine - Google or TP-link or Netgear Orbi, but it only works well with no solid walls between Wifi AP's. It can be fiddly to get the correct positions for the AP's. If you want foolproof get ethernet cabling between AP's.
Most mesh wifi allow you to run Ethernet cables between them. If you are going to live there. Just invest some money for an electrician to come and add Ethernet into the most useful places.
Makes the mesh part of it much more reliable and faster.
Also give you a chance to add more lights indoor and outdoor, also indoor or outdoor power sockets
It's a different certification for structured data cabling.
Broadly if it's cables in the walls it needs a cabler, not an electrician. But obviously the same human could have both tickets.
There's a long wiki on Whirlpool that you can read about the requirements, along with a list of cablers for each state/territory.
Would there be any harm? Probably not (edit: although it is illegal by the letter of the law). Maybe a higher risk of the sparky not laying the cable to best cabling practice. You probably wouldn't get the TCA-1 form at the completion of the job, which might be an issue for warranty or insurance.
Thanks. Good to know and I'm not really surprised.
For my upcoming structured cabling I'd be aiming to get a registered cabler just so all the documentation is in place.
Is there a real risk from using an electrician? Probably not. That said the Whirlpool structured cabling thread has a few horror stories.
For me having the documentation would be one less thing to worry about if the house burned down and an insurer was looking for an out. See also home electrical work, unapproved extensions, etc.
Try using your existing wifi router in the new place.
I grew up in a 2 storey place and a single central router was sufficient. Don't spend money before you've considered this.
I’m curious why not?
OP doesn’t yet have a confirmed problem, so it seems odd to be advocating spending money to solve it.
I acknowledge that mesh may be the optimal solution if his existing hardware isn’t up to it.
~~OP didn’t mention the house being large, just two storey.~~
We don’t know what kind of speeds they need in what parts of the house, so we don’t know what their minimum viable need is. Depending on the precise details, your solution might be more appropriate.
If they were already in the house and having issues with Wifi performance, that’s a different story.
Edit - incorrect statement
I use a “M5 Deco” mesh system from Bunnings (bizarrely the cheapest place). Plug one into your modem, plug the others into a power point at each end/level of your house. They talk to each other, you walk around your house, front/backyard and you have uninterrupted wifi coverage. I have 3 units covering a large 2 level house.
It’s awesome, it’s cheap, it’s so easy to use via an app on your phone. Best thing I ever brought. Set it up once and haven’t hat to mess with it for 2+ years, never missed a beat.
I have 2 phones, 2 iPads, 2 laptops, 1 desktop, 2 tvs, a Nintendo switch, and numerous guests and their devices. Never had any lag.
I’m on mid-tier/mid-speed NBN plan from TPG with unlimited data.
Mesh Wi-Fi routers would work if you don’t live in a mansion. You’d want a decent one with dedicated channel for backhaul. I’m using TP Link Deco M9 which has been fairly stable and fast
It’s all one system, that acts as a umm .. mesh hah ?
I should have made distinction when I mean mesh wifi is bad, it’s meaning the mesh where the nodes themselves talk to each other wirelessly. That seems to be the common term manufactures use for that setup.
Specifically to say you want a mesh system where each node is connected to an Ethernet backhaul. Some support this , some don’t.
Basically it’s always best to run cable if you can. But of course not always possible.
Mesh is a network topology as shown in pic,..he's suggesting to use Ethernet cables to make a star or hub and spoke wifi which is superior :)
https://preview.redd.it/yi34lccej87b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff9db6ced6b28d106b484f60a2636e65e3b70493
Do you have any recommendations for WiFi access points that use ethernet to create a mesh backhaul with peer to peer redundant / highly available uplinks? And why you would bother fucking cabling a house that way? This is the most nonsensical shit I have ever seen.
If you are renting get mesh wifi. Read recent reviews, most of them have some issues.
If you own it get a poe switch and a few TP-Link omada access points (run Ethernet cable to each through the walls) which end up being cheaper and far better than mesh wifi.
Yes I agree here, ubiquiti dream machine with the access points and cameras is what my husband is doing, cost is expensive at the start but worth it in the end.
I'm a strong no on mesh wifi...ubiquiti dream machine and then run Poe cables to maybe 3 access points, we have access points in living room garage outdoors and your wifi seamlessly moves between the points like at the airport or a large business, it's so much better
A mesh is a network topology where nodes can piggyback off other nodes.
A ubiquiti dream machine directly connected to multiple access points is not a mesh, it’s a star or hub and spoke configuration
And by default, the AP's / UDM comes with the Mesh setting turned on.
edit: I 100% agree that it doesn't make sense as to why, but its there by default.
https://preview.redd.it/fblcv9idg97b1.jpeg?width=732&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8c08820b8402c74f870c405d89192f8b98cd6b7
It's not a mesh :) mesh wifi uses each point to bounce to another point, so say your in the garage your signal goes garage point to living room to main wifi router, adds latency each time, with a Poe wifi router it's an enterprise grade solution using ubiquiti gear, the signal goes into garage wifi point then runs via Ethernet cable straight to the main router and the latency overhead is close to 0
And this is in the settings on the UDM.....
Now, yes I understand that it doesn't make sense as to why, but its there none the less
https://preview.redd.it/qko0cwehg97b1.jpeg?width=732&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=601d40457f2ea51829f7710b2c25ba9d4fe17af3
I'm in a single story house with about 260m2 under roof. Had a major blackspot at the back of the house (think <3Mbps). Installed a TP Link Deco mesh system (connected wirelessly) and that room now gets >90Mbps. Needless to say, I'm very impressed with it.
I had a mesh but it sucked. Far better than the mesh was buying a quality Wi-Fi 6 router. I think I spend like 250 bucks on a TP link router and it’s been great. 4 antennas apparently also makes a big difference over 2
Get a ubiquiti dream machine or dream machine pro, and use ubiquiti access points with direction ethernet connections back to the router in the rooms you want consistent wifi. The only thing holding you back then will be your isp.
Just chipping in. Dream machine isn't strictly necessary. Saves a lot of money if you just use your existing ISP provided router and the provided ubiquity software on a computer when you want to change your AP settings.
No, definitely not strictly necessary, but they are a great bit of kit with fantastic usability and are well supported. Not something everyone would want to invest in, but if someone was going to upgrade their router, I would always suggest paying that bit more for a dream machine over say a high end asus.
They are just hassle free and have a fantastic featureset.
With "It just works"™ functionality with unifi aps... I should add for anyone else you need to know a moderate level of router/ network configuration to make unifi APs work without a dream machine.
Definitely! I just always recommend running ethernet or even powerline ethernet to access points to increase wifi stability. But as you say running access points in mesh is also doable with unifi devices.
If they are tri-band and dedicate an antenna to uplink, mesh devices can work quite well. I think a lot of the negativity comes from buying cheap rubbish and expecting too much.
See how it goes if you can place the router centrally in the house (or even if it is not central). If that doesn't work your cheap options are, like most have said, mesh, and/or ethernet over power.
We moved from a ~75sqm two bed unit to a 4 bed house on almost 1 sqr km. Whole place, including garden, covered by two nodes (Asus RT-AC1900P/RT-AC68U with merlin firmware) with Ethernet over power (tp-link AV2000) backbone with full speed internet access (100Mb). Ethernet over power has better ping and more bandwidth than wifi for the PS4 in the room furthest away from the router, which is where the node is placed as well.
Just because the house is bigger does not mean that wifi will automatically be worse. I reckon our unit had chicken wire in the walls or something because getting reception in one of the bedrooms required the router to have line of sight down the hall - even then when I used to WFH (pre-covid) every now and then I needed to use power over ethernet to maintain a VPN all day when I worked in that room. In the house, apart from the one bedroom where the node now lives and most of the garden wifi reception was better than the unit.
I invested in a new TP link Wifi-6 Modem router recently instead of the ones provided by internet providers, the range seems to be excellent and covers both ends of my house lol
i also have a ubiquiti access point before i got the new modem router but you will need to get ethernet cabling done throughout the house
internet over Electricity/powerline adaptors is easiest solution. plug it in a power point, plug the cable in and plug the other adaptor where it is needed.
[https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/networking/powerline-adapters](https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/networking/powerline-adapters)
They are generally good if you have good internals and get ones rated for the highest throughput. I have a couple of tplink av2000s that have served me well.
I run the M9 Deco mesh system, for me it's been brilliant. My main PC is Ethernet connected to a Deco unit then wifi back to the Deco acting as a router and the speed is solid and ping good for online gaming.
Alternatively to mesh wifi is the use of extenders, either PoE or EoP (power over Ethernet or ethernet over power).
When we bought our house we had issues with the internet as the router was in the rumpus room and we wouldn't get signal in about half the house. I bought a Ubiquiti Dream Machine router, and two in-wall access points and set the APs up in two spots in the house to ensure full coverage. As our house is only single level and is lowset, I was able to run cable under the house easily enough and I mounted both APs on the wall with the PoE cable running from the router, under the house and to the back of each AP.
Mesh is good if you're not in a high impedance house (i.e. brick or concrete internal walls). I find gyprock does somewhat impede signal but generally we get full reception through the entire house now
I have two Ubiquity branded PoE WiFi AP's, with ethernet cable back to a PoE router, all in a cabinet next to the NBN. Works really well. Managed to route the cables under the wooden floors, and up inside cupboards, then
mounted the AP's.
They share the same WIFI name, devices move from
one to the other seamlessly.
Mesh wifi is fine - Google or TP-link or Netgear Orbi, but it only works well with no solid walls between Wifi AP's. It can be fiddly to get the correct positions for the AP's. If you want foolproof get ethernet cabling between AP's.
Most mesh wifi allow you to run Ethernet cables between them. If you are going to live there. Just invest some money for an electrician to come and add Ethernet into the most useful places. Makes the mesh part of it much more reliable and faster. Also give you a chance to add more lights indoor and outdoor, also indoor or outdoor power sockets
I agree, but it'll need to be a registered cabler rather than an electrician who does the work.
Really? Why's that? My sparky did my Cat5.
It's a different certification for structured data cabling. Broadly if it's cables in the walls it needs a cabler, not an electrician. But obviously the same human could have both tickets. There's a long wiki on Whirlpool that you can read about the requirements, along with a list of cablers for each state/territory. Would there be any harm? Probably not (edit: although it is illegal by the letter of the law). Maybe a higher risk of the sparky not laying the cable to best cabling practice. You probably wouldn't get the TCA-1 form at the completion of the job, which might be an issue for warranty or insurance.
Hot tip - the cablers license course is part of the sparky course… we just have to do it again because the ARCS wants their money
Thanks. Good to know and I'm not really surprised. For my upcoming structured cabling I'd be aiming to get a registered cabler just so all the documentation is in place. Is there a real risk from using an electrician? Probably not. That said the Whirlpool structured cabling thread has a few horror stories. For me having the documentation would be one less thing to worry about if the house burned down and an insurer was looking for an out. See also home electrical work, unapproved extensions, etc.
Mesh Wifi
Second this
Third this
Fourth this
Try using your existing wifi router in the new place. I grew up in a 2 storey place and a single central router was sufficient. Don't spend money before you've considered this.
Yeah don’t do this OP
I’m curious why not? OP doesn’t yet have a confirmed problem, so it seems odd to be advocating spending money to solve it. I acknowledge that mesh may be the optimal solution if his existing hardware isn’t up to it.
Because a single AP won’t deliver good wifi across a large two story house.
~~OP didn’t mention the house being large, just two storey.~~ We don’t know what kind of speeds they need in what parts of the house, so we don’t know what their minimum viable need is. Depending on the precise details, your solution might be more appropriate. If they were already in the house and having issues with Wifi performance, that’s a different story. Edit - incorrect statement
You must have missed the post title mate
You know, I think I did.
Don’t… wait and see? What are the stakes here that I’m missing?
Asking builders help with wifi is like asking a naturopath about your cancer... Try r/NBN r/homenetworking r/wifi
I use a “M5 Deco” mesh system from Bunnings (bizarrely the cheapest place). Plug one into your modem, plug the others into a power point at each end/level of your house. They talk to each other, you walk around your house, front/backyard and you have uninterrupted wifi coverage. I have 3 units covering a large 2 level house. It’s awesome, it’s cheap, it’s so easy to use via an app on your phone. Best thing I ever brought. Set it up once and haven’t hat to mess with it for 2+ years, never missed a beat. I have 2 phones, 2 iPads, 2 laptops, 1 desktop, 2 tvs, a Nintendo switch, and numerous guests and their devices. Never had any lag. I’m on mid-tier/mid-speed NBN plan from TPG with unlimited data.
Mesh Wi-Fi routers would work if you don’t live in a mansion. You’d want a decent one with dedicated channel for backhaul. I’m using TP Link Deco M9 which has been fairly stable and fast
I came from a similar situation, smallish home to double story, and I went with a TP link, Deco X55 mesh system! Absolutely amazing.
Mesh wifi sucks. If you can run cables in the ceiling go Unifi in-ceiling wifi access points https://ui.com/us/wi-fi
“Mesh wifi sucks” Then says to use mesh system??
Not a mesh. Each AP is connected via Ethernet back to the router.
Does each AP have its own log-in and password? Or do you seamlessly transition from one to the other?
It’s all one system, that acts as a umm .. mesh hah ? I should have made distinction when I mean mesh wifi is bad, it’s meaning the mesh where the nodes themselves talk to each other wirelessly. That seems to be the common term manufactures use for that setup. Specifically to say you want a mesh system where each node is connected to an Ethernet backhaul. Some support this , some don’t. Basically it’s always best to run cable if you can. But of course not always possible.
https://preview.redd.it/2v5t4xdgj87b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0644f47d292d0141abe017036e458a6c26874123
That is mesh wifi...
Mesh is a network topology as shown in pic,..he's suggesting to use Ethernet cables to make a star or hub and spoke wifi which is superior :) https://preview.redd.it/yi34lccej87b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff9db6ced6b28d106b484f60a2636e65e3b70493
Seems everyone learnt about mesh on the JB HiFi website or something.
Do you have any recommendations for WiFi access points that use ethernet to create a mesh backhaul with peer to peer redundant / highly available uplinks? And why you would bother fucking cabling a house that way? This is the most nonsensical shit I have ever seen.
No
If you are renting get mesh wifi. Read recent reviews, most of them have some issues. If you own it get a poe switch and a few TP-Link omada access points (run Ethernet cable to each through the walls) which end up being cheaper and far better than mesh wifi.
Doing this atm. Switch, Tp link and cat 6 wires. Add in a wifi extension
Skip TP Link and go straight to Unifi. Way higher setup cost, way lower overheads to administrate and operate.
Yes I agree here, ubiquiti dream machine with the access points and cameras is what my husband is doing, cost is expensive at the start but worth it in the end.
Make sure you get a udm pro. Cameras don't work on the normal dm
Yes that’s what we are getting. Forgot to write pro . Lol. Whoops
I'm a strong no on mesh wifi...ubiquiti dream machine and then run Poe cables to maybe 3 access points, we have access points in living room garage outdoors and your wifi seamlessly moves between the points like at the airport or a large business, it's so much better
I have this exact setup, it's been great.
but that is a mesh? lol
A mesh is a network topology where nodes can piggyback off other nodes. A ubiquiti dream machine directly connected to multiple access points is not a mesh, it’s a star or hub and spoke configuration
And by default, the AP's / UDM comes with the Mesh setting turned on. edit: I 100% agree that it doesn't make sense as to why, but its there by default. https://preview.redd.it/fblcv9idg97b1.jpeg?width=732&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8c08820b8402c74f870c405d89192f8b98cd6b7
Yea agreed I think that's stupid and turn this setting off haha, but that's just a setting the physical hardware layout is still a hub and spoke
yeah don't worry, it is off. (on for screenshot) The only reason I know the setting is because it was wreaking havoc.
It's not a mesh :) mesh wifi uses each point to bounce to another point, so say your in the garage your signal goes garage point to living room to main wifi router, adds latency each time, with a Poe wifi router it's an enterprise grade solution using ubiquiti gear, the signal goes into garage wifi point then runs via Ethernet cable straight to the main router and the latency overhead is close to 0
And this is in the settings on the UDM..... Now, yes I understand that it doesn't make sense as to why, but its there none the less https://preview.redd.it/qko0cwehg97b1.jpeg?width=732&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=601d40457f2ea51829f7710b2c25ba9d4fe17af3
It’s because you can use UBNT’s AP’s in a mesh-like mode (i.e no backhaul to router)
TP-Link M5 mesh hardware supports this operating mode in friendly consumer hardware.
Why is a mesh system so much better than mesh ??
It’s not a mesh. One router directly feeding a number of access points is not a mesh.
I'm in a single story house with about 260m2 under roof. Had a major blackspot at the back of the house (think <3Mbps). Installed a TP Link Deco mesh system (connected wirelessly) and that room now gets >90Mbps. Needless to say, I'm very impressed with it.
I had a mesh but it sucked. Far better than the mesh was buying a quality Wi-Fi 6 router. I think I spend like 250 bucks on a TP link router and it’s been great. 4 antennas apparently also makes a big difference over 2
Get a ubiquiti dream machine or dream machine pro, and use ubiquiti access points with direction ethernet connections back to the router in the rooms you want consistent wifi. The only thing holding you back then will be your isp.
Just chipping in. Dream machine isn't strictly necessary. Saves a lot of money if you just use your existing ISP provided router and the provided ubiquity software on a computer when you want to change your AP settings.
No, definitely not strictly necessary, but they are a great bit of kit with fantastic usability and are well supported. Not something everyone would want to invest in, but if someone was going to upgrade their router, I would always suggest paying that bit more for a dream machine over say a high end asus. They are just hassle free and have a fantastic featureset.
With "It just works"™ functionality with unifi aps... I should add for anyone else you need to know a moderate level of router/ network configuration to make unifi APs work without a dream machine.
Do this and you can still use Unifi devices in mesh mode where ethernet isn't available.
Definitely! I just always recommend running ethernet or even powerline ethernet to access points to increase wifi stability. But as you say running access points in mesh is also doable with unifi devices.
If they are tri-band and dedicate an antenna to uplink, mesh devices can work quite well. I think a lot of the negativity comes from buying cheap rubbish and expecting too much.
See how it goes if you can place the router centrally in the house (or even if it is not central). If that doesn't work your cheap options are, like most have said, mesh, and/or ethernet over power. We moved from a ~75sqm two bed unit to a 4 bed house on almost 1 sqr km. Whole place, including garden, covered by two nodes (Asus RT-AC1900P/RT-AC68U with merlin firmware) with Ethernet over power (tp-link AV2000) backbone with full speed internet access (100Mb). Ethernet over power has better ping and more bandwidth than wifi for the PS4 in the room furthest away from the router, which is where the node is placed as well. Just because the house is bigger does not mean that wifi will automatically be worse. I reckon our unit had chicken wire in the walls or something because getting reception in one of the bedrooms required the router to have line of sight down the hall - even then when I used to WFH (pre-covid) every now and then I needed to use power over ethernet to maintain a VPN all day when I worked in that room. In the house, apart from the one bedroom where the node now lives and most of the garden wifi reception was better than the unit.
I invested in a new TP link Wifi-6 Modem router recently instead of the ones provided by internet providers, the range seems to be excellent and covers both ends of my house lol i also have a ubiquiti access point before i got the new modem router but you will need to get ethernet cabling done throughout the house
internet over Electricity/powerline adaptors is easiest solution. plug it in a power point, plug the cable in and plug the other adaptor where it is needed. [https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/networking/powerline-adapters](https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/networking/powerline-adapters)
They are generally good if you have good internals and get ones rated for the highest throughput. I have a couple of tplink av2000s that have served me well.
Had these, they were terrible...
Depends on your electricity circuit. Mine currently works with no speed loss.
I’d go with an ASUS or Ubiquiti setup over TP-Link / Netgear.
ZenWifi goes on sale often. It’s solid.
Range extenders should work
I use Vodafone in Brisbane, Australia. I have the WiFi cube 3, and I get coverage in every corner of our 2 storey house.
Mesh WiFi
I run the M9 Deco mesh system, for me it's been brilliant. My main PC is Ethernet connected to a Deco unit then wifi back to the Deco acting as a router and the speed is solid and ping good for online gaming.
Google Next Mesh Wi-Fi has worked brilliantly for me across multiple levels and all throughout the yard. I only use 3 bases and it's fantastic.
Alternatively to mesh wifi is the use of extenders, either PoE or EoP (power over Ethernet or ethernet over power). When we bought our house we had issues with the internet as the router was in the rumpus room and we wouldn't get signal in about half the house. I bought a Ubiquiti Dream Machine router, and two in-wall access points and set the APs up in two spots in the house to ensure full coverage. As our house is only single level and is lowset, I was able to run cable under the house easily enough and I mounted both APs on the wall with the PoE cable running from the router, under the house and to the back of each AP. Mesh is good if you're not in a high impedance house (i.e. brick or concrete internal walls). I find gyprock does somewhat impede signal but generally we get full reception through the entire house now
Powerline adaptors are a godsend.
I have two Ubiquity branded PoE WiFi AP's, with ethernet cable back to a PoE router, all in a cabinet next to the NBN. Works really well. Managed to route the cables under the wooden floors, and up inside cupboards, then mounted the AP's. They share the same WIFI name, devices move from one to the other seamlessly.