Question Choosing the best Mesh System (Wifi 6, 6E, 7) at the end of 2024?

Sep 29, 2024
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I tell yuh, nothing has been more stressful lately than trying to pick a reliable mesh system to replace my 2nd Generation Eeros.

I have a large, multi-level home. Let's say just under 3,000 square feet but not sure of that number.

I have, for years, had a 2nd generation Eero mesh unit. 5 units total strewn across my home.

2 of the 5 units are connected by ethernet, at opposite ends of the home, from the same router. I am guessing that is what is called ethernet backhaul.

With all those Eeros across my home, with a 1GB Incoming connection, I get 400mbps wireless download close to the wired Eero and 190mbps download close to the unwired Eeros.

Those are not great speeds

So, I want to upgrade to get better wireless speed results on my iPhone (WiFi 7) and Macbooks (Wifi 6)

I was going to go with the TP-LINK BE95 of BE85 (WiFi 7) 3-pack. However, having 5 Eero units scattered across my house, I don't know how well just 3, supposedly more powerful, TP-LINK units are going to boost my speed.

Then I thought since they are on sale and very cheap right now, I could buy 2x3packs of Eero 6E pro and scatter those across my home, 6 nodes total, closer together, and hope for improved speeds.

Any suggestions?

Can I get at least 600mbps+ wireless speeds anywhere in my home merely moving up from a 2nd generation Eero mesh (5Ghz) to a more modern 6E or 7 mesh?

Can 3 of the Eeero 6E or 3 of the TP-LINK units (with Ethernet backhaul) do the job of the 5 I currently have?


Finally? Which mesh unit? The professionals love ASUS. However, read reviews and so many people have problems with installation or dropouts. The YouTubers love TP-LINK DECO but most professionals refer to them as crap routers.
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
I tell yuh, nothing has been more stressful lately than trying to pick a reliable mesh system to replace my 2nd Generation Eeros.

I have a large, multi-level home. Let's say just under 3,000 square feet but not sure of that number.

I have, for years, had a 2nd generation Eero mesh unit. 5 units total strewn across my home.

2 of the 5 units are connected by ethernet, at opposite ends of the home, from the same router. I am guessing that is what is called ethernet backhaul.

With all those Eeros across my home, with a 1GB Incoming connection, I get 400mbps wireless download close to the wired Eero and 190mbps download close to the unwired Eeros.

Those are not great speeds

So, I want to upgrade to get better wireless speed results on my iPhone (WiFi 7) and Macbooks (Wifi 6)

I was going to go with the TP-LINK BE95 of BE85 (WiFi 7) 3-pack. However, having 5 Eero units scattered across my house, I don't know how well just 3, supposedly more powerful, TP-LINK units are going to boost my speed.

Then I thought since they are on sale and very cheap right now, I could buy 2x3packs of Eero 6E pro and scatter those across my home, 6 nodes total, closer together, and hope for improved speeds.

Any suggestions?

Can I get at least 600mbps+ wireless speeds anywhere in my home merely moving up from a 2nd generation Eero mesh (5Ghz) to a more modern 6E or 7 mesh?

Can 3 of the Eeero 6E or 3 of the TP-LINK units (with Ethernet backhaul) do the job of the 5 I currently have?


Finally? Which mesh unit? The professionals love ASUS. However, read reviews and so many people have problems with installation or dropouts. The YouTubers love TP-LINK DECO but most professionals refer to them as crap routers.
"More powerful" radios is not a thing. Why? Because the govt regulates that. The WIFI you have is limited just as new units are. Newer hardware does support newer protocols AX vs AC for example. They might also support 6Ghz. 6Ghz is good in the same room as the unit, but penetrates walls worse than other WIFI.
The next question you have to ask is will you REALLY benefit from having more bandwidth on your phone? Probably not. MacBooks? Maybe.
Speedtest values, like other benchmarks need to be tempered with "Is 2 seconds difference really important?"