[SOLVED] Looking for a "unicorn" WiFi router

[pmjm]

Hello fine folks of Toms Hardware,

I've been out of the router game for a while and am totally unfamiliar with the current offerings, so I'm hoping there's a single product that might solve all my products in one nice little neat package. It's a bit of a "unicorn" in that I need it to really do everything, so if there's no single solution I'm okay with needing to cobble together a few pieces.

I'm in need of a new WiFi router for a home, and I'd like to go with WiFi 6 as that is the future and I actually have systems that can take advantage of it.

I also need to cover a very wide area that most WiFi hotspots have a hard time covering. I generally put the router in the center of the home but the farthest rooms in both directions have spotty or no coverage. If there's a way to fix that via mesh or repeaters within the router's ecosystem, I'm open to it. Although I'm hoping that newer products might have stronger radios that may negate the need for repeaters as it's really only a very small area on either end that needs coverage.

I also need 10 gigabit wired (at least 2 ports but the more the merrier, preferably ethernet, but if I have to spend the extra on sfp+ transceivers I will begrudgingly do it) to edit 8K video over a NAS.

These are all lofty requirements, I know. Does a single product exist that can do it all?

 

[kanewolf]

Hello fine folks of Toms Hardware,

I've been out of the router game for a while and am totally unfamiliar with the current offerings, so I'm hoping there's a single product that might solve all my products in one nice little neat package. It's a bit of a "unicorn" in that I need it to really do everything, so if there's no single solution I'm okay with needing to cobble together a few pieces.

I'm in need of a new WiFi router for a home, and I'd like to go with WiFi 6 as that is the future and I actually have systems that can take advantage of it.

I also need to cover a very wide area that most WiFi hotspots have a hard time covering. I generally put the router in the center of the home but the farthest rooms in both directions have spotty or no coverage. If there's a way to fix that via mesh or repeaters within the router's ecosystem, I'm open to it. Although I'm hoping that newer products might have stronger radios that may negate the need for repeaters as it's really only a very small area on either end that needs coverage.

I also need 10 gigabit wired (at least 2 ports but the more the merrier, preferably ethernet, but if I have to spend the extra on sfp+ transceivers I will begrudgingly do it) to edit 8K video over a NAS.

These are all lofty requirements, I know. Does a single product exist that can do it all?

IMO, don't try to buy a single device that is a compromise on all the things you want. Buy purpose built devices and link them. The unicorn will be prohibitively expensive since they will sell very few of them.

 

[pmjm]

IMO, don't try to buy a single device that is a compromise on all the things you want. Buy purpose built devices and link them. The unicorn will be prohibitively expensive since they will sell very few of them.

Totally open to this, but the last time around was an exercise in frustration due to things just not working together they way they should. Everything is operating on established standards, yet there were so many little-bitty incompatibilities that wrecked several use cases. That's why I was hoping either for a single product or product family.

 

[kanewolf]

Totally open to this, but the last time around was an exercise in frustration due to things just not working together they way they should. Everything is operating on established standards, yet there were so many little-bitty incompatibilities that wrecked several use cases. That's why I was hoping either for a single product or product family.

Really, the 10GE should be a separate switch.
If you have ethernet infrastructure, then multiple WIFI sources (APs) is what will provide better WIFI.
Without ethernet infrastucture, then MoCA is next best.
Paying a professional to install ethernet cabling should always be considered also.

 

[pmjm]

Really, the 10GE should be a separate switch.

Noted. Thanks for that, will start looking for an independent switch.

If you have ethernet infrastructure, then multiple WIFI sources (APs) is what will provide better WIFI.
Without ethernet infrastucture, then MoCA is next best.
Paying a professional to install ethernet cabling should always be considered also.

Any suggestions on entirely wireless products? There is no wired connectivity at all other than power, only a single coax line coming in for the cable modem now. I don't own the home so getting anything installed is not on the table. At the moment I have my wired connections running across the floor covered with gaffer tape, haha.

 

[kanewolf]

Noted. Thanks for that, will start looking for an independent switch.



Any suggestions on entirely wireless products? There is no wired connectivity at all other than power, only a single coax line coming in for the cable modem now. I don't own the home so getting anything installed is not on the table. At the moment I have my wired connections running across the floor covered with gaffer tape, haha.

I would fall back to AV2000 powerline network adapters if you don't have ethernet or coax.

 

[pmjm]

I would fall back to AV2000 powerline network adapters if you don't have ethernet or coax.

Thanks again for your replies. I picked up a set of TP-Link AV2000 powerline adapters and it turns out they work for one side of the house, but not the side beyond the fuse box.

 

[kanewolf]

Thanks again for your replies. I picked up a set of TP-Link AV2000 powerline adapters and it turns out they work for one side of the house, but not the side beyond the fuse box.

They are dependent on how the home is wired. Obviously, I have no insight into that.
You might start from the "bad" area and move the other unit around to different outlets to see if there is any outlet where it works well.
It is possible that you just don't have a good option for that area.

 

[gggplaya]

Thanks again for your replies. I picked up a set of TP-Link AV2000 powerline adapters and it turns out they work for one side of the house, but not the side beyond the fuse box.

If you know which circuit breaker the other outlet is on, you can move the circuit breaker to be on the same side of the circuit breaker box. See the image below, one of your outlets is on the red pole, the other is on the black pole. You just need to move that breaker over to be on the same pole.

 

[pmjm]

They are dependent on how the home is wired. Obviously, I have no insight into that.

Oh I'm certainly not blaming you for that at all. Your advice has been incredibly valuable in this thread and you have my gratitude. Cheers.

 

[pmjm]

If you know which circuit breaker the other outlet is on, you can move the circuit breaker to be on the same side of the circuit breaker box. See the image below, one of your outlets is on the red pole, the other is on the black pole. You just need to move that breaker over to be on the same pole.

By any chance do you have a link to a larger version of this image? I think the forum reduced this one to like 10 pixels, haha. Thanks for the reply though.

 

[bill001g]

Pretty much you will see 2 row of breakers. All the ones on the left are connected to the same bus and the ones on the right are connected to the other.

So you would just swap them left to right. This sounds easy but many electricians when they install these cut the wires to the exact length. It makes the panel very neat but it makes it hard to move things around.

It is strange you have so much issues. The neutrals (white wires) are all connected together. The grounds (bare copper) are also all connected. The newest powerline units use all three connections so you would think they could get signal over the other 2.

There were a bunch of complaints about some brands of the fancy new arc fault breakers that are required in new homes. These both the hot and the neutral connect to the breaker. Seems there were some of these breakers blocking the powerline but I know powerline works fine on other brands of these breakers.

Now if you have things like a remote power breaker panel it makes stuff harder but in general it still should work again because the neutrals and grounds should all be connected.

 

[gggplaya]

By any chance do you have a link to a larger version of this image? I think the forum reduced this one to like 10 pixels, haha. Thanks for the reply though.

Maybe this one will be bigger: http://waterheatertimer.org/images/Inside-Main-Breaker-Box-420.jpg

or: https://www.electricaltechnology.or...side-Main-Breaker-Box-Panel-120V-240V-NEC.png