Question Recommended mesh that will allow me to specify PoA Node for devices ?

[lyphe]

Hi,

I'm trying to find a strong wifi mesh that offers enough control for me to specify which access point specific devices connect to. I also need it to be strong enough to work in a condo with thick walls.

Some back story on why I'm seeking this.

Currently I have an Eero 6 Pro mesh that is comprised of (3x) Eero 6 Pro units + (2x) Extenders. All of my devices work well with it except my Google Nest wifi cameras. For whatever reason, the cameras ignore the extender or pro mesh access point that is sitting 3 feet from them, and they instead connect to an ap further away that gives them connectivity issues. I can trick the cameras into connecting to the closer ap for a short while, but the cameras alwasy revert back to a further access point before long. It's infuriating since the cameras are perfect when connected to the close ap, but terrible when they revert to the further one. I've tried everything I can think of, and nothing seems to work. So the only thing I can think of is to perhaps replace the wifi system with something more controllable.

Ty in advance if anyone has a recommendation.

Cheers! Phil

 

[bill001g]

Your problem is you have too much wifi signal. Try turning some of the devices off. Best would be if you can connect directly to the router.
I do not know what features these stupid mesh systems have. They are designed for people who are stupid and technical stuff hurts their brains.

So option 1 would be to use different SSID so you can control exactly where everything connects. Some mesh systems do not allow this.

Next try to rethink your placement of the devices. You want as little overlap of the signal as possible. You need to place any repeaters/extenders in a location where they get good signal from the main route and can still send signal to the remote room.
If there were not walls involved you would think 1/2 way. They do not go in the remote room unlike the market from the device vendor implies. They will get the same poor signal from the main router and repeat it. The signal might be stronger but the data quality is still poor.

It is very tricky to get these setup properly. Good devices let you turn the power down so you can reduce overlap when needed. Again a lot of mesh systems do not have that feature because they are targeting consumers who can barely take the units out the box and plug them into the power socket.

 

[lyphe]

I had been thinking that overkill might be a possible issue, but as you noted, getting proper coverage is tricky. I'll play with this today before trying to swap out the system .... although I still have a feeling I'll ultimately need a different mesh for me particular needs.

Ty

 

[bill001g]

Try to avoid using any form of mesh/repeater system if you can. The best way is to use ethernet cables to the remote rooms and then connect AP to provide wifi. You can use MoCA if you have coax cables in the rooms.

Just using any mesh system means you now have at least 2 wifi signals between your end device and the router. This doubles the chance of issues and generally cuts the performance in by 1/2

 

[lyphe]

Thanks again Bill.

I spent a few hours today testing various options. Turns out, the node my cameras were ignoring was giving me a false read on signal strength, which explains why my cameras were leaving it to chase what they perceived as a better signal. In short, and I'll provide my two observations here in case it helps anyone else, I discovered that Eero seems to have a lot of trouble with any type of thick glass - and you can't trust the signal strength indicator in the Eero app ... you need your own 3rd party speed test to find the best spots for an extender.

To your comment Bill, I'd love to go all hardwired, but unfortunatley whoever we bought this condo from damaged the limited amount of hardwiring that existed, so I'm stuck with wifi. That said, after a ridiculous amount of time troubleshooting various possible reasons for my problem, I seem to be good now.

Cheers!

 

[kanewolf]

I discovered that Eero seems to have a lot of trouble with any type of thick glass

If it is energy efficient glass, it has metal coatings on the glass. That is what attenuates the WIFI signal. Just like having a layer of foil over the glass.