Question Thoughts please on Wireless Mesh Routers

[SFA77]

I how a Netgear Orbi router I bought and setup in 2019 for our home. It has the base and 2 satellites and covers every area we have devices just fine. Since it is beginning to get a little old by wifi standards, I am researching what my next mesh router would be. The only mesh system that rivals the Orbi Mesh routers in my mind would be the Eero 6 Pro and the Eero Pro 6E.

My ISP is a fiber connection to AT&T with 1 gigabyte. I have one wired device which I am typing this message from. It runs at about 940 mb a seconds. My iphone and other wifi devices can run between 350 and 550 so plenty adequate.

I would rather not be spending more than $399 for a 3 satellite system. I see at Best Buy for $399 or slightly less, they offer a Netgear Velop system in 6E flavor. I thought I looked recently and they were more like $499 to $549. At that price, I would definitely need to try Eero, but if the situation is reversed and the 3 pack of Eero satellites is $399 and one model is $549, it seems a lot harder to justify the deviation from my past system.

Anyone have different thoughts on that subject?

Bruce

 

[bill001g]

My general opinion is to never use any kind of mesh system if you have any other options.

The best option to extend wifi coverage in your house is to use the same method that has been used for 20 years and is still used by major corporations. You want to use wires of some kind, ethernet is best, to extend the network to the remote room and then use a AP or a small router running as a AP to provide the wifi in the remote room.

If you do not have ethernet to the remote rooms you can consider using MoCA if you have coax cable in the remote rooms. You would then also look at powerline networks.

You also need to look at the costs to run ethernet cables to the remote rooms if you do not have them. Sometimes it will still be less than many of the mesh systems.

So...if you are out of any other option you start to look at so called mesh systems. This is stupid marketing word in most cases. Many of the cheaper systems are just the older repeater technology with a new name on the box.

I have no exact recommendation mostly because I dislike the whole concept of mesh/wifi repeaters.

The better mesh systems have a dedicated radio chip to talk between the main router and the remote. This means ever box in the system cost more because of this extra chip. This means most units have 3 radio chips. a 2.4 and 5 to talk to the end devices and a extra chip normally set to 5g to talk to the main router. This gets even worse if you look at wifi6e. Now you need 4 radio chips.
2.4,5 &6 and a extra backhaul radio to talk between the units. Be very careful on wifi6e many of the so called mesh units just slapped in a extra 6g radio but the backhaul radio chip can only use the 5g band which generally will not run as fast.

This likely is part of the reason wifi6e mesh systems cost a lot more. I again have not looked at these units but I would suspect some manufacture has units that have a 2.4 & 5 radio plus 2 6g capable radio chips in each unit.


Again do not use mesh unless you have explored every other option including paying to run ethernet.