Wireless Mesh Upgrade Advice

[sphbecker]

I recently moved into a large two story house and a single router based access point just doesn't cut it. Given the high price of 802.11ax tri-band mesh systems with dedicated backhaul channels I am considering running cables instead. I am about to get some additional lighting installed, so the normally high cost of opening up drywall needed for 1st level cables runs is something I am doing anyway.

 

I like the idea of ceiling mounting PoE access points, but I struggle to find anything on the market that is both consumer priced and supports WiFi 6. Is there a hidden gem of a product out there I am missing that would fill this role? If ceiling mounting isn't reasonable, then what is a good end-table top product I should consider that looks halfway decent? I imagine any duel-band mesh system would work using Ethernet for backhaul (prefer PoE powered for wiring simplicity).

 

PS: I am a network professional, so not really looking for how-to advice, really just asking for product suggestions.

Thanks in advance for the suggestion.

[jaslion]

Since wifi 6 is still somewhat new and not widely adapted yet I can't really find the gem of a product you are looking for. Your best bet would be to maybe do the usual turn a unused router into an access point thing but this time it's the cheapest possible wifi 6 one specifically bought for the purpose. Do you really need wifi 6 tho? I mean you could always just run some regular old access points and upgrade later if you ever feel the need.

[sphbecker]

Just now, jaslion said:

Since wifi 6 is still somewhat new and not widely adapted yet I can't really find the gem of a product you are looking for. Your best bet would be to maybe do the usual turn a unused router into an access point thing but this time it's the cheapest possible wifi 6 one specifically bought for the purpose. Do you really need wifi 6 tho? I mean you could always just run some regular old access points and upgrade later if you ever feel the need.

I don't "need" WiFi 6. I don't do heavy LAN traffic and my WAN access it only 600mbps (best value in my area, anything faster costs a lot more). My ISP does offer 2000mbps for $300 a month, which I don't see myself ever being willing to pay for...but if that price started coming down closer to $100 it would be a consideration.

 

Its just more the idea that I don't want to spend a lot doing a "big upgrade" to last gen hardware. Plus, I don't really consider WiFi 6 to be all that new anymore. I feel like we should have a full product stack by this point.

[jaslion]

1 minute ago, sphbecker said:

I don't "need" WiFi 6. I don't do heavy LAN traffic and my WAN access it only 600mbps (best value in my area, anything faster costs a lot more). My ISP does offer 2000mbps for $300 a month, which I don't see myself ever being willing to pay for...but if that price started coming down closer to $100 it would be a consideration.

 

Its just more the idea that I don't want to spend a lot doing a "big upgrade" to last gen hardware. Plus, I don't really consider WiFi 6 to be all that new anymore. I feel like we should have a full product stack by this point.

You could probably get some used stuff for cheap and call it a day with that for now. Then once wifi 6 becomes more common get some new ones to replace that. It's basically the same story as with 5ghz that it took about 10 years to start coming to mainstream devices instead of the higher end to premium end stuff and more heavy duty stuff.

[sphbecker]

1 hour ago, jaslion said:

You could probably get some used stuff for cheap and call it a day with that for now. Then once wifi 6 becomes more common get some new ones to replace that. It's basically the same story as with 5ghz that it took about 10 years to start coming to mainstream devices instead of the higher end to premium end stuff and more heavy duty stuff.

yeah, that is probably smart...just doesn't appear to the nerdy side of me, lol.
Still, good 802.11ac products do work really well.

[jaslion]

1 minute ago, sphbecker said:

yeah, that is probably smart...just doesn't appear to the nerdy side of me, lol.
Still, good 802.11ac products do work really well.

If you wanna nerdy it up go for some good ol linksys access points and dd-wrt em :p. No reason to do it but it does add that extra nerdy flair. Also with a bit of luck in the future when the prices of that 2Gbps connection comes down your isp will actually also give you a router that has higher than 1Gbps ports on it :p. I've heard and seen plenty of stories of people going beyond gigabit but their isp not having any available router on their end to use it.

[sphbecker]

11 minutes ago, jaslion said:

If you wanna nerdy it up go for some good ol linksys access points and dd-wrt em :p. No reason to do it but it does add that extra nerdy flair. Also with a bit of luck in the future when the prices of that 2Gbps connection comes down your isp will actually also give you a router that has higher than 1Gbps ports on it :p. I've heard and seen plenty of stories of people going beyond gigabit but their isp not having any available router on their end to use it.

That is what I was also considering, just using SOHO routers as access points. They look a little ugly, but they work.