Planning to extend a home network with mesh wifi

[HeLiOn]

I'm looking into extending a wifi network at my parents' home to include a gazebo in the back yard, and I have some questions.

1. Current setup
Right now, the wifi is handled by the modem provided by the ISP. It has the optic fiber input, and (I think) 4 UTP outputs along with the wifi capability.
The bandwidth provided by the ISP is 500 Mbps, but it will most likely be extended to 1 Gbps in the future, as the ISP infrastructure is expanding fairly quick.
The modem provided by the ISP does the job for the house, but not much else. Also, its control panel is slow, and had to work with (as with most ISP provided modems and routers)

2. Plan
The ISP does provide the option to set their modem to bridge mode and allow the home networking to be handled by a 3rd party router. I did just that in my home, and I'm thinking of doing the same there.
Alongside the 3rd party router, I'm also thinking of using mesh extenders to cover the back yard. The problem is the positioning of the ISP's router. 

I've added a layout sketch right below. 
Position 1 is where the ISP modem is placed (we can't move it).
Position 2 is a possible position for an extender.
Position 3 is the gazebo in which we'd like to expand the wifi.

We want to have a strong signal there, as it may be used for both HD video streaming but also work. 
The easiest solution would be placing the router right beside the modem, and then place an extender in positions 2 and 3.
But I don't have experience with the mesh technology. Would this be viable? Or is it better to place the 3rd party router at position 2? (that implies drawing a cable to position 2).

I'm also looking into what gear should I turn my eye to. Here in Romania, TP-Link equipment is very mainstream, but I'm open to other brands.
TP-Link has 2 technologies. OneMesh and EasyMesh.
From what I understand, EasyMesh is like a broad certification, which kinda means more compatibility. But I don't understand the degree of compatibility between these two.
Any help would be appreciated.

Spoiler

 

[Dr. Will0hlep]

1 hour ago, HeLiOn said:

I'm looking into extending a wifi network at my parents' home to include a gazebo in the back yard, and I have some questions.

So I have a similar kind of setup myself, as I work and game in a shed in the garden.

 

From my experiance, mesh networks don't pass through external walls well. Our solution has been to use power line adapters and Tp-Link Decos inside the house. However, this didn't work for the shed. So we ended up running an ethernet cable to the Deco in the shed.

[HeLiOn]

4 minutes ago, will0hlep said:

So I have a similar kind of setup myself, as I work and game in a shed in the garden.

 

From my experiance, mesh networks don't pass through external walls well. Our solution has been to use power line adapters and Tp-Link Decos inside the house. However, this didn't work for the shed. So we ended up running an ethernet cable to the Deco in the shed.

I should also mention that the room where position 2 is has a pretty big window directly towards the shed. Would that make a difference?

[Dr. Will0hlep]

Just now, HeLiOn said:

I should also mention that the room where position 2 is has a pretty big window directly towards the shed. Would that make a difference?

I have a conservatory pointed straight at my shed.

[HeLiOn]

1 minute ago, will0hlep said:

I have a conservatory pointed straight at my shed.

I see.
I was hoping to have one wifi network and password throughout the area.
Would that be possible by extending it with a cable, or will I be forced to set up a completely different network for the shed?

[Dr. Will0hlep]

11 minutes ago, HeLiOn said:

I was hoping to have one wifi network and password throughout the area.
Would that be possible by extending it with a cable, or will I be forced to set up a completely different network for the shed?

Oh yeah certainly. The Deco X10's in my network all act as wireless access points (WAP) for a single network (One SSID, One Password, no manual reconnecting as you move about, ect.).

 

The purpose of the ethernet cables and power line adapters in my setup is backhaul. This means that instead of the Deco's needing to talk to each other over Wi-Fi, they communicate over Ethernet.

 

This eliminates issues like weak connections between WAPs in your mesh network (caused by external walls or interferance), and also reduces Wi-Fi traffic.

[HeLiOn]

8 minutes ago, will0hlep said:

Oh yeah certainly. The Deco's in my network all act as wireless access points (WAP) for a single network (One SSID, One Password, no manual reconnecting as you move about, ect.).

 

The purpose of the ethernet cables and power line adapters in my setup is backhaul. This means that instead of the Deco's needing to talk to each other over Wi-Fi, they communicate over Ethernet.

That should settle it, I think. One deco unit in each position will do.
Do I need an extra router to connect these, or they act as routers too?
Also, how long have you been using them?

[Dr. Will0hlep]

Just now, HeLiOn said:

That should settle it, I think. One deco unit in each position will do.
Do I need an extra router to connect these, or they act as routers too?

Networks build with Deco X10's can be setup in either router mode or WAP mode (I can't speak for other Deco or Mesh Network products, always check the specs).

 

In router mode, you select a Deco to be designated the "Main Deco" and then it acts as the router for your network, while the others all act as WAPs for the same network. Of course the Main Deco needs to be the one placed at the head of your network.

 

In WAP mode, all the Decos act as WAPs for the router's network. In this mode they have a reduced feature set (Lost features are the ones typically provided by routers like DHCP, Parental Controls, Device Isolation).

 

However, using the Deco's in router mode requires that your ISP allows you to use a third party router. By the sounds of it, your ISP allows this.

[HeLiOn]

3 minutes ago, will0hlep said:

Networks build with Deco X10's can be setup in either router mode or WAP mode (I can't speak for other Deco or Mesh Network products, always check the specs).

 

In router mode, you select a Deco to be designated the "Main Deco" and then it acts as the router for your network, while the others all act as WAPs for the same network. Of course the Main Deco needs to be the one placed at the head of your network.

 

In WAP mode, all the Decos act as WAPs for the router's network. In this mode they have a reduced feature set (Lost features are the ones typically provided by routers like DHCP, Parental Controls, Device Isolation).

 

However, using the Deco's in router mode requires that your ISP allows you to use a third party router. By the sounds of it, your ISP allows this.

Thanks. It will be a pain to set up the wiring, but it will be worth it in the long run. I think I'm settling for this pack.
One last question. Can connect them in chain and have the main deco near the ISP modem?
Or do I need to have the main deco in position 2, and then have a second wire back to position 1?

[Poinkachu]

12 minutes ago, HeLiOn said:

It will be a pain to set up the wiring, but it will be worth it in the long run.

If internet connection reliability is your thing, yep.

 

My mesh had bad signal between 1st and 2nd floor.

So like @will0hlep, I ended up using ethernet backhaul between the 1st router (2nd floor) and 2nd router (1st floor).

The 3rd & 4th on 1st floor uses wifi pointing towards the 2nd router.

 

Powerline wasn't an option for me since the wiring in my house is old and kinda janky, so I didn't even bother to try and straight up assume it either won't work or work but shit.

[Dr. Will0hlep]

37 minutes ago, HeLiOn said:

Can connect them in chain and have the main deco near the ISP modem?

Yeah, should be fine.

[HeLiOn]

1 hour ago, Poinkachu said:

If internet connection reliability is your thing, yep.

 

My mesh had bad signal between 1st and 2nd floor.

So like @will0hlep, I ended up using ethernet backhaul between the 1st router (2nd floor) and 2nd router (1st floor).

The 3rd & 4th on 1st floor uses wifi pointing towards the 2nd router.

 

Powerline wasn't an option for me since the wiring in my house is old and kinda janky, so I didn't even bother to try and straight up assume it either won't work or work but shit.

This house around 110 years old, but we rebuilt the wiring after we bought it, so that won't be a problem.
We'll just have to work a bit more to pass some extra network wires through the attic.
The gazebo we built already has running electricity and water.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I really appreciate it.