What Is Mesh Wifi?

[AlanAlan]

Can someone explain what mesh wifi is and is it worth it? Is it better for wifi coverage than a router?

[adithyay328]

15 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

Can someone explain what mesh wifi is and is it worth it? Is it better for wifi coverage than a router?

Mesh wifi, if I understand the context correctly, is a technique used by wifi APs to link their coverage together to allow a device, for example, a phone, to switch between the APs swiftly as the user moves across access point wireless ranges. It's really useful if you move around the house a lot, or if you have a large house. However, the additional cost of the multiple APs needed to use this setup is a downside, so if you have a big house, go ahead. If you have a smaller, a single, powerful one with maybe one offshoot access point will be good.

[Donut417]

7 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

Can someone explain what mesh wifi is and is it worth it? Is it better for wifi coverage than a router?

Mesh products are suppose to be a way to cover your home with WiFi. However, many of the products act like range extenders. For instance, Googles Mesh system as a main router and the satellite units connect to the main router wireless. The only difference is, they have a dedicated 5 Ghz radio to communicate wtih the main router, where many range extenders only have 1 radio. 

 

The other options to this is setting up APs wired directly to your router. This is the better route as each AP has a wired connection and its generally faster and more reliable. Roaming between AP's can be a challenge as 3 standards exist. So you need to make sure all of them follow the same standard. But as long as its done correctly, you should have minimal issues going between AP's as you move around. 

[AlanAlan]

31 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Mesh products are suppose to be a way to cover your home with WiFi. However, many of the products act like range extenders. For instance, Googles Mesh system as a main router and the satellite units connect to the main router wireless. The only difference is, they have a dedicated 5 Ghz radio to communicate wtih the main router, where many range extenders only have 1 radio. 

 

The other options to this is setting up APs wired directly to your router. This is the better route as each AP has a wired connection and its generally faster and more reliable. Roaming between AP's can be a challenge as 3 standards exist. So you need to make sure all of them follow the same standard. But as long as its done correctly, you should have minimal issues going between AP's as you move around. 

 

7 hours ago, adithyay328 said:

Mesh wifi, if I understand the context correctly, is a technique used by wifi APs to link their coverage together to allow a device, for example, a phone, to switch between the APs swiftly as the user moves across access point wireless ranges. It's really useful if you move around the house a lot, or if you have a large house. However, the additional cost of the multiple APs needed to use this setup is a downside, so if you have a big house, go ahead. If you have a smaller, a single, powerful one with maybe one offshoot access point will be good.

Do you guys know any good routers for homes with 2000 SQFT?

[luigi90210]

4 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

 

Do you guys know any good routers for homes with 2000 SQFT?

a PF sense box combined with a Unifi access point that's centralized to your home but even then that might not be a perfect solution cause your home could be 3 stories and made of bricks(both terrible for wifi coverage)

also those mesh wifi systems it could cause issues with older and dumber devices, i have a netgear usb wifi adapter(not old, just dumb) and a printer that will error out if i have 2 access points with the same ssid and password, I havent found a real way to fix this outside of having 2 separate networks, even though both those devices only see one network because both access points are within range of each other, both those devices will attempt to connect to both access points at the same time and i end up getting a bunch of IP conflict errors and 2 devices that dont end up working(or in the case of the netgear USB wifi adapter, a computer that drops connection every 15 mins)
also wifi roaming is 100% dependent on the client, not the host so you can have everything set up correctly but if your phone(for example) doesnt want to roam over to the access point with stronger signal, your phone wont roam over and it will stay connected to the weaker access point until it completely disconnects and then reconnects to the stronger network and some devices dont support roaming at all(like my Netgear USB wifi adapter)

 

[AlanAlan]

23 hours ago, luigi90210 said:

a PF sense box combined with a Unifi access point that's centralized to your home but even then that might not be a perfect solution cause your home could be 3 stories and made of bricks(both terrible for wifi coverage)

also those mesh wifi systems it could cause issues with older and dumber devices, i have a netgear usb wifi adapter(not old, just dumb) and a printer that will error out if i have 2 access points with the same ssid and password, I havent found a real way to fix this outside of having 2 separate networks, even though both those devices only see one network because both access points are within range of each other, both those devices will attempt to connect to both access points at the same time and i end up getting a bunch of IP conflict errors and 2 devices that dont end up working(or in the case of the netgear USB wifi adapter, a computer that drops connection every 15 mins)
also wifi roaming is 100% dependent on the client, not the host so you can have everything set up correctly but if your phone(for example) doesnt want to roam over to the access point with stronger signal, your phone wont roam over and it will stay connected to the weaker access point until it completely disconnects and then reconnects to the stronger network and some devices dont support roaming at all(like my Netgear USB wifi adapter)

 

 

On October 14, 2017 at 6:07 AM, Donut417 said:

Mesh products are suppose to be a way to cover your home with WiFi. However, many of the products act like range extenders. For instance, Googles Mesh system as a main router and the satellite units connect to the main router wireless. The only difference is, they have a dedicated 5 Ghz radio to communicate wtih the main router, where many range extenders only have 1 radio. 

 

The other options to this is setting up APs wired directly to your router. This is the better route as each AP has a wired connection and its generally faster and more reliable. Roaming between AP's can be a challenge as 3 standards exist. So you need to make sure all of them follow the same standard. But as long as its done correctly, you should have minimal issues going between AP's as you move around. 

 

On October 13, 2017 at 11:08 PM, adithyay328 said:

Mesh wifi, if I understand the context correctly, is a technique used by wifi APs to link their coverage together to allow a device, for example, a phone, to switch between the APs swiftly as the user moves across access point wireless ranges. It's really useful if you move around the house a lot, or if you have a large house. However, the additional cost of the multiple APs needed to use this setup is a downside, so if you have a big house, go ahead. If you have a smaller, a single, powerful one with maybe one offshoot access point will be good.

What is a good mesh system?

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, AlanAlan said:

 

 

What is a good mesh system?

I dont think any are really good. Wiring up AP's to the router is the best solution. The only Mesh system I really have look in to is Google's. But most of the Google stuff is built for brainless people to use. As you really dont have any advanced features or configurations you can do. I think Netgear also had a system, but I dont know much about it. 

[79wjd]

2 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

I dont think any are really good. Wiring up AP's to the router is the best solution. The only Mesh system I really have look in to is Google's. But most of the Google stuff is built for brainless people to use. As you really dont have any advanced features or configurations you can do. I think Netgear also had a system, but I dont know much about it. 

Sadly there is really no good solution until you're readying to spend enterprise money. 

 

I looked into a few of the mesh solutions, and they're all pretty mediocre. I'm currently using two routers in my house with one in AP mode and the other being the main wireless router, and transitioning between the two is pretty shitty (to the point where I gave them different SSIDs). The best solution really is just one centralized powerful enough router -- which should be more than reasonable in a 2000sqft home (99% of the time).

[Donut417]

7 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Sadly there is really no good solution until you're readying to spend enterprise money. 

 

I looked into a few of the mesh solutions, and they're all pretty mediocre. I'm currently using two routers in my house with one in AP mode and the other being the main wireless router, and transitioning between the two is pretty shitty (to the point where I gave them different SSIDs). The best solution really is just one centralized powerful enough router -- which should be more than reasonable in a 2000sqft home (99% of the time).

Ubiquiti AP's are pretty reasonable in price and with with Unified Controller or the software running on a machine on the network, the roaming is suppose to be pretty good. But most people dont want to or are unable to run Ethernet to each AP. Also, you cant have the APs to close together or else roaming doesn't work properly. But on the other hand, other than Laptops or phones what else needs roaming? I tend to not move around with my laptop, or if I do, its off, I kinda like to keep the hard disk functioning and not have to replace it. I dont really use WiFi on my phone as T Mobile doesnt charge overages, where as my home internet provider does. 

 

But I do agree a good one router solution could solve @AlanAlan issue. As long as the router in question was in a high place and located in a centralized location. 

[SymbioTech]

On 10/13/2017 at 11:50 PM, AlanAlan said:

Can someone explain what mesh wifi is and is it worth it? Is it better for wifi coverage than a router?

You know what I absolutely love my Google WIFI home mesh system. It is probably some of the best money I have ever spent. I now have flawless fast wifi over 3 levels of my house. There are a lot of different devices of different ages in this house. I have zero problems. Have gone the complicated route in the past. Spent good money and was never happy and had to fix things constantly. Google wifi has been a dream. 

[AlanAlan]

4 hours ago, SymbioTech said:

You know what I absolutely love my Google WIFI home mesh system. It is probably some of the best money I have ever spent. I now have flawless fast wifi over 3 levels of my house. There are a lot of different devices of different ages in this house. I have zero problems. Have gone the complicated route in the past. Spent good money and was never happy and had to fix things constantly. Google wifi has been a dream. 

 

4 hours ago, Donut417 said:

Ubiquiti AP's are pretty reasonable in price and with with Unified Controller or the software running on a machine on the network, the roaming is suppose to be pretty good. But most people dont want to or are unable to run Ethernet to each AP. Also, you cant have the APs to close together or else roaming doesn't work properly. But on the other hand, other than Laptops or phones what else needs roaming? I tend to not move around with my laptop, or if I do, its off, I kinda like to keep the hard disk functioning and not have to replace it. I dont really use WiFi on my phone as T Mobile doesnt charge overages, where as my home internet provider does. 

 

But I do agree a good one router solution could solve @AlanAlan issue. As long as the router in question was in a high place and located in a centralized location. 

 

4 hours ago, djdwosk97 said:

Sadly there is really no good solution until you're readying to spend enterprise money. 

 

I looked into a few of the mesh solutions, and they're all pretty mediocre. I'm currently using two routers in my house with one in AP mode and the other being the main wireless router, and transitioning between the two is pretty shitty (to the point where I gave them different SSIDs). The best solution really is just one centralized powerful enough router -- which should be more than reasonable in a 2000sqft home (99% of the time).

I think I am going to get a better router instead of a mesh system. Any recommendations under $120?

 

I saw this one, but I don't know if it is good.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/linksys-max-stream-ac1900-dual-band-wireless-router-with-4-port-gigabit-ethernet-switch-black/4830200.p?skuId=4830200

 

[Donut417]

2 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

 

 

I think I am going to get a better router instead of a mesh system. Any recommendations under $120?

 

I saw this one, but I don't know if it is good.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/linksys-max-stream-ac1900-dual-band-wireless-router-with-4-port-gigabit-ethernet-switch-black/4830200.p?skuId=4830200

 

Im not a fan of Linksys. They are owned by Belken, and I dont really think they make good routers. Id look at Asus or TPlink. I know the Archer C7 from TpLink has decent range. My sister used to live in a 1700 SQFT house, and it covered it really well. If you put it in the center of your home it should cover well. 

[AlanAlan]

4 hours ago, Donut417 said:

Im not a fan of Linksys. They are owned by Belken, and I dont really think they make good routers. Id look at Asus or TPlink. I know the Archer C7 from TpLink has decent range. My sister used to live in a 1700 SQFT house, and it covered it really well. If you put it in the center of your home it should cover well. 

Right now I have a TP link C50 and its alright but I want to have better range. You think a TP Link C7 will be better with range?

 

Will Hanging the router on the wall help improve the range? 

[Donut417]

5 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

Right now I have a TP link C50 and its alright but I want to have better range. You think a TP Link C7 will be better with range?

Ive never used the TP Link C50 so I wouldn't know. If you have an AC router already, then your pretty much getting the best range your going to get. All I can speak to is my sisters experience with the router. Outside of installing DDWRT on a router and boosting the transmit power, which you can do. Though you could also break the law by pushing it too far or burn out the router. Your only good option and to install APs around your house. How many will depend on how much more range you want. 

[skywake]

On 14/10/2017 at 1:50 PM, AlanAlan said:

Can someone explain what mesh wifi is and is it worth it? Is it better for wifi coverage than a router?

None of the explanations here have been particularly good so let me set the record straight a bit. All mesh means is that the nodes of the network can connect to multiple other nodes. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are connected, it just means that they can be. So when one link goes down or is slow a node can fall back on another path back to the root node. For WiFi the advantage is that every node you add improves the coverage of your network. If you have poor coverage in one area? Add another node. The issue is that the bandwidth is shared so adding nodes will tend to reduce the possible bandwidth.

 

To put it even simpler..... a mesh node is a range extender with better marketing.

[AlanAlan]

10 hours ago, Donut417 said:

Ive never used the TP Link C50 so I wouldn't know. If you have an AC router already, then your pretty much getting the best range your going to get. All I can speak to is my sisters experience with the router. Outside of installing DDWRT on a router and boosting the transmit power, which you can do. Though you could also break the law by pushing it too far or burn out the router. Your only good option and to install APs around your house. How many will depend on how much more range you want. 

 

2 hours ago, skywake said:

None of the explanations here have been particularly good so let me set the record straight a bit. All mesh means is that the nodes of the network can connect to multiple other nodes. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are connected, it just means that they can be. So when one link goes down or is slow a node can fall back on another path back to the root node. For WiFi the advantage is that every node you add improves the coverage of your network. If you have poor coverage in one area? Add another node. The issue is that the bandwidth is shared so adding nodes will tend to reduce the possible bandwidth.

 

To put it even simpler..... a mesh node is a range extender with better marketing.

Do you guys think switching out the antennas on the router help boost the range?  Like swapping for better ones like this 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-9dBi-RP-SMA-Dual-Band-2-4GHz-5GHz-High-Gain-WiFi-Router-Wireless-Tilt-Antenna-/282616515759?hash=item41cd41ccaf:g:QIQAAOSwxbtZl6ua

[Donut417]

Just now, AlanAlan said:

 

Do you guys think switching out the antennas on the router help boost the range?  Like swapping for better ones like this 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-9dBi-RP-SMA-Dual-Band-2-4GHz-5GHz-High-Gain-WiFi-Router-Wireless-Tilt-Antenna-/282616515759?hash=item41cd41ccaf:g:QIQAAOSwxbtZl6ua

Maybe, but WiFi is a two way street. Not all devices can have a antenna upgrade. All high gain antenna are good for is making devices more sensitive when listening for the WiFi signal. Which is why you would need to do this on the client side, well at least in areas with low WiFi signal. Things like phones mostly won't benefit. 

 

Though it's a cheap upgrade. So you can try it out without too much investment. Though if you have some copper wire and know how to solder you can upgrade your current antenna your self. There should be tutorials on YouTube. 

[moriel5]

I personally highly recommend the Xiaomi Mi 3 Router, after it has been flashed with Padavan (this requires compiling), it has the best coverage I had yet seen or heard about from a router.

 

The only downside is the 1x100Mbts WAN and the 2x100Mbts LAN ports.

 

However at ~25-30$ (from GearBest), it is like having an ASUS router (Padavan is based upon ASUS's routers' firmwares) for a much lower price.

[moriel5]

Deleted - Accidental Duplicate.

[AlanAlan]

11 hours ago, moriel5 said:

I personally highly recommend the Xiaomi Mi 3 Router, after it has been flashed with Padavan (this requires compiling), it has the best coverage I had yet seen or heard about from a router.

 

The only downside is the 1x100Mbts WAN and the 2x100Mbts LAN ports.

 

However at ~25-30$ (from GearBest), it is like having an ASUS router (Padavan is based upon ASUS's routers' firmwares) for a much lower price.

Can you link it to me?

[moriel5]

5 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

Can you link it to me?

I'll be glad to: Mi 3 Router

I just saw that Xiaomi has released a more powerful version, with gigabit ethernet, and it already has support for Padavan as well!

Forget the Mi 3 Router, I recommend the Mi 3G Router now, although it costs about 10$ more: Mi 3G Router

Specs

Mi 3 Router                l               Mi 3G Router

Wireless A/B/G/N/AC

2.4GHz at up to ~300Mbts

b/g/n  2x2:2 MIMO

5GHz at up to ~867Mbts

a/n/ac  2x2:2  MIMO

4 x 5/6dBi (I am unsure which is correct) antennaes

1 x 100Mbts WAN                l                     1 x 1Gbts WAN

2 x 100Mbts LAN                l                     2 x 1Gbts LAN

1 x USB 2.0                      l                       1 x USB 3.0

128MB SLC NAND               l                256MB SLC NAND

128MB DDR2                   l                    128MB DDR3

MT7620A@580MHz Single Core            l             MT7621AT@880MHz Dual Core

 

 

Sources: Mi 3 Router Product Page at GearBest, Mi 3G Router Product Page at GearBest, List of Xiaomi Wireless Devices at WikiDevi

 

 

You can download and compile Padavan with PROMETHEUS's script (MI-R3G is the Mi 3G Router, MI-3 is the Mi 3 Router) found on his website (the changelog there is outdated, an up-to-date changelog can be found on 4PDA (there is a link on PROMETHEUS's website to the relevant page on 4PDA).

Edited October 17, 2017 by moriel5
Added Comparison Details

[AlanAlan]

10 hours ago, moriel5 said:

I'll be glad to: Mi 3 Router

I just saw that Xiaomi has released a more powerful version, with gigabit ethernet, and it already has support for Padavan as well!

Forget the Mi 3 Router, I recommend the Mi 3G Router now, although it costs about 10$ more: Mi 3G Router

Specs

Mi 3 Router                l               Mi 3G Router

Wireless A/B/G/N/AC

2.4GHz at up to ~300Mbts

b/g/n  2x2:2 MIMO

5GHz at up to ~867Mbts

a/n/ac  2x2:2  MIMO

4 x 5/6dBi (I am unsure which is correct) antennaes

1 x 100Mbts WAN                l                     1 x 1Gbts WAN

2 x 100Mbts LAN                l                     2 x 1Gbts LAN

1 x USB 2.0                      l                       1 x USB 3.0

128MB SLC NAND               l                256MB SLC NAND

128MB DDR2                   l                    128MB DDR3

MT7620A@580MHz Single Core            l             MT7621AT@880MHz Dual Core

 

 

Sources: Mi 3 Router Product Page at GearBest, Mi 3G Router Product Page at GearBest, List of Xiaomi Wireless Devices at WikiDevi

 

 

You can download and compile Padavan with PROMETHEUS's script (MI-R3G is the Mi 3G Router, MI-3 is the Mi 3 Router) found on his website (the changelog there is outdated, an up-to-date changelog can be found on 4PDA (there is a link on PROMETHEUS's website to the relevant page on 4PDA).

Can it do access point mode?

[moriel5]

4 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

Can it do access point mode?

It can, but at the cost of some of the advanced features being disabled.

[moriel5]

On 10/18/2017 at 4:26 PM, Doore Leone said:

so it cant do access point mode.

It can, however you won't have features such as a firewall, game server, etc..