Routers

[Super-Spy]

I was initially looking to extend the WiFi rage in my home by purchasing an additional WiFi router to supplement my Nighthawk R7000 running DD-WRT. The idea was to connect the two through Ethernet and set up the new router as a wireless access point.

Looking around, it seems there is a raft of new technology.
Would I be better off getting a newer, more perform-ant router and use that as my main router and use the Nighthawk as the access point ?

Does a Mesh system provide any advantages over the above approach ?

Looking for the cheapest path to extending coverage and improving performance

 

[BigT]

A mesh system will not out perform a wired access point in nearly all circumstances.

The good news is that you're prepared to run an ethernet cable to your deadspot. Do so and on the end of it you want to put an access point. Whether you use another router acting as an access point or a dedicated access point is up to you (you won't need the routing functions). If price is all that is important then a wireless access point from the likes of TP-Link can be had for less than £40. Next step up I guess is to see if something that is DD-WRT compatible has some nice features that will make roaming between the Nighthawk and your AP nice and seamless. I don't know DD-WRT so can't comment if this is a good idea or not.

After that you could consider prosumer territory which might see you considering turning Wifi off on the nighthawk and seeing if one or two strategically placed access points form the same manufacturer gives you the coverage you want and a seamless roaming experience with a well managed interface. Here you're into the realms of things like Ubiquiti access points.

Just bear in mind physical placement in your considerations. An access point designed to be wall or ceiling mounted isn't going to give much signal behind it whereas a desktop unit might give a better pattern to suit your deadspot but without the braod reach. Without knowing the layout of your house, where the blackspots are and where you're prepared to mount them then I can't give good advice on placement other than to say 'think about it'

 

[Super-Spy]

Thanks @BigT

I thought a Mesh system would be better than what I am planning so good to know.

The main router (currently a Netgear R7000 running DD-WRT) is with the Virgin Media modem on the ground floor.
I get good 5Ghz reception on the ground and first floor but no so good in the loft. There is a Cat 5 wire running from the router to the loft though where I have a switch with various wired items connected such as a NAS. I want to add another router/access point into that switch in the loft ti improve wifi for items such as tablets and mobile phones.

The loft is essentially two rooms separated by a partition wall and a door.

I did think about a wifi access point but thought a router in AP mode would have better performance. Also, there is always the option of buying a newer, faster router for the ground floor and moving the Netgear R7000 to the loft to act as the AP.

 

[BigT]

Good APs are good at what they do and one could argue a router doing the same is wasting some of its capabilities un-necessarily or at the lower router price points using an inferior solution to a dedicated AP.

If you've got cabling up to your loft, and i don't know how big your house is, you may find one well placed dedicated access point mounted in the ceiling up there gives you decent whole house coverage. If you can find one that you could easily return then you could try it without risk. One Unifi AP-LR mounted in my loft gives acceptable performance (80Mpps+) for me on wireless devices on the two floors below with a footprint of about 15m x 15m. It even meshes acceptably to another outdoor AP about 25m away, but only has to go through some roof tiles before its in 'clean' air for that.

Edit: One thing I would add is putting something in the loft means you want a device whose beam pattern radiates across and down. A traditional router form factor or desktop styled AP isn't going to do that. The physics and placement of a dedicated ceiling mounted AP are going to help you as much here as technology choice.

 

[Super-Spy]

Thanks for the education. So the beam from a dedicated AP is likely to be better than a router.
Is 80Mbps a decent speed. I would expect a 5GHz router in AP mode to be faster than that or have I misunderstood ?

 

[BigT]

Thanks for the education. So the beam from a dedicated AP is likely to be better than a router.

Depends entirely on placement and coverage you want. A dedicated AP designed to be ceiling mounted placed upside down on a desk wouldn't be better than a desktop router. Two omni-directional antennas on a router/desktop unit will beam out all around and only go so far. A ceiling mounted AP will radiate a wide beam down and away from its location and not a lot behind it. But where it does project will likely reach further.

Is 80Mbps a decent speed. I would expect a 5GHz router in AP mode to be faster than that or have I misunderstood ?

Decent enough for me. WiFi is designed for low bandwidth applications. I can't stream from Netflix, Amazon Prime or from my local Plex server at more than 80Mbps whether I'm wired or wireless so it's absolutely fit for purpose. If I have a use case that needs bandwidth then it gets wired. Don't get me wrong, I think at various places around the house I get 400Mbps but the important thing for me is to get 50Mbps minimum EVERYWHERE and that I do across 3000 sqft of home and a third of an acre outside (not with just one AP though I should add!). I also want to be on VOIP calls or zoom meetings on my phone and walk anywhere around the place without dropping the call as the device roams from AP to AP. That is also works without trouble for me. To be honest, given I live in an uncongested area I probably don't even need 5Ghz. It has far less penetration ability than 2.4Ghz so unlikely to reach as far no matter what solution you go for, though that depends on obstructions (floors/ceilings/walls) between the AP and where your client device is.

 

[Super-Spy]

Thanks for all the insights @BigT