Associate
- Joined
- 10 Oct 2018
- Posts
- 19
Hi OCUK folks!
Need a little advice re: buying a Mesh WiFi system. Our current setup, in a four bed two floor detached property, consists of a BT HomeHub 6 (Smart Hub) router in the living room (which is downstairs at one end of the property) providing WiFi to the whole property. Our broadband is through PlusNet FTTC. We also have Sky Q with a 2TB box next to the router, and a Mini box in our bedroom which is upstairs and at the opposite end of the property.
In most rooms downstairs the WiFi is pretty solid, although depending on the device it can drop out sometimes. As for upstairs, the two bedrooms directly above the living room are fine, but the two at the opposite end of the property can be flaky with the connection dropping in and out, again depending on the device being used. Sky Q Mini is connected to the 2TB box via its own 5GHz WiFi mesh and often drops out and has performance issues.
Previously I tried changing the 5GHz channel on the Sky boxes to avoid conflict with the router 5GHz WiFi and this seemed to help for a bit, but I suspect some neighbours have recently upgraded their WiFi setup because performance has recently got worse again. I thought that a mesh WiFi system might help, to replace the WiFi on the router (which I would disable), and preferably also to connect both Sky boxes to via ethernet, allowing me to disable the WiFi mesh on Sky Q to avoid interference.
It is deciding which mesh system to go for which is causing a headache! I am leaning towards a three node tri-band system (with dedicated 5GHz backhaul for mesh connectivity) but many of them are expensive and I don't want to spend much more than £200ish. I can get the four node version of BT Whole Home WiFi for around £220, or the three node version of BT Whole Home Premium WiFi for around £200 refurbished. I can also get the two node Netgear Orbi RBK50 for around £170, or the three node Deco M5 for £150. Lots of other options too, such as TP-Link Velop, Tenda Nova, etc.
Main priorities are to:
- improve WiFi speed and reliability across the property, preferably allowing 5GHz connectivity wherever possible
- allow Sky Q boxes to connect via ethernet to avoid multiple WiFi networks
- potentially get future compatibility with WiFi 6 devices, although that is unlikely given the cost of WiFi 6 mesh systems!
Appreciate any and all suggestions, advice, etc and thanks in advance!
Need a little advice re: buying a Mesh WiFi system. Our current setup, in a four bed two floor detached property, consists of a BT HomeHub 6 (Smart Hub) router in the living room (which is downstairs at one end of the property) providing WiFi to the whole property. Our broadband is through PlusNet FTTC. We also have Sky Q with a 2TB box next to the router, and a Mini box in our bedroom which is upstairs and at the opposite end of the property.
In most rooms downstairs the WiFi is pretty solid, although depending on the device it can drop out sometimes. As for upstairs, the two bedrooms directly above the living room are fine, but the two at the opposite end of the property can be flaky with the connection dropping in and out, again depending on the device being used. Sky Q Mini is connected to the 2TB box via its own 5GHz WiFi mesh and often drops out and has performance issues.
Previously I tried changing the 5GHz channel on the Sky boxes to avoid conflict with the router 5GHz WiFi and this seemed to help for a bit, but I suspect some neighbours have recently upgraded their WiFi setup because performance has recently got worse again. I thought that a mesh WiFi system might help, to replace the WiFi on the router (which I would disable), and preferably also to connect both Sky boxes to via ethernet, allowing me to disable the WiFi mesh on Sky Q to avoid interference.
It is deciding which mesh system to go for which is causing a headache! I am leaning towards a three node tri-band system (with dedicated 5GHz backhaul for mesh connectivity) but many of them are expensive and I don't want to spend much more than £200ish. I can get the four node version of BT Whole Home WiFi for around £220, or the three node version of BT Whole Home Premium WiFi for around £200 refurbished. I can also get the two node Netgear Orbi RBK50 for around £170, or the three node Deco M5 for £150. Lots of other options too, such as TP-Link Velop, Tenda Nova, etc.
Main priorities are to:
- improve WiFi speed and reliability across the property, preferably allowing 5GHz connectivity wherever possible
- allow Sky Q boxes to connect via ethernet to avoid multiple WiFi networks
- potentially get future compatibility with WiFi 6 devices, although that is unlikely given the cost of WiFi 6 mesh systems!
Appreciate any and all suggestions, advice, etc and thanks in advance!
