N00b Mesh Network Question

[Terminal_Boy]

Some helpful soul mentioned Mesh WiFi networks to the neighbour concerned in the thread below and he’s now interested in one…

Adding a second router to an existing home network?

I’m helping a neighbour extend their home network with a second router which will both provide WiFi coverage in the rear of the house and feeding two external wide area APs (TP-Link CPEs). Have no problems with the wiring, SSID configurations and setting up the CPEs, but I’m not entirely sure...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

I‘m assuming the mesh controller would need to be near or wired to the fibre modem with the slave nodes doted around the house.

My questions are thus:

1. Would the mesh network be able to support both a ”full fat” network for the owners and a “diet” one for guests as the fibre modem can provide both?

2. Can you get a slave node with has 2 LAN ports to feed 2 wide area outdoor access points (TP-link CPEs)?

3. Can you get slave nodes that are IP55 as there’s a outdoor balcony area the neighbours have now decided they want covered?

Thanks in advance. Again.

 

[Avalon]

The master node can be anywhere you can run a cable to.
1. Bandwidth limiting would depend on the controller/mesh systems features.
2. If the nodes have LAN ports, yes, but you’re still limited by that nodes backhaul, so it would be best wired.
3. Again, outdoor AP’s are a thing, I don’t recall seeing outdoor rated mesh nodes, but I have never looked for them as unless the balcony is the size of a football pitch, it’s probably not actually needed. Ubiquity do all sorts of outdoor CPE with omni/directional antennae that seem much better suited and the controller easily lets you limit bandwidth on a per network bases… can you see an obvious solution to your requirements/management yet?