Should I buy google wifi?

CaptainComedy · 30 Jun 2017 at 20:56

Is it worth it? 300 for a pack of 3? WIFI speeds upgrade all the time and routers don't exactly keep their value...

is it worth the upgrade? a mesh system would be great, but at 300.... I can do so much with 300....

bremen1874 · 30 Jun 2017 at 20:59

Upgrade from what?

CaptainComedy · 30 Jun 2017 at 21:08

I just have a virgin router and my PC connects over Powerline (Thanks), I seem to be bottlenecked at 112mb and the POE plugs don't seem to be compatible despite being from same vendor (TP-Link), so I was thinking of putting the PC on WIFI and getting Google WIFI... but at 300 it's a bit of a hike...

Could I also get a recommendation for a wireless card? best bang for buck I guess

bremen1874 · 30 Jun 2017 at 21:16

You don't mean POE (PoE) as that's Power over Ethernet.

I assume you're referring to Powerline adapters? If so you're actually doing very well to see 112Mbps.

Buying expensive mesh wireless to connect a desktop PC makes little sense. You'd be better off putting the effort into running a cable.

CaptainComedy · 30 Jun 2017 at 21:24

You're right, I was wondering why it didn't sound right....

There's 2 reasons why I want to upgrade to a mesh network:

It's going to be for more than just the PC, I'll be building my smart home network over time,
There's a deadzone in the bathroom - Internets most critical area when things aren't going great.
I want the garage to have wifi too and although a powerline does the job, it's by no means a decent connection

The smart home is the main driver for this... I suppose I will run ethernet around for the PC as that's not going anywhere and neither is the router. Still if I'm to build a smart home, I need a reliable network... and I'm wondering if I can justify the 300 price tag

bremen1874 · 30 Jun 2017 at 21:32

Only you can decide whether the money is justified.

These mesh networks are all first generation. Personally I'm waiting for all of the bugs to fixed and hopefully the cost to come down before deciding.

Avalon · 2 Jul 2017 at 09:13

Firstly have you looked into the issue with powerline not working with additional adapters? Hint: Download the system tray app and have a look, they likely haven't been paired with the existing network/key. Speed wise most powerline kits under gigabit have 100mbit ports, they also quote speed as full duplex, e.g. 100 each way is 200mbit when to the rest of us it's really 100mbit. My current Nano 500's sync at 330ish, the ports are still 100mbit and limited in practical terms to 12.5MB/s or less.

Personally I have two Unifi AP's, technically one pretty much covers the whole house/garden/drive/well into the street and green at the back, but a spare was part of the deal, so meh. For a smart home set-up speed usually isn't an issue, stability and coverage is.