Spec me a new router for better wifi

[champ222]

Hi All

I currently have virgin media and I've been using the superhub thing for years and it been largely fine. I've wired my whole house with cat 6, so I only really use the WiFi for phones/tablets and ring cameras.

I've often thought that maybe I'd be better off switching the virgin thing into modem only mode and getting a proper router.

Recently, the wifi has been awful upstairs. I've been switching the wifi off on my phone whilst I'm on the loo

I also have the house wired with Co-ax cable (seemed like a good idea at the time and I was running the cat 6 anyway) so i could move the cable router anywhere in the house then patch the cable feed through the patch panel to the new location. This might give me better coverage with it in a more central location, but it might just be better with a proper router.

Any suggestions? It doesn't need to be anything flash, reasonable speed is fine. I have a vpn that I use occasionally. When I use it I just use the app on the PC, I don't need everything to go through that.

Thanks

 

[spile]

Keep the router and get wired access point to use in black spot. If you have an unused router repurpose it as a wireless point.

 

[Armageus]

A new router (or even a dedicated access point) won't necessarily give you "better" wifi - they are all constrained by the same technology and transmit power limits.

There's a couple of things you can try with your existing router:
- Moving it centrally, so more of the signal ends up covering your house rather than elsewhere
- Checking and adjusting the Wifi channels depending on congestion with neighbours
- Separating out the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands to separate SSIDs (or creating a new 2.4Ghz only SSID) - reason being that 2.4Ghz travels further and penetrates walls better, so if you don't specifically need full speed (which tbh on a phone you rarely do), then a 2.4Ghz only SSID may reduce issues with band switching/roaming and may be all you need.

If you do still need to go down the buy something route, then avoid "Mesh" products and get 1 or 2 access points and ensure they are Wired back to your router or switch. Ubiquiti Unifi is the "go to" but things like TPlink Omada are also fine.

 

[Avalon]

If you do still need to go down the buy something route, then avoid "Mesh" products and get 1 or 2 access points and ensure they are Wired back to your router or switch. Ubiquiti Unifi is the "go to" but things like TPlink Omada are also fine.

Context is important here, MESH in itself isn’t bad, MESH without a wired backhaul is a poor choice, and MESH using shared radio for client/backhaul is even worse, just as Unifi AP’s without a wired backhaul would be a poor choice.

 

[champ222]

Thanks guys

I was half expecting comments suggesting that the superhub was piece of .... and that eveything would be better with a new router. But it sounds like i just need to move it or get an access point.

I assume an access point would have a different SSID, and that phones etc "should" switch to whichever gives the best signal?

I'll try moving the router first, see if that helps.

Thanks guys

 

[the-evaluator]

I assume an access point would have a different SSID, and that phones etc "should" switch to whichever gives the best signal?

Ideally, no. The same SSID so devices and seamlessly roam between AP's. The problem with having different SSIDs is that devices have a tendency to hold onto a very weak signal on SSID 'A' rather than switch to a strong signal on SSID 'B' purely because SSID 'A' is still available.

Personally I'd disable the Wi-Fi on the SuperHub completely and get a pair of UniFi AP's and leave Wi-Fi to them. Flicking between AP's works perfectly, which isn't a given when you have a SuperHub and A. N. Other AP in play.

 

[the-evaluator]

I was half expecting comments suggesting that the superhub was piece of .... and that eveything would be better with a new router. But it sounds like i just need to move it or get an access point.

As a router it's absolutely fine. Most of the time when people go router shopping the routing part isn't the issue - it's the Wi-Fi.

 

[Firegod]

Thanks guys

I was half expecting comments suggesting that the superhub was piece of .... and that eveything would be better with a new router. But it sounds like i just need to move it or get an access point.

I assume an access point would have a different SSID, and that phones etc "should" switch to whichever gives the best signal?

I'll try moving the router first, see if that helps.

Thanks guys

The AP should be setup the same, so the whole network is one big seamless bubble, and you won't notice when you move about or are handed off. Yep depending on what the dBm threshold value is set to the AP will just hand you over when you start to move out of range.

 

[spile]

A new router (or even a dedicated access point) won't necessarily give you "better" wifi - they are all constrained by the same technology and transmit power limits.


-

Most issues are related to coverage so assuming access isn’t an issue close to the router then I’ll stand by my recommendation to use a wired backhault access point/repurposed router before assuming that a new (potentially expensive) router will improve coverage.

 

[dlockers]

A new router (or even a dedicated access point) won't necessarily give you "better" wifi - they are all constrained by the same technology and transmit power limits.

This point comes up a lot here; and the big fallacy of it is that it makes the assumption that WiFi is just the "radio" side of things. There are sufficient garbage AIO routers (Virgin SH for example) that struggle to maintain stable decent connections that mean you can be all equal in the radio department, but the user experience is vastly compromised.

 

[Armageus]

Most issues are related to coverage so assuming access isn’t an issue close to the router then I’ll stand by my recommendation to use a wired backhault access point/repurposed router before assuming that a new (potentially expensive) router will improve coverage.

And just adding another router or indeed access point can introduce other issues (e.g. devices not correctly roaming between them, reduced throughput due to interference if they are on the same channel etc). Yes it probably is a coverage issue, but without using some like Unifi's Wifiman app and mapping signal strength, you don't know for sure.

Believe me, if it was as easy as "just chuck a few more access points" at a problem, theny life at work would be easy. (I have ~30 unifi APs at work covering our site, including a mixture of indoor, outdoor, warehouse, factory and other environments - and yet we still have a few dead spots that are challenging)

This point comes up a lot here; and the big fallacy of it is that it makes the assumption that WiFi is just the "radio" side of things. There are sufficient garbage AIO routers (Virgin SH for example) that struggle to maintain stable decent connections that mean you can be all equal in the radio department, but the user experience is vastly compromised.

I've not had the apparent misfortune of using a virgin router, and yes in some cases a new router may make all the difference (especially in the past when most consumer routers couldn't deal with lots of connections for example), but in some cases they may make no difference.

 

[beachBOYken]

Eero mesh?

Served me well for the past 2 years +. You say you have your house wired, mesh network wired backhaul. I have 2 x pro 6 , the newer 7 models look decent but cost a packet!

Virgin Media here as well, but soon to be FTTP 1gb service elsewhere.

I just love the simplicity of Eero, set and forget.