Talk to me about some simple Mesh stuff and WiFi coverage

LePhuronn

LePhuronn

LePhuronn

Soldato
Joined
26 Sep 2010
Posts
7,369
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
Greeting to all

Moving into a new house very soon and wanted some advice and pointers to getting some decent coverage for WiFi. House is a standard mid 70s 2-floor terraced affair and plenty spacious downstairs after some remodelling, so don't have crazy thick walls or weird materials going on. Will be staying with Lilaconnect for 1gig fibre and the supplied Zyxel router (EX3301-T0) is surprisingly solid, just the WiFi range is poor. The majority of the networking will be wired with the router placed as central to the house as I can. So really it's just about getting decent coverage for the phones and tablets.

I don't really need the latest and greatest stuff; the Zyxel router and all the phones and such are only 2.4Ghz and 5GHz capable right now, but of course not accounting for future purchases with WiFi 6, 7 and onwards is short-sighted. I think the Zyxel is WiFi 6 capable.

So what would be looking at here? I think the Zyxel can be used as a mesh controller so would I just need a couple of satellites and the Zyxel does the job? Or would I need to get a full kit?

Pointers and suggestions appreciated, no idea of budget but would rather not spend silly money on something overkill just so the other half's tablet doesn't bomb out mid video like we have right now :P

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
If you're going to wire up the house then you'll want access points instead of mesh. It'll be more reliable and faster speeds as well. As long as you get access points that can roam with each other, it'll be like mesh kits where devices can move across different points almost seamlessly (depending on device). I've not had any issues with UniFi access points (currently using a U6 Pro and AC Pro) but I have heard TP-Link's Omada line works pretty well.
 
Right OK

I'll probably only need 2 APs, does it make a difference if I connect them to the network switch or to the router? Or mix and match?
 
Doesn't really make a difference. I have the main AP connected to my Linksys router (which has the WiFi disabled so only the Unifi is broadcasting) and then the second AP on a switch, no issues with devices roaming between the two.
 
LePhuronn said:
does it make a difference if I connect them to the network switch or to the router? Or mix and match?
Click to expand...
No difference at all - additional LAN ports on a domestic router are usually switch ports part of a 4 port switch anyway. But if you decide as an example to upgrade the switch to 2.5 GbE, or 10 GbE in the future, then it makes more sense to connect the APs to the switch. That way, if you upgrade the APs down the line they could benefit from the higher speed if they support it (some UniFi switches have 2.5 GbE and even 10 GbE ports).
 
Cheers both. I didn't think it would make a difference where the APs would plug in, especially given the Zyxel router seems solid in what it's built to do, but it's always worth a check. My overall computing knowledge has taken a real hit this past decade for some reason, so gotta ask the questions!

I'll go have a hunt around for some non-expensive APs and get a feel. Any specific recommendations beyond those Orcvader has already given?
 
I wouldn't overthink it too much.

If you are wiring it (you'll thank yourself in the future and never look back) just wire all the major devices the WiFi is really only left for phones I guess.

I put a wired network in, WiFi is broadcast from the router and an AP which comes off the network switch, which are more or less opposite corners of the house and works great.

The main thing is putting in a wired network, you've basically won like 99% of it there already.
 
Yeah, the WiFi is for the phones, tablets, and my laptop that flitters about the place. Don't necessarily want to cheap out now and have to significantly upgrade later, but don't need to go bananas for kit I'll never benefit from.

Cheers all, at least the topology of everything is clearer in my head now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom