Mesh networking, need some advice

Mokume

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jeff
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Threads
40
Messages
1,718
Reaction score
2,625
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ranger Supercab (sold 12/19) , 2002 Honda CR-V
Occupation
Retired Firefighter III, Honolulu Fire Department
I am looking to upgrade the wireless signal at my home in preparation for installing wireless security cams and was told that mesh networking is the way to go.
Currently I've 1 Netgear wireless router with 5 ethernet outputs of which one output feeds a Linksys router for a total of 9 wired ethernet ports throughout the house. Wireless reception as it is now is very spotty.
I am reasonably certain I can replace the Netgear router with a mesh unit and retain the amount of wired ethernet ports, does anyone concur?
My home is about 4K sq. feet under the roof, including a second floor area, of single wall construction and the cable modem/router setup is in a corner of the structure.
Can anyone offer suggestions/advice as to what I would need for full coverage? A particular brand they can recommend?
Thanks!
Sponsored

 

RedlandRanger

Moderator
First Name
Rob
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Threads
35
Messages
4,592
Reaction score
8,826
Location
Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger Lariat FX4, 1973 Mercury Capri
Vehicle Showcase
1
Typically you wouldn't want two routers (unless the routing functionality is disabled on the second one) - is the Linksys a router or a switch? Typically the router would be connected to a switch. Or maybe the Netgear is a Wifi access point? (sorry - terminology is important to understand what you have). What does your cable modem plug into?

I purchased an Orbi system a while back which does what you are looking for - you can purchase additional satellite units to cover your house as needed. It dramatically improved wireless reception upstairs, but we still get inconsistent wireless performance which is typical in my experience - all the computer are hard wired. Wireless is only for phones, tablets, etc.

There are a variety of systems and they are evolving constantly so recommendations are hard I think.
 

DeathRanger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Peyton
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
238
Reaction score
394
Location
Kansas
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger Lariat Sport 4x4
Occupation
IT
Vehicle Showcase
1
I highly recommend the Amplifi mesh system, if you're needs are simple. You could also step up to the Unifi mesh system which is from the same company but provides more management abilities.
 
OP
OP
Mokume

Mokume

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jeff
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Threads
40
Messages
1,718
Reaction score
2,625
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ranger Supercab (sold 12/19) , 2002 Honda CR-V
Occupation
Retired Firefighter III, Honolulu Fire Department
Typically you wouldn't want two routers (unless the routing functionality is disabled on the second one) - is the Linksys a router or a switch? Typically the router would be connected to a switch. Or maybe the Netgear is a Wifi access point? (sorry - terminology is important to understand what you have). What does your cable modem plug into?

I purchased an Orbi system a while back which does what you are looking for - you can purchase additional satellite units to cover your house as needed. It dramatically improved wireless reception upstairs, but we still get inconsistent wireless performance which is typical in my experience - all the computer are hard wired. Wireless is only for phones, tablets, etc.

There are a variety of systems and they are evolving constantly so recommendations are hard I think.
Thanks for your response RR,
I plan to keep one of the routers, disable it's wireless capabilities and use it as a switch? solely because I currently have ethernet cables going to it and to other points in the house.
The cable input (RG-6) from my ISP (Spectrum) first goes into my personally owned modem, then to the presently wireless setup Netgear router and then to another router, the Linksys. I suppose you could call the Linksys a switch because It's wireless transmitting capability is disabled.
For lack of a better description, I guess you could say the Netgear router is acting as a Wi-Fi access point and as a switch.
I fully agree with wired input, it is the most stable and reliable means of signal transmission, I've just 1 desktop system and 5 "smart" TV's all hardwired, hence the existence of so many ethernet outputs.
A Spectrum tech was here last week to repair a loose cable drop leading to my residence, he recommended an Orbi system as well, his name was Larry (seriously)...lol.
Poor guy, he said he gets teased both by co-workers and customers :giggle:
 
OP
OP
Mokume

Mokume

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jeff
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Threads
40
Messages
1,718
Reaction score
2,625
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ranger Supercab (sold 12/19) , 2002 Honda CR-V
Occupation
Retired Firefighter III, Honolulu Fire Department
I highly recommend the Amplifi mesh system, if you're needs are simple. You could also step up to the Unifi mesh system which is from the same company but provides more management abilities.
Thanks Peyton!
I'll look into it, still in the R&D stage at this moment.
 


RedlandRanger

Moderator
First Name
Rob
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Threads
35
Messages
4,592
Reaction score
8,826
Location
Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger Lariat FX4, 1973 Mercury Capri
Vehicle Showcase
1
A Spectrum tech was here last week to repair a loose cable drop leading to my residence, he recommended an Orbi system as well, his name was Larry (seriously)...lol.
Poor guy, he said he gets teased both by co-workers and customers :giggle:
It took me a minute to figure that one out.... Larry the cable guy for anyone as slow as me. :LOL:
 

808matt

Well-Known Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
267
Reaction score
403
Location
Hawaii
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger FX4 Sport Package, 2015 f450 Bucket Truck
@Mokume what service provider do you have?
 
OP
OP
Mokume

Mokume

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jeff
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Threads
40
Messages
1,718
Reaction score
2,625
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ranger Supercab (sold 12/19) , 2002 Honda CR-V
Occupation
Retired Firefighter III, Honolulu Fire Department
Spectrum
 

t4thfavor

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chance
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Threads
32
Messages
2,593
Reaction score
2,328
Location
Michigan
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT FX4 Fox 2.0, 2011 Ford Edge Sport
So generally WiFi is shared spectrum. If you live close to lots of other people you'll have terrible throughput no matter what you do. Adding a mesh system to this WiFi soup will serve almost no purpose, and could decrease your overall speed (because it's half duplex you lose 50% each hop) even if the signal strength shows "Excellent".

My somewhat professional opinion (I deployed large scale wifi for hospitals in several parts of the country) would be to get a high quality wireless router and:

If you need to cover house and yard, put it as high as possible in your house OR If you only want to cover in the house and a little yard, put it in your basement.

The basement will shield it from a lot of the noise of the neighborhood and allow it to "hear" better from the signals above it. This will improve the overall signal quality and support better throughput.

If you do that, and find that you have other areas that are poorly covered, run a cable from the router to the area that is undercovered, and put another access point (basically a router without DHCP running as a bridge) in that location with EXACTLY the same SSID on a different channel.

As a former wireless engineer and an Extra class ham radio operator, the invention of these 3 and 4 band WiFi shotguns terrifies me. When everyone is trying to blast out several GB of packets all the time on several bands at once, nobody is going to have a good time.

Also, be a good neighbor. If the device you are using supports it, lower the output power to the least usable power level so that you aren't shouting over your neighbors and in effect starting an arms race (your neighbor is on the honda civic forum right now asking the exact same question).

Something like this with similar SSID and Channel setups for the 5Ghz stuff.

EDIT:I just realized I had3 wireless AP's in the diagram, eliminate the one in the top right and just have the ethernet cable go from basement to bonus room. I've fixed the diagram.

1583156489107.png


1583155095595.png
 
Last edited:

AtillaTheHung

Well-Known Member
First Name
Zachary
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
156
Reaction score
257
Location
Knoxville, TN
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger - 2010 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Systems Administrator
Vehicle Showcase
1
+1 to @t4thfavor

As someone who has distributed WAPs throughout a ton of locations, I agree with the above post.

Another option is to look at PowerLine adapters with WAPs built in, and decent handoff (depending on the brand you purchase.)
 

t4thfavor

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chance
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Threads
32
Messages
2,593
Reaction score
2,328
Location
Michigan
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT FX4 Fox 2.0, 2011 Ford Edge Sport
+1 to @t4thfavor

As someone who has distributed WAPs throughout a ton of locations, I agree with the above post.

Another option is to look at PowerLine adapters with WAPs built in, and decent handoff (depending on the brand you purchase.)

Powerline adapters can be tricky because they have a hard time jumping from one side of the panel to the other. I've in the past installed a capacitor above the mains that enabled X10 devices to cross primaries, but I'm not sure if it would work for Powerline adapters.
 

AtillaTheHung

Well-Known Member
First Name
Zachary
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
156
Reaction score
257
Location
Knoxville, TN
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger - 2010 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Systems Administrator
Vehicle Showcase
1
Powerline adapters can be tricky because they have a hard time jumping from one side of the panel to the other. I've in the past installed a capacitor above the mains that enabled X10 devices to cross primaries, but I'm not sure if it would work for Powerline adapters.

Right. It depends on the home wiring. My home setup relies on them and my house was built in 75'. Hall closet with a Pi-Hole for ad blocking, DVR for security cameras, and Plex server.

On the outside I have PowerLine adapters running two security cameras.

Performance wise, there is definitely a loss in throughput. Directly wired into my modem (which is in my living room, feeding the PowerLine adapter it's plugged into) I get roughly 50Mbps (I pay for 60Mbps) through PowerLine adapters, I get about ~45Mbps when doing a speedtest.

Albeit it seems fast enough for me to stream 1080p from my Plex server. There is some issues when streaming locally and DVRs recording constantly. Sometimes the adapters will need rebooted.



Your idea would be better for performance in the long run, though. I just suggest PowerLine adapters for ease of installation and less wiring.

Although, I will admit if I ever had the energy and motivation I would certainly run CAT 6 through my house.

And yes, a capacitor would probably smooth out a lot of the noise for them. They waste a lot of it as heat, sadly.
 

t4thfavor

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chance
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Threads
32
Messages
2,593
Reaction score
2,328
Location
Michigan
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT FX4 Fox 2.0, 2011 Ford Edge Sport
Right. It depends on the home wiring. My home setup relies on them and my house was built in 75'. Hall closet with a Pi-Hole for ad blocking, DVR for security cameras, and Plex server.

On the outside I have PowerLine adapters running two security cameras.

Performance wise, there is definitely a loss in throughput. Directly wired into my modem (which is in my living room, feeding the PowerLine adapter it's plugged into) I get roughly 50Mbps (I pay for 60Mbps) through PowerLine adapters, I get about ~45Mbps when doing a speedtest.

Albeit it seems fast enough for me to stream 1080p from my Plex server. There is some issues when streaming locally and DVRs recording constantly. Sometimes the adapters will need rebooted.



Your idea would be better for performance in the long run, though. I just suggest PowerLine adapters for ease of installation and less wiring.

Although, I will admit if I ever had the energy and motivation I would certainly run CAT 6 through my house.

And yes, a capacitor would probably smooth out a lot of the noise for them. They waste a lot of it as heat, sadly.

The capacitor is so the powerline signal can traverse from one side of the panel to the other. In the US there is a neutral, and two hots that make up the 220-240VAC mains. Once it gets in your panel, it is split left and right. Plugs on the left side share neutral with the right side, but hots are isolated for obvious reasons. A capacitor won't show up as a short, but somehow (capacitor magic) allows the powerline data to pretend like both hots are electrically connected. This will allow you to put a powerline adapter on a plug which is fed by the left leg, and the other adapter on another plug fed by the right leg, and have them talk to each other.
 

chasvs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2019
Threads
18
Messages
1,015
Reaction score
1,465
Location
Tampa
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger Lariat, 2017 MB GLE350, 2006 Porsche Cayman S
Vehicle Showcase
1
I am looking to upgrade the wireless signal at my home in preparation for installing wireless security cams and was told that mesh networking is the way to go.
Currently I've 1 Netgear wireless router with 5 ethernet outputs of which one output feeds a Linksys router for a total of 9 wired ethernet ports throughout the house. Wireless reception as it is now is very spotty.
I am reasonably certain I can replace the Netgear router with a mesh unit and retain the amount of wired ethernet ports, does anyone concur?
My home is about 4K sq. feet under the roof, including a second floor area, of single wall construction and the cable modem/router setup is in a corner of the structure.
Can anyone offer suggestions/advice as to what I would need for full coverage? A particular brand they can recommend?
Thanks!
Second the Orbing system! Great speed and coverage. You'd need the Three or a Four Satellite System (Base and 2 or 3 Satellites) to cover your entire house.
 

AtillaTheHung

Well-Known Member
First Name
Zachary
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
156
Reaction score
257
Location
Knoxville, TN
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger - 2010 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Systems Administrator
Vehicle Showcase
1
The capacitor is so the powerline signal can traverse from one side of the panel to the other. In the US there is a neutral, and two hots that make up the 220-240VAC mains. Once it gets in your panel, it is split left and right. Plugs on the left side share neutral with the right side, but hots are isolated for obvious reasons. A capacitor won't show up as a short, but somehow (capacitor magic) allows the powerline data to pretend like both hots are electrically connected. This will allow you to put a powerline adapter on a plug which is fed by the left leg, and the other adapter on another plug fed by the right leg, and have them talk to each other.

Now your post clicked in my head. I assumed you were using capacitors to remove noise or smoothing. Now I see you're using it for bridging. Gotcha.

Quite smart! :)
Sponsored

 
 



Top