I 've been watching the Networking 101 series of episodes as I would really like to finally upgr...

[G+_Kent Smith]

I've been watching the Networking 101 series of episodes as I would really like to finally upgrade some of my home network. I was thinking I wanted to get the Google WiFI 3-pack to get a little better coverage in my house (3 floor colonial style) but realistically I can get about 50Mb down/12Mb up with speed tests via my phone at any location in my house so not sure "better" WiFi coverage is really needed. (Better access on my deck would be a nice plus but not a deal breaker.)

 

I was also thinking Google as I believed they would better support the device from a security stand point the next few years. But have also considered Eero and the Ubiquity solutions.

 

But seeing the Synology RT2600AC on the program really got me thinking that perhaps a single part solution that has really good software and features is better. I currently have an older Apple Extreme that is handling everything and I think it's starting to show it's age with occasional drop outs and such.

 

Anyone have thoughts about these mesh devices vs a single higher end router setup?

 

Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ would certainly love to hear your take, but open to anyone with thoughts or experiences.

[G+_Pat Hacker]

Me 2

[G+_Benjamin Webb]

Well the need to go mesh wifi is kind of dependent on the size/shape/composition of your house and your bandwidth needs.

 

You can assess relative wireless performance with sites like smallnetbuilder. I generally find AC gear will go a room or two further with 2.4 ghz (which is strange because the 2.4 ghz is all in the N standard anyway). 5 ghz is a significant improvement in range but nowhere near the distance of 2.4 ghz.

 

If at all possible is usually cheaper and less complex to just buy one wireless router and one wireless access point (can use a router as a WAP if you disable dhcp and don't use the wan). Every TV outlet already has a hole drilled so I usually just use a wiresnake to follow the coax path with a cat5 e or cat6 cable then crimp an end on it (not for everybody but pick up a roll of wire with some ends and it is a good skill to have).

 

The second choice is a repeater running opensource or some off the shelf solution. These can get complicated and I usually suggest to get the same wireless chipset in the repeater as the main router to guarantee good performance and compatibility. I have done multiple repeater bridges with DD-WRT that take the 5 ghz signal then repeat it through a separate 2.4 ghz network.

 

Now the other thing you have to ask yourself before you get a google router is if your ok with google mining your own data and having less control over your gear. There was a recent event where some google routers went down and had to be reset. Personally I don't like anything that relies on another company so I usually am running third party opensource firmware so I can still update it if the company looses interest in support. Synology has a good reputation for standing behind its products but google not so much. The are also plenty other mesh solutions out there.

 

Just trying to inform you. Like many things nowadays there are usually multiple good solutions and it all depends on what you are looking for.

[G+_Ben Reese]

It sounds like your current setup works. 50 Mbps × 12 Mbps isn't too bad for most home use, so I'd probably just stick with what you've got. A single router solution usually isn't as good as 3 APs unless you can stick that router right in the middle of your house.

 

Just my opinion...

[G+_Benjamin Webb]

Ben Reese Even if in center of house 3APs will still usually win out if you want a strong 5 ghz signal.

 

Best is 3 hard wired APs as no wireless banwidth will be wasted for backhaul.

 

I think my biggest problem with mesh is you plug these things in and how do you troubleshoot it if it does not magically work. Most of the algorithms are proprietary and your lucky if you even get a signal strengh of them to tell if they are positioned right.

 

I guess you could roll your own with open source but that is a huge undertaking. It probably starts making sense at about 10 nodes as that is where you want autoconfiguration and self healing.

 

I could set up a wireless router with two bridged repeaters in a way that is faster than any mesh by optimizing the connections and positions but have not found a way to clone myself yet so perfectly understandable if you go for a plug and play.

[G+_Kent Smith]

Thank-you for the input from everyone.

 

As for the whole "Google having my info" I'm not really worried about that. Granted that may come back to bite me if they turn evil, but for now I value what they do with my information in terms of a service to me and I truly believe they understand doing bad things with their customers data is not good for business.

 

And besides, soon Comcast is going to have EVERYTHING I put do on the internet to sell to companies so who cares if Google has it too.

 

I've tried adding additional AP points before but could never get the AP to have the same network name so that I didn't have to manually change networks with my devices. I'm sure I was simply doing something wrong, but was never able to figure that part out. Really hoping that they address that idea on Networking 101 (hint to Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ) as I think a lot of people would be very interested in being able to drop a cheap AP someplace in their house for a little wireless extension.

 

And I've also done the whole DD-WRT / Tomato thing before. And it was fun for a while, but I really just want stuff to work now and not have to mess with it. (Also don't want my wife to have issues and then I get stuck fixing things in a rush.)

 

At this point I'm really leaning toward going with the Synology and then perhaps try an AP with it to reach out better to my deck if needed in the future. Mostly I just want reliable connections and some minor ability to be able to use QoS would be a welcome addition.

 

Thanks again.

[G+_Ben Reese]

Kent Smith This may interest you. Leo had a discussion about WiFi options on a recent Screen Savers

[G+_Kent Smith]

Thanks Ben Reese that was well worth the watch. Funny but the two I was leaning towards were Google and Ubiquity so I guess that's out. :)

 

Still wondering about the overall idea of a high end single point router (such as the Synology) vs one of these consumer "mesh" products and general use.

 

I feel I get pretty decent WiFi coverage in my home with the existing Apple Extreme. But I will have devices lose connectivity (don't think it's WiFi but more a general routing issue) from time to time and some prioritization of devices could be helpful. So would those features in a higher end router end out giving me a better overall use case, and save me some money, then using a mesh device.

 

It kind of sounds like it's one of those situations where there is not one general correct answer as each user and each location is going to be so different.