Can my house's WiFi situation be fixed?
February 25, 2023 12:30 PM Subscribe
My home's wireless network leaves a little to be desired when streaming video. This includes Disney+ and most other streaming video services on our Chromecast, Zoom, and Google Meet. Ethernet is fine, but I don't have wiring to every room. How can I improve my situation?
Hardware: I have a NETGEAR R7000P WiFi access point and router with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks on different SSIDs. In the house's back room, I have a NETGEAR EAX15 range extender. We have 9 wireless devices in the house regularly on the network across two floors and the basement, and an 800Mbps cable modem connection to the outside world. The R7000P has a buggy MU-MIMO implementation, so that is disabled. Should I try a new router? How do I decide on which model? I am decently technical but I never really paid attention to wireless networking details until now.
Hardware: I have a NETGEAR R7000P WiFi access point and router with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks on different SSIDs. In the house's back room, I have a NETGEAR EAX15 range extender. We have 9 wireless devices in the house regularly on the network across two floors and the basement, and an 800Mbps cable modem connection to the outside world. The R7000P has a buggy MU-MIMO implementation, so that is disabled. Should I try a new router? How do I decide on which model? I am decently technical but I never really paid attention to wireless networking details until now.
I had similar problems and moved to an Eero setup - main unit in my pantry/network closet on the main floor, one satellite upstairs and one in the basement. Neither satellite is connected via a wired connection, and it has definitely improved connections across the board. If you had wired connections the satellites could plug into, that would be even better. (Note that Eero is part of Amazon, I know that's a discussion-ender for some folks).
posted by neilbert at 12:45 PM on February 25, 2023
posted by neilbert at 12:45 PM on February 25, 2023
Sounds like you could definitely use a true mesh network. For my family (six people, dozens of devices), we went with TP-Link Deco AX20. It's three units, but only one needs to be wired to your cable modem. The others use wireless backhaul. To position the satellites, just use simple geometry to place them where they each cover a portion of your living space.
We've had nothing but great results with these. Nobody complains about bad signal or lag. My kids game over the wireless connection. It Just Works
posted by jermz at 1:23 PM on February 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
We've had nothing but great results with these. Nobody complains about bad signal or lag. My kids game over the wireless connection. It Just Works
posted by jermz at 1:23 PM on February 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
I have colleagues living in an old 3-story house who found powerline Ethernet to be a good solution to their WiFi woes. They connected their primary router (connected to the cable modem by Ethernet) to one end of the powerline Ethernet adapter and connected the other end to another WiFi router with its own SSID.
posted by brianogilvie at 1:28 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by brianogilvie at 1:28 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Powerline Ethernet may work for some of our devices, actually.
posted by mkb at 1:30 PM on February 25, 2023
posted by mkb at 1:30 PM on February 25, 2023
Wait, are you saying that there's already ethernet wired into some of your other rooms? If so, you shouldn't be using wireless range extenders, you should be placing one or more additional wireless access points, as near as possible to the areas where the wifi is currently struggling.
If I'm misreading, and there isn't any useful ethernet wiring available for this, then your best options are either a mesh setup (as recommended above), or to use powerline networking as backhaul to connect an additional wifi access point.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:58 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
If I'm misreading, and there isn't any useful ethernet wiring available for this, then your best options are either a mesh setup (as recommended above), or to use powerline networking as backhaul to connect an additional wifi access point.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:58 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: You are misreading, or I am implying something I don't mean to imply. There is no Ethernet wiring at all in the walls of the house. The only usable Ethernet is between my cable modem and my WiFi router, and between the router and the devices right next to it.
posted by mkb at 2:12 PM on February 25, 2023
posted by mkb at 2:12 PM on February 25, 2023
You may need to spend the money and upgrade to a mesh router. I believe Wyze has a mesh router pro coming soon that will speak Wifi 6E, which includes the new 6 GHz band, with 2 nodes starting at under $300. Or you can opt for the current Wifi 6 mesh for under $200 with 2 nodes.
What most people don't understand with range extender is while they *do* extend the range, they will have less bandwidth, and range extender means you have to use a different SSID. For that that can rebroadcast on the SAME network ID, they end up HALVING your bandwidth.
posted by kschang at 2:29 PM on February 25, 2023
What most people don't understand with range extender is while they *do* extend the range, they will have less bandwidth, and range extender means you have to use a different SSID. For that that can rebroadcast on the SAME network ID, they end up HALVING your bandwidth.
posted by kschang at 2:29 PM on February 25, 2023
My experience with the TP Link WiFi extenders is that they made coverage and speed worse, in two different houses. Moving to a true mesh network (in my case Synology) helped significantly.
posted by Candleman at 2:32 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Candleman at 2:32 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have powerline extenders and they work well. But: they don't always work well on shitty older wiring, or plugged into extension leads or power boards. If you can't plug them straight into the wall or your house has very old wiring they might not work ok.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:53 PM on February 25, 2023
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:53 PM on February 25, 2023
My experience with the TP Link WiFi extenders is that they made coverage and speed worse, in two different houses.
My friends also had this experience.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 2:56 PM on February 25, 2023
My friends also had this experience.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 2:56 PM on February 25, 2023
Definitely get a real mesh system; they’re great IME.
posted by aramaic at 3:00 PM on February 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by aramaic at 3:00 PM on February 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have that same router!
I solved my issues early WFH with two (now four) Netgear PLP2000 powerline adapters. If you get a good connection through your house wiring you will achieve faster and more reliable connections than wifi, and each remote unit has two ports, allowing more hardwired connections.
My main router (the R7000P) is located in one corner of the house due to limitations on where the fiber connects. I briefly tried running the wifi on the R7000P downstairs and a Netgear WAX206 assess point on my second floor, but our phones didn't hand off well floor to floor, and I discovered the AP on the second floor gave me good enough coverage on its own so I disabled the wifi on the R7000P and hardwired fixed position devices with the PLP2000's
posted by token-ring at 8:00 PM on February 25, 2023
I solved my issues early WFH with two (now four) Netgear PLP2000 powerline adapters. If you get a good connection through your house wiring you will achieve faster and more reliable connections than wifi, and each remote unit has two ports, allowing more hardwired connections.
My main router (the R7000P) is located in one corner of the house due to limitations on where the fiber connects. I briefly tried running the wifi on the R7000P downstairs and a Netgear WAX206 assess point on my second floor, but our phones didn't hand off well floor to floor, and I discovered the AP on the second floor gave me good enough coverage on its own so I disabled the wifi on the R7000P and hardwired fixed position devices with the PLP2000's
posted by token-ring at 8:00 PM on February 25, 2023
How can I improve my situation?
Same answer I always give: add wires. If it isn't feasible to run them under your floor or through your ceiling, you might look into running flat cat 6 along skirting boards and around door frames.
Costs more, works way better.
posted by flabdablet at 10:23 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Same answer I always give: add wires. If it isn't feasible to run them under your floor or through your ceiling, you might look into running flat cat 6 along skirting boards and around door frames.
Costs more, works way better.
posted by flabdablet at 10:23 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Since you're thinking about changing how you network, there's ANOTHER way to network, if your place is wired for cable TV in different rooms, called "MoCA" and they do better throughput than regular powerline networking.
Powerline networking is highly dependent on how the house is wired. If it's blocked behind breakers then the signals will not get through. You pretty much have to buy a kit and try it out. There are two separate protocols used for powerline: AV2, and Wave 2 G.hn. The latter is newer, and should be more resistant to noise so it works over longer distances, but throughput may not be as mature as the devices running AV2.
If you can get powerline networking working, there are a lot of options. Some of these devices can come with Wifi, so you don't need to buy another access point. There are even "mixed mesh" where you put one node near the cable modem, powerline that to the other mesh node so its backhaul is wired instead of wireless. Then you can wire up additional devices with a physical connection at each node with ethernet.
posted by kschang at 9:21 AM on February 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Powerline networking is highly dependent on how the house is wired. If it's blocked behind breakers then the signals will not get through. You pretty much have to buy a kit and try it out. There are two separate protocols used for powerline: AV2, and Wave 2 G.hn. The latter is newer, and should be more resistant to noise so it works over longer distances, but throughput may not be as mature as the devices running AV2.
If you can get powerline networking working, there are a lot of options. Some of these devices can come with Wifi, so you don't need to buy another access point. There are even "mixed mesh" where you put one node near the cable modem, powerline that to the other mesh node so its backhaul is wired instead of wireless. Then you can wire up additional devices with a physical connection at each node with ethernet.
posted by kschang at 9:21 AM on February 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
MoCA is great if you have cable TV wires in rooms where you have devices or want to place APs.
If you do need to use an wireless extender thing, remember that you need to place it somewhere that it has good connectivity to your main AP. You can't plop one down in the room you're having trouble with and expect it to work miracles. If it doesn't have a good connection, nothing connected to it is going to have a good connection either. Put the range extender in between the crappy place and your existing AP.
posted by wierdo at 12:56 PM on February 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you do need to use an wireless extender thing, remember that you need to place it somewhere that it has good connectivity to your main AP. You can't plop one down in the room you're having trouble with and expect it to work miracles. If it doesn't have a good connection, nothing connected to it is going to have a good connection either. Put the range extender in between the crappy place and your existing AP.
posted by wierdo at 12:56 PM on February 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
All I can say is that the mesh wireless thingies I bought work amazingly well and are worth every penny, and pretty much idiot-proof to install. I went from being close to unable to work from home, to having Internet like air.
posted by haptic_avenger at 8:32 PM on February 26, 2023
posted by haptic_avenger at 8:32 PM on February 26, 2023
Response by poster: OK, Asus mesh equipment arrives today, so we shall see.
posted by mkb at 10:24 AM on February 28, 2023
posted by mkb at 10:24 AM on February 28, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by matcha action at 12:40 PM on February 25, 2023 [1 favorite]