deepakvrao
Forerunner
Suggestion for Mesh WiFi
- Thread starter Abhishek_
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deepakvrao
Forerunner
Why? If 20mbps is ok for 4k TV, why can't wireless do the job?
With Mesh wifi becoming robust enough, i dont know if you need to retrofit powerline and other cabling anymore.
I use 3 XT8s and it works very well. Wifi 6, so works with most newer devices. Manage to get ~700Mbps anywhere in the house. Similar requirements as you, 20-25 devices + multiple 4K tvs. Sometimes 2 or 3 streaming in parallel.
I use 3 XT8s and it works very well. Wifi 6, so works with most newer devices. Manage to get ~700Mbps anywhere in the house. Similar requirements as you, 20-25 devices + multiple 4K tvs. Sometimes 2 or 3 streaming in parallel.
Even Deco M4 (3 pack) which costs less than 10k works extremely well. Although XT8 is much superior, it also costs way more (50k plus for 3pack).
Deco M4 can easily handle 20-25 devices with 2-3 concurrent 4K streams.
superczar
Keymaster
The first thing you need to do is finalize the budget.
I have been through the full cycle over the last 10 years with exactly the same problem as yours (multiple floors and RCC )
From multiple APs to extenders to mesh and finally SDN.
Each one was an upgrade over the last with the best incremental improvement coming from the step up from extenders -> Mesh
Having said that, i wont go back to consumer mesh because let’s face it, seamless wifi is critically important today, esp if you are working and there is no point trying to cheap out on sonething so important.
I have been through the full cycle over the last 10 years with exactly the same problem as yours (multiple floors and RCC )
From multiple APs to extenders to mesh and finally SDN.
Each one was an upgrade over the last with the best incremental improvement coming from the step up from extenders -> Mesh
Having said that, i wont go back to consumer mesh because let’s face it, seamless wifi is critically important today, esp if you are working and there is no point trying to cheap out on sonething so important.
what is the mesh system you are currently using? Going through the so many variants like ORBI does not give any idea in performance
deepakvrao
Forerunner
superczar
Keymaster
SDN stands for software defined networking - where there is a separate server/ controller that manages the roaming behavior between APs as well as the configuration for all APs.
While enterprise level SDN can be prohobitively expensive for home usage (e.g. Meraki or Fortinet) but there are a couple of consumer options also (Ubiqiuti/ TP Link Omada) which while are only marginally more expensive than good consumer mesh setups
I am using TP link Omada APs (EAP245) with a centralized controller for the last few years that yields between 500-600 mbps pretty much anywhere on the premises
superczar
Keymaster
Ethernet. If wireless backhaul is needed, I would recommend a triband consumer mesh instead i.e. one with a dedicated backhaul radio
Party Monger
Juggernaut
If you want a good consumer system go for Deco M5. I dont know why people have issues with consumer systems, but this has worked flawlessly for me. My routing is done via R7000 running Tomato. And all satellites are connected using TPLINK Gigabit lan switch and physical cables. I literally never had to give it a second thought except for when wifi becomes a little laggy I just run its maintenance. I think it changes channel after checking for noise from other wifi signals around.
I also prefer wifi AC since the signal extends exactly to the area on each floor and no more, so hand off is easy and super quick since the signal itself starts dying when other satellite begins..
I also prefer wifi AC since the signal extends exactly to the area on each floor and no more, so hand off is easy and super quick since the signal itself starts dying when other satellite begins..
Got the Deco M5 thanks to the router exchange offer for about 10.5K with 3 satellites (from flipkart---thanks to the tip from another thread). Initially had some hiccups setting it up but once set, it is running stable for about a week now. Getting excellent signal strength if two floors.
superczar
Keymaster
I did not have any issues with consumer mesh (Orbi)
As mentioned earlier too, it was a huge upgrade over the existing nighthawk router + extenders
Its just that the dedicated controller/SDN setup yielded small but significant QOL improvements -roaming behaviour in particular was the biggest gainer.
Considering the amount of usage the network gets , particularly now with a hybrid work model, it was definitely worth the cost of the upgrade , at least for me.
I would say that if I were on the 1st setup - it was OK for its time but it would have been a pain in the ass now
Setup 2 was very good - and would have been very usable even today although with some niggles (periodic reboot like you said, clients acting sticky at times requiring wifi toggle while roaming) - again, not a regular need but enough to be a niggle
Setup 3 is an incremental improvement over 2 - as it’s niggle free, super stable with no reboots required and no sticky client issue. Throughput too has seen an improvement.
Since client handling/ handoffs and all the other software based processing is handled by a dedicated controller , it also offloads a lot of CPU cycles from the Access Point SoC leading to improvements/ gains on both client behaviour and AP performance.
Is it worth the price difference vs say a deco on a good deal ? Probably not for most people but for those of us who prefer to WFH (and require constant connectivity) , it likely is
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