Recommend me a mesh system

fred246

We have got a fantastic powerline network that works really well. We use lots of fixed PCs and TVs. They couldn't be better. The wifi is shared between the router and a 200MBPS wifi powerline adapter from 2012. The SSID and passwords are the same. It's not bad but I think it could be faster and the transition between the 2 can be a bit dodgy. Apparently a mesh system would be better. So instead of buying a newer Wifi powerline adapter I was wondering about mesh just for wifi. So I would leave my powerline system as it is. I could put a mesh box next to the router. I would need another 2 or 3 nodes. Preferably small, white, plug in. No need for ethernet ports on them. Any suggestions please.

Grumpy_chap

I use Google WIFI Whole Home System and find it reliable plus simple to set up.

benson1980

Grumpy_chap said:

I use Google WIFI Whole Home System and find it reliable plus simple to set up.

We also went for google wifi. Has been 100% reliable for us, and the google apps just have an extra bit of polish which makes the whole thing a delight to set up and use. The nodes also look more aesthetically pleasing than most (we mounted them on the walls and look good even where we can't hide the cabling). 

MinuteNoodles

Ubiquity gear is fantastic both from a performance, administrative and aesthetic point of view. I'm always wary of anything from Google, especially anything that has features delivered by services they provide on the web, as they have a long and notorious history for just pulling the plug on projects when they get bored with them turning them into a doorstop or leaving them with very basic functionality.

jaybeetoo

I've been very happy with BT Whole Home WiFi.

mgfvvc

My first Mesh was BT Whole Home. It was great to start with, but BT put out an update that made it horribly unreliable. It took 6 months for them to release a "fix" and it didn't actually fix my network issues. I replaced it with a TP-Link Deco M5, that has never given me any problems.

Myser

Any mesh system that you install would replace the Wi-Fi that you have already.  If you want to take benefit of the mesh system, you would need to disable the Wi-Fi on all other routers, hubs and extenders.  Otherwise they will interfere and your connected devices will not maintain the connection when moving around.

If your Internet provider doesn't have a deal, TP-Link Deco are good and easy to setup.

arrallas

I've had an Orbi (RBK50) setup for over a year now and it is really impressive. We have thick walls and a large area to cover and it covers the whole house. Even in the shed, which is about 25m away, I pick up a strong signal. Amazon Warehouse often has them at a good discount, but they are still not a cheap option. Not particularly small either! As Myser says, turn off your router wifi.

Murmansk

The Netgear Orbi RBK13 gets quite well reviewed by Computer Active magazine and Web User, it's £140 for 3 units and doesn't have ethernet ports. Units are white and 10cm square

jaybeetoo

mgfvvc said:

My first Mesh was BT Whole Home. It was great to start with, but BT put out an update that made it horribly unreliable. It took 6 months for them to releasa a "fix" and it didn't actually fix my network issues. I replaced it with a TP-Link Deco M5, that has never given me any problems.

Yes, BT did go through a bad patch where they issued one bad update after another.  That was a long time ago and the recent updates have been fine.

debitcardmayhem

I have an ASUS AC68U dsl router and an ASUS RT68U , basically because I got the dsl when I got FTTC and just added the router to make a mesh.