It’s that time of year when I have a load of extended family round, which means complaints about the WiFi. So I’m looking for a sub-£150 mesh network, to shut 'em up.
Long story short, all my systems are either hardwired or get a good enough WiFi connection that I don’t care about fixing my crappy setup. Running Ethernet cable isn’t really an option. I need some way of getting a decent signal to a dead spot downstairs, from my switch and pfSense UTM upstairs. As each location is separated by and exterior brick wall, I think 3x APs would be better than 2. I will be using my pfSense UTM for routing. My budget is strictly £150 or less.
Amazon have various models of Tp-link Deco on sale at the moment. So I’ve been looking at triple packs of the Deco X10 and the S7 (here’s a comparison of the two models - Compare Product: Deco X10 (3-pack) vs Deco S7 (3-pack)). The X10s are £130, and the S7s are £120.
My questions are-
Are the X10s worth an extra tenner over the S7s?
Are there any better, similarly priced alternatives that I should consider?
Should I just buy some earplugs instead, so I don’t have to listen to their complaints?
@HanSolo, I would buy a good pair of earplugs so you don’t need to listen to their complaints. I have never had any luck with mesh networks. I prefer APs connected by ethernet cable to whichever device I am using as a Switch. I have tried TP-Link mess systems in the past but could never get them to work well, so I returned the devices to the store. The problem with TP-Link was that the device connected to the router worked very well, but Wifi devices would not connect to the two other extenders. My advice will be that your guest put up with the shity Wifi or go home. They could use their phones as a Wifi hot spot. That is what I do when I am a guest in someone’s home.
@RichieCahill, this thread talks about Mesh systems. APs are a completely different device. Mesh systems aren’t wired together; that is the whole point of a mesh system. APs are not designed to receive their power and packets via powerline networking. If @HanSolo wants to solve his issue, I suggest connecting two or more Unifi APs to his switch via ethernet cable.
@TryTwiceMedia I have tried every mesh system out there that is cheaper than two Unifi APs. They all have the same problems I had with TP-Link.
I fixed my issue with ethernet cables inside my walls by drilling a small hole into the ceiling and connecting the upstairs with the downstairs so I could connect my two routers and switches. Then, I just purchased two Unif APs and connected one AP to the downstairs switch, then connected the other Unifi AP to the upstairs AP. No more WiFi issues.
That’s what I’d prefer to do but it’s simply not a possibility unfortunately.
When you say that devices wouldn’t connect… do you mean it was as if clients weren’t being transferred between APs as the devices got closer to one of the meshed APs? Even if the connection to the wired AP was slow?
If they had proper encryption, then I wouldn’t be against using powerline networking but I’m 95% sure that the two different floors on which I’d have the APs, are on separate ring mains. So I don’t think they really offer much of an advantage over a wireless network.
I’ve used Unifi APs in the past and I’ve never found them to be as reliable or as performant as the old Asus router I’m using as an AP. I know my experience is probably not reflective of Ubiquiti’s offerings but it, along with the issue of cost, means that I’m not really too keen on scouring eBay for APs (not to mention the issue with running Ethernet cable)… Perhaps I might get round to it, at some point next year though.
The problem I encountered with every mesh system I tried was threefold: first, clients would have trouble connecting the other mesh devices that weren’t connected to my switch (at the time, I only had one router and switch). Number two, when the clients are connected to the other mesh devices not connected to my switch, they won’t provide the same speed as the one connected to my switch. Number three, some material is used to construct the inside walls that interfere with the signal of a mesh system. In my case, the only solution was to purchase a few APs and figure out the best position for each AP. forchantly I live in a small house, so I only needed two Unifi APs.
The new Unifi APs are a lot better than the old ones. The downstairs router is an Asus router, and the new Unifi APs are significantly better than my old Asus router. The trick with the new Unifi APs is that they need to be properly placed and configured.
As to the problem of not running ethernet cables inside walls, have you considered running them along the outside of the walls, attaching them to the walls with either masking tape or hot glue?
I have bought a 3 pack of Deco S7’s. They might not be the best option in the long run but at the moment, they feel like the right choice for me.
It’s a testament to just how old and crappy my old WiFi setup is that the Deco’s are literally 10x faster. I’ve only been using them for a few days but I’ve not had to manually change access points on my phone, when the internet became sluggish having moved from the downstairs to upstairs. I’m also not having any issues in the room that has an RSJ in the roof. Which I think was part of the problem with the old setup’s poor connection.
I know that a UniFi setup would probably be better in many ways but after spending a few days weighing up my various options, I came to the conclusion that, at this point in time, I just don’t want to add any more complexity, learning, or upkeep to my home network.
The long term plan is to run a cable at some point next year. I’m sure that given time, I can make the argument that running Ethernet cabling will pay for itself and any related hassle in the long run. I’ll hardwire the Deco’s and if they should prove to be insufficient. Then after eating a slice of humble pie, perhaps I’ll be more willing to get some old UniFi APs.
Thanks for the advice @Shadowbane… I just hope I don’t regret not heeding it .
I did scour eBay for a couple of days, looking for UniFi APs. If someone had the time and willingness to go that route, then they could get 3x APs, 3x PoE injectors, and some 3d printed brackets for a less than the £119 I paid for 3x Deco S7’s but as I said… I just don’t have the inclination at the moment. Not least because I’ve got family visiting from literally the other side of the planet, and I’d rather spend time with them, that messing around configuring and securing a 3+ year old version of the UniFi controller.
I am glad you were finally able to fix some of your issues. You lucked out better than I did with a network Mesh system. As I said before, I have tried every Mesh system manufactured that didn’t cost a few thousand dollars. I can’t justify spending that much on WiFi for my home. No problem not following my advice. I prefer CISCO networking equipment over Unifi, but they sure ask a lot for their non-end-of stuff; I can’t justify purchasing their equipment for the home. If you do decide on Unifi networking equipment, It has been my experience that Unifi equipment, when purchased new, has a useful life of about five years. I think the sellers on Ebay are selling their Unifi equipment to recoup some of the cost of purchasing new Unfi equipment, or they are going with a different manufacturer.
I was in a similar situation. What I did was to setup and preconfigure the whole network at home, including the unifi-controller (old Intel NUC) and dropping it at my parents home. For older APs you can still use the latest version of the unifi controller. Devices which are nearing the 8 - 10 old range are problematic because they use a type of proprietary-poe proto standard (and are EOL from unifi anyways).
Thanks for the info - I didn’t find anything last time I researched this. (a client desperately wanted to continue using their old APs, after their unifi POE 24v passive switch failed, but I couldn’t find any modern switches or converter which supported this standard.)
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