Well, the title sort of says it all: I’m hoping to upgrade our home network from WiFi 5 to WiFi 6, but as I’m not very experienced with networking stuff in general, I would VERY MUCH appreciate any suggestions or recommendations you guys have!
So, why am I upgrading? There’s a few reasons, actually:
My current setup is at least 50 feet away from where our internet gear is on the same story/level within our house & I can’t move my setup any closer tbh.
The hardware in my personal gaming rig is relatively new & I have been experiencing unexpected disconnects from our WiFi [Both 2.4 GHz & 5 GHZ even though I haven’t changed anything in my system settings! which is a bit annoying to say the least. Windows is fully updated, drivers are all updated & check out, no infections or corrupt system files, etc. The main issue is I can receive my internet, but the reception isn’t so great due to the range & the fact that I have to rely on WiFi 5 when I can clearly take advantage of WiFi 6. So in case you were wondering, going with 5GHz WiFi 6 should IMO help somewhat. Just don’t quote me on that as I am FAR from an expert.]
Well, the gear we have that our ISP provided is only WiFi 5 capable & I’d really like to have better experience with WiFi 6 anyway, so. For anyone interested, our gear is an Adtran 8001B EON Optical Network Unit & a Comtrend WR-6895 WiFI gateway. [I believe, not WiFi 6 capable though.]
Now onto what I’m after: I would prefer to find either a modem & router or a gateway that is WiFi 6 capable but without being super costly. Great speeds & fantastic range are must haves, but I don’t need anything fancy since there’s only 2 pcs in the house that are on a gigabit connection. Would prefer to purchase from well-known retailers like BestBuy, Newegg, Amazon, MicroCenter, etc.
If any of you need more details or feel the desire to ask me anything additional, please, feel free to do so & I’ll fill you in! Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!
Get a Intel AX200 upgrade and a WiFi 6 WAP such as the EnGenius EWS377AP.
Then disable WiFi on the Comtrend WR-6895.
You might need to use a powerline network extender to move the WAP closer to your devices. Unless you can run cable.
@NZSNIPER I’ve considered powerline adapters, but they honestly wouldn’t be the right fit for me. Also, I’m hoping to replace the WiFi 5 gear with the WiFi 6 gear; I’m not going to keep the WiFi 5 gear if I wish to take advantage of WiFi 6. Also, as far as the gear goes that I’m after, I’d prefer to find a mid-ranged well-performer without being too pricey. (Not sure if I already said that in the description.)
@NZSNIPER Custom-pc is, but the internet gear is NOT hence the upgrade. Main issue with the internet gear is I *can receive * my internet, but the reception isn’t very great at my distance & it really sucks considering I can’t move my setup any closer. So the obvious path to take is upgrading the internet gear which definitely ought to improve my reception. Besides, I want to take advantage of WiFi 6 anyway. But I have yet to figure out why I will experience random disconnects from the network once in a great while…
What is the chipset on your mobo and have you thought of relocating the antenna that is attached to your computer for better signal? Would be cheaper and easier than replacing network gear.
The motherboard I have is the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi & unfortunately the WiFi antenna is at the back. Can’t complain too much about that. Besides, like I stated, I can’t move my setup any closer as much as I want to. Best option given my rather bizarre circumstances is to simply upgrade the gear. I’m no expert, but I’m quite certain it will make the experience FAR more enjoyable.
So for $13.99 you can move your antenna from the back of your desktop to maybe the edge of your desk or somewhere better exposed to the router?
It’s your money, if you are dead set on a new WAP the EnGenius, UniFi, or TP-Link access points will serve you well enough. @NZSNIPER suggestion is the course of action I would take if you wanted to get WiFi 6 capability.
Yeah, I actually don’t want to pay a few extra bucks for a supposedly “better” WiFi antenna in a better spot when I can simply replace the existing gear with something better & newer! But I still have 2 questions unanswered: Do WiFi 6 gateways actually exist yet? And if not, is the better option in this case to get a WiFi 6 capable router & modem? I kind of have a few ideas of where to look, but I need an opinion on those 2 questions…
You don’t understand what I am trying to convey to you here. WiFi (or any wireless communication for that matter) is influenced by a whole host of external interference unlike wired connections. If you just get a wifi6 AP you aren’t actually going to solve your signal degradation issues if you are keeping both of them in the same locations they are now. You need to make sure that they have unobstructed or the least obstructed line of sight of each other. That is why prosumer and commercial wireless AP’s are generally mounted on the ceilings of rooms. The antennas I sent you aren’t “better” than the ones on your computer right now but they give you the option to mount them in a more ideal location than what I imagine the situation is now. I think you need to read up on WiFi signal propagation and best practice for getting optimal connectivity out of your devices before you spend $100+ on equipment you, in all likelihood, don’t actually need.
Look, I DO perfectly understand what you’re trying to say, but I don’t think you fully understood me.
The internet gear is located in my mom’s room on the south end of our house while I am located on the east end. (Same story/level, plus, I’m at least 50-ish feet away.) If it WAS an option I would have the internet gear closer to my setup, but it’s just not feasible given how our house is! Yeah, I do have 1 cordless phone to worry about between point a & point b as well as a few walls, but believe me when I say it: I can’t do anything about it! If things were different, it would work out better, but I’m sorry, it’s just how things are.
If that is the case than again, wifi6 won’t do anything for you. Your issue isn’t one of bandwidth but of signal quality. Short of running a cable directly to your computer you need to get a wireless AP closer to your computer. A mesh system that gets a WAP closer to your room or running an Ethernet cable through your attic from the router and then either putting a drop in your room or a WAP from one of the previously mentioned companies on your ceiling so that you have unobstructed line of sight from your computer to the WAP.
Wifi6 just gets you more bandwidth and better performance in wireless congestion situations. It doesn’t penetrate walls better or go farther. It is still operating on the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands which are defeated by a few walls and distance pretty easily.
You will get better performance from dedicated AP’s that are wired directly to the router. Mesh is used when you cannot wire to the router but you will pay significantly more $$$$ and some of the bandwidth will be dedicated to inter-WAP communication/wireless backhaul to the router.
Something like this that is connected by Ethernet to your router is a wireless access point (WAP). Again, I would run a Ethernet cable from your router, into and across your attic, and then mount this to the ceiling in your room and connect it to the Ethernet cable. You can then configure this to be your personal WiFi network that only your devices can connect to in order to reduce network congestion and have better signal strength.
Hm, I’ll definitely consider the AP suggestion/recommendation. But whether to have our ISP rent out the appropriate WiFi 6 gear to use or just buy it myself… I guess I’ll have to meditate on that 1. Thanks for the input & no hard feelings for misunderstanding me earlier.
I have no doubt that Ubiquiti is a great brand no matter which product you get. Heck, even Linus has mentioned them in some of his videos as well! I just hope they’re not super pricey as if you’re paying for the name AND the performance/reliability.
For anyone interested, our gear is an Adtran 8001B EON Optical Network Unit & a Comtrend WR-6895 WiFI gateway. [I believe, not WiFi 6 capable though.] 
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!
