[Technology] Modem/Router/Mesh.....

wellquickwoody

Many More Voting Years

NSC Patron

Aug 10, 2007

13,624

Melbourne

• Jun 27, 2020

• #1

Hi all,

Modern life leads us to having an increasing number of wifi/smart devices. Currently have PC, TV/Fetchbox, 2 phones, 2 iPads, watering system, interior lights all connected via our modem/router. This modem/router was supplied by our ISP and is probably not the best available, although it is dual band. We do have a telephone landline but do not connect a phone to it.

I have speed checked our wifi connection in all rooms and we receive a constant 40 - 45 mbps (it is Australia) in all areas. But......we do have to constantly reconnect devices, or on occasion reboot the router to get a decent connection.

What should I be looking for? In the long term we are likely to double the number of wifi devices that we own. Should I be looking for a better modem/router, an upgraded router only, a mesh system, something else.

Thanks in advance.

 

Barnet Seagull

Luxury Player

Jul 14, 2003

5,929

Falmer, soon...

• Jun 27, 2020

• #2

wellquickwoody said:

Hi all,

Modern life leads us to having an increasing number of wifi/smart devices. Currently have PC, TV/Fetchbox, 2 phones, 2 iPads, watering system, interior lights all connected via our modem/router. This modem/router was supplied by our ISP and is probably not the best available, although it is dual band. We do have a telephone landline but do not connect a phone to it.

I have speed checked our wifi connection in all rooms and we receive a constant 40 - 45 mbps (it is Australia) in all areas. But......we do have to constantly reconnect devices, or on occasion reboot the router to get a decent connection.

What should I be looking for? In the long term we are likely to double the number of wifi devices that we own. Should I be looking for a better modem/router, an upgraded router only, a mesh system, something else.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

Difficult to determine the right answer without a more comprehensive wifi survey but If you are looking for consistent movement around the building, a mesh system generally will work the best.
A better modem or router would still have to battle the same wifi physics. i.e. signal degradation through air, walls and windows.
Mesh works best because you're bridging these physics with devices to stretch the signal and reduce signal loss.

Bandwidth is a good indicator but really, you need to understand signal strength (-dBm) to determine the optimum solution. i.e. you can have 40-50 mbps on a device which is 400mbps capable. Put an 11Mb device in that same space and it'll be pretty poor...

Also bear in mind, that wi-fi bandwidth is shared across all devices consuming it, i.e. if the wifi system is only 54mbps capable, that's 54mps shared across all devices.

Mesh systems solve most problems and are convenient and simple, but they do come at a premium..

 

Barnet Seagull

Luxury Player

Jul 14, 2003

5,929

Falmer, soon...

• Jun 27, 2020

• #3

If you're an android user, I'd recommed Wifi Analyzer and Wifi Overview-360 apps. These will allow you to test stability and do a walking survey.

 

happypig

Staring at the rude boys

May 23, 2009

7,971

Eastbourne

• Jun 27, 2020

• #4

ISP supplied routers are usually pretty poor. I upgraded my Plusnet Hub 5 (same as BT HH5) to a linksys 3200 and it's much better with stronger signal and more features.
Handsome beast too :

 

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius

Jul 21, 2003

35,312

• Jun 27, 2020

• #5

so many devices i'd consider if its maxing the available channels.

 

happypig

Staring at the rude boys

May 23, 2009

7,971

Eastbourne

• Jun 27, 2020

• #6

beorhthelm said:

so many devices i'd consider if its maxing the available channels.

Click to expand...

Doubt it. I have 5 phones, ipad, 5 laptops, 2 bose speakers, couple of raspberry pis, nest thermostat and probably other crap hanging off the wireless side of mine (as well as that I have about 8 wired devices).

 

R

RyFish

Active member

Dec 6, 2011

281

• Jun 27, 2020

• #7

Future proof yourself by making sure any router supports the WiFi 6 (802.11ax) standard. There are mesh systems coming in that do but they're fearsomely expensive right now, such as the Netgear Orbi RBK852 which is £700 (seven HUNDRED quid) for a two-unit system. Prices will come down quickly, though.

 

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius

Jul 21, 2003

35,312

• Jun 27, 2020

• #8

happypig said:

Doubt it. I have 5 phones, ipad, 5 laptops, 2 bose speakers, couple of raspberry pis, nest thermostat and probably other crap hanging off the wireless side of mine (as well as that I have about 8 wired devices).

Click to expand...

you have a better spec kit that can handle more. im going back to early days of Wifi, too many devices and too many wifi networks in proximity caused problems. suppose solution is as you say get better kit.

 

thedonkeycentrehalf

Retired

Jul 7, 2003

8,625

• Jun 27, 2020

• #9

As mentioned on other similar threads, we recently upgraded our home network to the Tenda Nova MW6 system after recommendations on here. Around £150 for a three device setup but this has made significant difference to upload and download speeds in areas of the house away from the main modem.

 

wellquickwoody

Many More Voting Years

NSC Patron

Aug 10, 2007

13,624

Melbourne

• Jun 29, 2020

• Thread starter
• #10

Just ordered a router from Asus, a Wifi 6 device, that is built for ‘multiple devices in the modern smart home’. Apparently the new Wifi 6 technology beams data to each individual device. We will see.