Broadband Wifi mesh and all that mularkey

[T4tomo]

OK one for the technical geeks...

So i'm with Talktalk, out of my previous 18 or 24 month tie in. and I have there 150mb fast fibre, I used to use the talktalk TV box but have just ditched that as it wont support ITVX (and ITV hub dies at end of Nov), but my smart TV(s) do, so actually no point using the TV box, one less remote control. I also have a landline I never use.

I use their standard router - run one ethernet cable to the TV and have a couple of electric socket wifi extenders as in a 3 story town house, so my son ethernets his PS4 into one (on iddle floor) and on the top floor the OH Ethernet's her work from home laptop into the other, (which her son sometime pinches for his PC when hes not at Uni as its better fro gaming that the wifi connection). The wifi off the extenders is a different name to the downstairs one so occasionally the upstairs crew switch networks if using mobiles downstairs etc.

So rather than just ring up and drop the TV off my account I could re tie myself for 24 month and get a broadband fibre only package, no landline, 500mb with

• Free Amazon eero Pro 6 mesh system with Tri-band Wi-Fi 6. Perfect for speeds up to 1 Gigabit. (RRP £189.99)
• Connects 75+ devices at the same time
• Expert install: get the best connection from day one
• Data only: no phone line - just pure broadband
• Fixed Price Plus

or just keep the 150mb with

• Free Amazon eero 6 router with dual-band Wi-Fi 6. Perfect for speeds up to 500 Mb/s. (RRP £109)
• Connects 75+ devices at the same time
• Expert install: get the best connection from day one
• Data only: no phone line - just pure broadband

Or i could switch provider say Plusnet and get their 300mb or 500mb offering with their "HUB2 router" - which i think is a rebranded BT one - which I'd have to get my own mesh system to add onto?

The mesh system appeals for the ease of having one wifi network - would the fact that it 500mb negate the need to ethernet for gaming or is a wired connection always better. I assume the Amazon eero Pro 6 mesh system with Tri-band Wi-Fi 6 will come with just one base unit and one extender /node? or does it come with 2 nodes.

Can i I also continue to use one of the electric socket extenders to provide a wired connection in say son's bedroom and use an ethernet port on the mesh system on the top floor for OH's work, and then everyone uses mesh wifi for mobiles etc with one unit on ground floor and one on top floor?

I don't bother with Sky TV etc, happy with just using free to air stuff off smart TV's and occasionally chromecast a match stream off the phone to the TV if needed.

What advice folks, particularly IT literate folks!

 

[Beebo]

Not IT literate.
But after years of issues with broadband and constant complaints from the kids I switched to BT full fibre last year. It comes with their own boosters which you plug in at strategic locations to create seamless coverage with no drop outs.
I haven’t had a single peep out of anyone for over a year. Bliss.

 

[Bollo]

Oooh, lots in there so I couldn’t begin to answer everything but here are my thoughts….

I thought download limits were a thing of the past for non-mobile broadband but there you go. 150Mb sounds like not a lot. I just checked my usage and it hovers around 500Gb a month, which covers 2 adults who both home work a bit. Lots of Zoom/Teams meeting and I‘m a software developer, so there’s plenty of talking to the cloud. Some streaming but no gaming.

I’m not a fan of all-in packages for a number of reasons including equipment ownership and lack of flexibility. I have service-only broadband and then use my own modem connected via wired Ethernet to a mesh master, which then communicates with two satellites. That covers a moderately sized 3 bed house but with the broadband entry point in one corner. I imagine for your house you’d want one Wi-Fi source per floor for reliable coverage, but that’s a bit of a guess.

Mesh systems are generally easy enough to set up and handle handover between the satellites seamlessly. I used to the plug-in extenders but the mesh is way more reliable. If you do choose your own mesh system, make sure you know whether the mesh master can act as a modem (takes the broadband in directly) or whether you need a separate modem that then connects to the mesh master. Most modems also have Wi-Fi capability so I turned this off and just use the mesh signal to avoid confusion.

 

[newfhouse]

150Mb sounds like not a lot.

Per second…

 

[Bollo]

Per second…

I didn’t think that sounded right but took the units literally.

 

[Alex321]

Oooh, lots in there so I couldn’t begin to answer everything but here are my thoughts….

I thought download limits were a thing of the past for non-mobile broadband but there you go. 150Mb sounds like not a lot.

That isn't a limit, it is the speed of the connection.

 

[T4tomo]

I’m not a fan of all-in packages for a number of reasons including equipment ownership and lack of flexibility. I have service-only broadband and then use my own modem connected via wired Ethernet to a mesh master, which then communicates with two satellites. That covers a moderately sized 3 bed house but with the broadband entry point in one corner. I imagine for your house you’d want one Wi-Fi source per floor for reliable coverage, but that’s a bit of a guess.

Mesh systems are generally easy enough to set up and handle handover between the satellites seamlessly. I used to the plug-in extenders but the mesh is way more reliable. If you do choose your own mesh system, make sure you know whether the mesh master can act as a modem (takes the broadband in directly) or whether you need a separate modem that then connects to the mesh master. Most modems also have Wi-Fi capability so I turned this off and just use the mesh signal to avoid confusion.

any recommendations on Mesh systems or are they much of a much-ness?

do the mesh satellites have ethernet connection ports or are they wifi only?

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Yes they do have ethernet ports as well as wifi. Number depends on model.

Be aware that some services that are free with most models are paid for with the Amazon units, as is the Amazon way.

I've stuck with TP, which is about the biggest brand in consumer mesh, and all of whose models are x-compatible if you need more coverage in future. Connecting it up this morning, all being well.

 

[Dadam]

I didn’t think that sounded right but took the units literally.

150 mbps (150m bits-per-second)
150 Mb (megabytes - byte= 8 bits) would be a tiny download limit. I would have used more than that per month on my first broadband back in 2000 (Pipex ADSL - 512 bps, i.e 1/2 Mbps)

Go for a mesh setup if you have a multi-floor house. I went for an Asus Zenwifi 3 unit setup back in 2021 when my daughter's school were doing online classes and she was stressing out because her connection kept dropping. Most of the other kids were no doubt very happy about that sort of thing "oh no miss, sorry my wifi dropped!" but that's my daughter for you.

All the units have an RJ45 socket for external connection or ethernet backhaul.

 

[Bollo]

any recommendations on Mesh systems or are they much of a much-ness?

do the mesh satellites have ethernet connection ports or are they wifi only?

I use a Netgear Orbi setup with two satellites, although their range has shifted since I bought it. It's been reliable and I've had no performance problems, but it wasn't particularly cheap.

My work system upstairs connects to one of the satellites through via an ethernet cable.

150 mbps (150m bits-per-second)
150 Mb (megabytes - byte= 8 bits) would be a tiny download limit. I would have used more than that per month on my first broadband back in 2000 (Pipex ADSL - 512 bps, i.e 1/2 Mbps)

I'm paying for this aren't I? Will teach me to multitask while trying to code a page that actually displays total file sizes

 

[fossyant]

BT system works well, got 3 Mesh extenders, one is connected via ethernet as a backbone, and another powerline ethernet as a backbone, and one WIFI only. Works really well and gives great coverage in the house and to the bottom of the garden. BT is pricey though.

 

[MrGrumpy]

I use Deco M5 units around my home , just ordered another one of the Bay to give me 5 . We have quite a large house , with one area still a wee bit iffy . They work well for me ! Night and day compared to the virgin media supplied mesh extenders , which annoyed me. Gigabit internet , which on the WiFi tops out at about 700 odd . I’m fine with that .

 

[figbat]

Out of interest, why are you using different WiFi SSIDs (network names) on different floors? Why not use the same name and password for all floors then you can seamlessly roam around the house (it’s what I do). I have a non-mesh setup so make sure the access points are on different channels.

 

[T4tomo]

Out of interest, why are you using different WiFi SSIDs (network names) on different floors? Why not use the same name and password for all floors then you can seamlessly roam around the house (it’s what I do). I have a non-mesh setup so make sure the access points are on different channels.

Inertia & technical ability!!

It was set up like that in lockdown when all the kids were back, and my house was a virtual university. Since Daughter and her very tech able boyfriend moved out, they took a bit of kit they'd bought for the top floor with them (might have been a google mesh - We upgraded the broadband package then to full fibre as it was struggling with 4 people working from home and he set up the wifi networks). When they left I reverted back to devolo extender set up, which was enough to sort Sons PS4 wired connection and my PC is in same room as main router, but the issues have come now OH & her Son are using top floor again regularly.

I'm thinking upgrade to the talktalk 500 mesh system will be best route, also saves spending £100-£200 on a independent mesh system.

 

[swee'pea99]

Basic Plusnet package, three BT Mesh disks bought off ebay for fifty quid or so (they come up all the time), job done! (Oh, you will need a router too, if you don't already have one. I'd recommend a BT hub - they're easy to find (on ebay) and rock solid.