Just moved houses and finally got HFC NBN so I can get 250MBPS, but I only get that speed on 5GHZ, my crappy 2GHZ Tenda Wifi is not going to cut it, so I'll need to upgrade to some 5GHZ model. I don't care too much about any other bells and whistles, just need it to work. What's the best offer around for any 5GHZ wifi mesh pack? My apartment is kind of long so I"m hoping 3 pieces will be enough.
Wi-Fi Mesh with 5GHz
[Deactivated] on 16/08/2021 - 10:14
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3 Eero are $500 (for the newer ones), is this really budget? Or should i be looking at an older model
what benefits does uniquiti have?
eero isn't cheap unless it's Prime Day.
I suppose you could go for TP-Link Deco's which are more budget friendly. I wouldn't personally go for other random unknown brands but I'm sure some are fine.
Ubiquiti setups can do a lot more than just WiFi provision, they're scalable to larger sizes, higher output and adding other kit like security cameras and multi-device control. Probably not required for an apartment.
Get Ubiquiti Unifi
I suggest you start with two. Don't add a 3rd hop for no reason. Why can't you use 5GHz from the Tenda? Who is your ISP?
the model I have doesn't have 5GHZ.
Unless your apartment is enourmous, a good single point router will work absolutely fine. Mesh is only needed for big houses.
Since switching to mesh I've found a massive increase in connection consistency, I can't go back tbh
That's because you had a shit router.
A good router probably isn't going to be cheaper than a Deco M5 deal though. I've gone from router to router to router to router and mesh is the most consistent I've had in ever.
@[Deactivated]: I got a Xiaomi AX6000 router for $150 to replace my $500 Netgear nighthawk. Better in everyway and full coverage in my house.
@[Deactivated]: AU $136.06 22%OFF | New 2021 Xiaomi AX6000 AIoT Router 6000Mbs WiFi6 VPN 512MB Qualcomm CPU Mesh Repeater External Signal Network Amplifier Mi Home
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOD34j1@[Deactivated]: Considering my house is likely larger and better built than your apartment (with thicker walls), and I get 1000mbps over wi-fi near the router and over 400mbps at the extreme ends of the house, it will have absolutely no problems.
@[Deactivated]: I was more referring to the interference with all the other electronics from all the other apartments, which I expect is what gives me 80mbps on 2.4ghz and 250mbps on 5ghz.
I paid $220 for the TP Link Deco M5 3 pack. I bought it because my router wasn't cutting it due to concrete walls between rooms and the mesh has solved this. Whilst it may be considered overkill, I think $220 is a reasonable price for being able to constantly hit my top internet speed and will be useful if I move into a bigger place in the future. In my parents home I've set up the Google Wifi 3 pack which cost me $400 which have also been great but may not suit your budget and are more useful only if you have other google products (which they do).
Thanks so much for this comment. What benefit does Google Wifi have with Google products? I was going to try to automate a bunch of stuff in this apartment around Google Home.
This is what the Google Assistant with Nest Wi-Fi can do.
Built-in speaker with the Google Assistant
Nest Wifi points have a speaker with the Google Assistant, so you can play music, manage your Wi-Fi network, find answers, control your connected devices and more using just your voice.
Note: The Nest Wifi router does not include a speaker or Google Assistant.
Ethernet ports are only on the Nest Wi-Fi Router, zero Ethernet ports on the Nest Wi-Fi Point and no support for VLAN 8021.Q for ISPs that use it. Who is your ISP?
i'm with superloop. one of the main reasons i liked the mesh setup was that I could connect my desktop directly to a mesh point using ethernet and it made the connection very reliable
@[Deactivated]: Nest Wi-Fi is compatible with Superloop. In the bundles you have to choose between Google Assistant or Ethernet ports.
As Twix mentioned, the Google Wifi 3 pack comes with 1 main router (which has one spare ethernet port, no speaker, no google assistant) and then 2 Wifi points which are basically range extenders for the mesh system but also have speakers, google assistant but no ethernet point. Currently, we use the 2 Wifi points to control the TV (on and off, simple Netflix instructions etc), coloured smart lights (on and off, change colour), play music through my sound system, set timers and on rare occasions even take calls. If I'm honest, unless you fully commit to a smart home (which will be tough for you in an apartment), most of these features are gimmicky. As a standalone mesh wifi system, it performs great but you could yield similar results with cheaper alternatives. Also, The TP link Deco M5 has an ethernet port in each "point" so you can basically connect 3 devices via ethernet.
Can it be found for $220 anywhere now? Cheapest I can see is Amazon for 265
When I was looking to purchase it was on sale at Bunnings and I then used price beat at Officeworks to get it cheaper.
I'm a fan of the Asus RT-AC86U. I have two of them in a mesh network in both 2Ghz and 5 Ghz (Smart connect).
I like the TP-Link Deco system, especially with having an ethernet port on each one.
Streams 4K Remux files perfectly fine via a Shield
I have Netgear Orbi in a 2 story house and it works a treat. Used to do a good job in an apartment as well where I had a bathroom right in the signal line of sight which clobbered my signal - mesh to bounce around it helped immensely.
Yes to Orbi, expensive but worth it !
Eero for budget setup, Ubiquiti for premium.