Improving Internet Access Round The House

[securespark]

We have a 5 bed detached house with a 6m x 3m extension on the side and another on the rear measuring 5m x 3m.

Looking at the front of the building from the outside, the router is in the R/H/S of the lounge, which runs the full width of the house at the front
There are repurposed routers acting as APs in the following locations:

At the rear of the house in the 5x3 extension on the R/H/S.

In the ground floor of the 6x3 extension, which is on the other side of the building to the router in the lounge.

On the first floor to the R/H/S, rear of the house.

On the first floor to the R/H/S, front of the house, above the router in the lounge.

On the first floor to the L/H/S front of the house.

They are so positioned to cover black spots but the issues are that there is no continuity between them and they seem to drop out regularly. The side extension has its own AP as the coverage without it is very poor, being on the other side of an external cavity wall.

Each repurposed router is fed by a Cat 6 cable from a switch connected to the router in the lounge.

Attached to each repurposed router via Cat 6 cables are various bits of equipment:
Computers, printers, TVs and games consoles.

Also connected via WiFi to each point are smartphones and laptops.

I would like to replace these piecemeal repurposed routers with a seamless system offering more robust WiFi, but with the ability to attach equipment at each point via cable.

I have been looking at the BT mesh system, but it is unclear if there are Ethernet sockets attached and also whether the WiFi offers 2.4 and 5 Gig.

If possible I'd like to replace these repurposed routers with a single unit to keep things as neat as possible.

Has anyone got any suggestions, please?

Thank you.

 

[Keithmac]

I'm mulling over a Mesh network but for a good one you have to spent a bit.

We have HomePlugs at the moment with dedicated SSID for the kids kit upstairs and that works well but you can't wander around the house on the same network.

I know BT were very problematic with Sonos on their routers. I'd be tempted to go with a "proper" branded Mesh system (Netgear etc) and just run the BT hub in Modem Mode.

 

[securespark]

Thanks.

Not BT, but similar: it's a Plusnet Hub One router, essentially the same as BTs.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks.

Not BT, but similar: it's a Plusnet Hub One router, essentially the same as BTs.

Snap - I had a the BT version using opensource firmware until it died on me on Saturday, I had to replace it with the original Plusnet Hub One - in the loft. I have one repurposed router (living room) and a printer server (small bedroom), wired CAT 6 to that, plus a 2GHz / 5Ghz wifi extender out in the hut, to reach out to the garden and garage. No problems at all now, with coverage, providing I switch to the appropriate access point.

I use a mix of wired for static items and wifi for the portable items.

Strangely, both 2GHz and 5GHz from the Plusnet hub are stronger than the BT unit showed - in the same locations.

 

[securespark]

Netgear Orbi RBK352 (£210) gets a good write up on Which?

Asus Zen WiFi AX is THE Best Buy, but is the most expensive at £400. The difference is better WiFi speed.

I am guessing the base unit attaches to the router and then you put extenders around the building?

 

[Keithmac]

Yep I believe you plug the master unit into your router then they broadcast to each other (maintaining the wifi).

The Mesh system passes you from one unit to another depending on signal strength, should all be seemless from the user point of view.

They are basically a fancy Wifi repeater, with the ability to pass on connection from one node to the next.

Sonos speakers do the same if you wire a unit to the router but they do it on their own dedicated network.

I think from a normal user point of view with the least faf Mesh is the way to go.

 

[securespark]

Cheers, Keith.

I'll look a bit further into these systems.

 

[foxhole]

Just trialing a tplink mesh system , Virgin router is cack ( on second unit after signing up in summer ). Easy set up and each unit has two Ethernet ports.So far no dropouts and good speeds . £85 for triple pack .

 

[JBR]

I also have TP-Link extenders (using mains electrical circuit) and have found they work very well with no problems.

I also have a Virgin Media router (Superhub 3) which, sadly, is also kack! In my case, though, it is because it has a 'SIP/ALG' feature which cannot be disabled and which means that my VOIP phone will no longer work so no landline. For completeness, Virgin customer service is also kack!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I also have TP-Link extenders (using mains electrical circuit) and have found they work very well with no problems.

I also have a Virgin Media router (Superhub 3) which, sadly, is also kack! In my case, though, it is because it has a 'SIP/ALG' feature which cannot be disabled and which means that my VOIP phone will no longer work so no landline. For completeness, Virgin customer service is also kack!

Contrast that with Plusnet, who I find there customer service is superb. I have only had one actual service issue since joining them several years ago, though I have dealt with them for other than service issues a few times. The service issue was just one week ago and I documented the issue on here....

My both my router and the broadband on my line failed at around the same time. I replaced the failed router with a spare, but still could not connect, so next morning, Sunday, I rang Plusnet, who I guess swapped me to another port remotely and I was back in operation just minutes later.

Before Plusnet, we were with Tiscali/Talktalk and we had constant issues for years with them - it was dire. The constant issues would not have been so bad, were it not for their pathetic customer service - it would always take weeks and weeks to get service back and limping along at best. The would always put you through a series of levels of customer service, each person would insist you go through a long series of checks at my end, always they would blame the issues on my own equipment, each time you rang with the same issues, they had you start at the bottom again. I got into a habit of not bothering to carry out the checks, simply kidding them along that I was doing them.

 

[JBR]

Contrast that with Plusnet, who I find there customer service is superb.

I'd jump at the chance to go with Plusnet if I could.
Unfortunately, we have three security cameras which rely on t'internet, two TVs with Firesticks, two laptops, two smartphones (which use t'internet at home) and until recently a VOIP telephone, so we really need a fast internet speed (though not necessarily the 100Mb that Virgin claims to offer). 10Mb won't, in my opinion, cover everything.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'd jump at the chance to go with Plusnet if I could.
Unfortunately, we have three security cameras which rely on t'internet, two TVs with Firesticks, two laptops, two smartphones (which use t'internet at home) and until recently a VOIP telephone, so we really need a fast internet speed (though not necessarily the 100Mb that Virgin claims to offer). 10Mb won't, in my opinion, cover everything.

We run similar, but have 40Mb FTTC with Plusnet. We massive spare capacity most of the time.

 

[JBR]

We run similar, but have 40Mb FTTC with Plusnet. We massive spare capacity most of the time.

I'm sure 40 would do us, but VM is the only fibre provider here.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'm sure 40 would do us, but VM is the only fibre provider here.

I'm not full fibre - it's fibre to the box 20 yards away, then copper from the box to the house FTTC. It runs I think up to 60Mb.

 

[JBR]

I'm not full fibre - it's fibre to the box 20 yards away, then copper from the box to the house FTTC. It runs I think up to 60Mb.

Yes. Mine's the same, though the box is only just across the street.
I don't know anyone who has fibre to the house.