Wifi Upgrade - New mesh or add to existing Router

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mortonman

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#317756 12-Nov-2024 14:41

Currently run an ASUS DSL- AC 68U. Its in the corner of the house and services the upstairs pretty well. Signal can be a bit ropey in the furthest ensuite.

In the downstairs room I have a TP Link powerline with a separate wifi. Its worked ok till now as we didn't use downstairs much. The Asus signal struggles downstairs.

Teenage son has now moved downstairs with his PC and the latency and speeds are rubbish.

Got arlo cameras, heat pumps, laptops, iphones, apple tv, chromecasts, amazon sticks and tvs connected to the router.

The ASUS has performed well and I like the remote connection via the app. Allows me to switch off sons internet etc.

Swithering whether to buy another ASUS product for down stairs and use AIMESH to link them or ditch the AC86 and buy a new mesh system.

Don't want to spend too much as I will go halves with my son.

PBTECH has a cheap 3 mesh system

TP-Link Deco E4 (AC1200) Dual-Band WiFi 5 Whole Home Mesh System - 3 Pack
Fibre Ready for only $159 but its WIFI5. I assume i should look for WIFI6 minimum.

Any recommendations for around the 300-350 mark (hoping black friday will discount) ?

mrgsm021

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#3308128 12-Nov-2024 14:47

+1 for mesh here, currently running Asus XT8 with two nodes in AP mode, one upstair and one down.

However go for a WiFi 6 set up if you can.

Personally I see no point going from WiFi 5 to WiFi 5 since WiFi 7 is now available in NZ and WiFi 6 have come down in price.

Stu1

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#3308215 12-Nov-2024 17:44

+2 for mesh great coverage around the section

tim0001

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#3308220 12-Nov-2024 17:58

The TP-Link Deco E4 only has (100Mbps) Fast Ethernet so I'd probably give that a miss

Nothing like being hard-wired to the router (especially if your son is a gamer), so running a cable downstairs could potentially be a DIY project for your son?

everettpsycho

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#3308295 12-Nov-2024 21:51

We run a pair of Asus routers in AI mesh and it's been very reliable. Admittedly we do have a cable running between them but it's easy to set up and hasn't had any problems at all. I stuck with Asus for the VPN function and like having my 2.4ghz and 5ghz network on different ssids to I can force certain devices on to the 2.4 band keeping 5 free for the devices that benefit from the speed. It alai meant one log in controlled both routers making it easier to manage.

For best performance I'd definitely see if you can join two routers with a cable then wire your sons machine to the second router, even if that is a powerline adapter to make it work.