Mesh networks?
- Thread starter fretworn
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They seem to be glorified repeaters, albeit highly powered ones.
I use a Devolo Magic 2 Wifi that combines powerline with Mesh.
Basically you get your wired network transfer via your houses wiring, but the Mesh Element kicks in in terms of how the Mesh system manages which wifi access point a device is connected to.
Wifi only Mesh is fine as long as you're not dealing with any particularly solid walls. That's why we went with the powerline/Mesh hybrid, because we have a conservatory and garage conversion that are effectively exterior to the house.
In terms of speed, the latest powerlind systems transmit On your live and neutral wires to increase transmission efficiency.
What that amounts to is that we get our full router speed at the other end of the house and In the parts that have exterior walls separating them (convservatory/garage conversion)
I use a Devolo Magic 2 Wifi that combines powerline with Mesh.
Basically you get your wired network transfer via your houses wiring, but the Mesh Element kicks in in terms of how the Mesh system manages which wifi access point a device is connected to.
Wifi only Mesh is fine as long as you're not dealing with any particularly solid walls. That's why we went with the powerline/Mesh hybrid, because we have a conservatory and garage conversion that are effectively exterior to the house.
In terms of speed, the latest powerlind systems transmit On your live and neutral wires to increase transmission efficiency.
What that amounts to is that we get our full router speed at the other end of the house and In the parts that have exterior walls separating them (convservatory/garage conversion)
Tried power line for years and it was rubbish. At least in the UK where we have ring mains so downstairs socket ring only connects to upstairs socket ring at the consumer unit.
Mesh is completely different. Uses multiple channels between the nodes and does some sort of voodoo.
I work from home and 500 mb/s power line only gave me 30 mb/s. Mesh when wired to the nearest node gives me 100 mb/s when using the same internet router. I can see my Wi-Fi 50m away at the pub
This is what I use (UK wired into Virgin broadband with the virgin Wi-Fi turned off - other Mesh systems are available:)
Mesh is completely different. Uses multiple channels between the nodes and does some sort of voodoo.
I work from home and 500 mb/s power line only gave me 30 mb/s. Mesh when wired to the nearest node gives me 100 mb/s when using the same internet router. I can see my Wi-Fi 50m away at the pub
This is what I use (UK wired into Virgin broadband with the virgin Wi-Fi turned off - other Mesh systems are available:)
Tried power line for years and it was rubbish. At least in the UK where we have ring mains so downstairs socket ring only connects to upstairs socket ring at the consumer unit.
Mesh is completely different. Uses multiple channels between the nodes and does some sort of voodoo.
I work from home and 500 mb/s power line only gave me 30 mb/s. Mesh when wired to the nearest node gives me 100 mb/s when using the same internet router. I can see my Wi-Fi 50m away at the pub
This is what I use (UK wired into Virgin broadband with the virgin Wi-Fi turned off - other Mesh systems are available:)
I'm also in the UK.
But it is true that Powerline is really dependent on the wiring.
Fortunately mine seems to be optimal For the system.
The main advantage I can see for Mesh be it full mesh or hybrid is the changeover between wifi access points being seamless and The general management of device priority, plus the multichannel, multiband voodoo you mentioned.
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We got Google Nest mesh in our home when Covid lockdowns forced my kids/wife to attend/teach school at home.
It works pretty well, took a little time to pick the best spots in the house for them. They drop out every once in a while and I either have to hard reset certain mesh points or they work themselves out after a while.
I get live updates on the mesh system on my phone even when I'm not at home. I can see if/when points go down and if/when they go back up, can control access for my teenager on certain devices, see what devices are on the network, etc
It works pretty well, took a little time to pick the best spots in the house for them. They drop out every once in a while and I either have to hard reset certain mesh points or they work themselves out after a while.
I get live updates on the mesh system on my phone even when I'm not at home. I can see if/when points go down and if/when they go back up, can control access for my teenager on certain devices, see what devices are on the network, etc
Yeah, we have 100mb/s also (UK sadly lags on internet speeds). Router is beside the TV in living room, offices are midway in the house and at the opposite end
I’ve been lucky and never get dropouts, but I do have plenty of Nodes.
Bought a 3 pack of MW6 so I could wire the Broadband router into the master node (old living room), the TV into the second at one end 12m away through 3 walls, and the Office into the other 5m away through a chimney wall and up a floor. With those optimised I found signal a little weak on the patio, but discovered that MW3 nodes would maintain full Wi-Fi speeds and could extend the mesh so I got a couple cheap off eBay. Added those and I can stream video at the bottom of the garden. (It isn’t a mansion!)
The app control is very useful, as is the ability to set parental controls and time limits by device or group of devices. Which devices are online and how much data are they using? Which child is streaming videos at midnight on a school day? App will tell you. Got 8 kids coming over for a sleepover and don’t want to give them the main password? Create a temporary Guest network in seconds that automatically deletes itself.
That's a point, if it's not been explained or is obvious from your reading on the subject.
It's best, once you've cloned your network settings on The nodes and plugged the master node into the router, to then turn off the wifi on your router and let the Mesh system do the work.
It's best, once you've cloned your network settings on The nodes and plugged the master node into the router, to then turn off the wifi on your router and let the Mesh system do the work.
Fireproof
Shredder
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Yes this.
I have the Eero Pro 6 mesh system in a large two story house. We had some challenges getting great signals to the far reaches (like in the bathroom and closets of the master bedroom) of the house and into the backyard. The mesh system has been great. And speeds have been awesome compared to my old standard router.
And probably worth Mentioning that Wifi 6 should be taken into consideration (the new naming convention for the old 802.11xx standard).
A lot of features it brings in are backward compatible, and it's part of the voodoo/magic that allows for the better Priority management and transfer efficiency.
Apparently. Its witchcraft to me, but my most recent laptop has a wifi 6 adapter so I presume it's going to be in most new devices going forward.
Might as well future proof a bit because I see a lot of Mesh kits are wifi 5 unless stated wifi 6.
For example, my Devolo kit was the Magic 2 Wifi 6, whereas the standard kit is the Magic 2 Wifi Next or summat.
Fireproof
Shredder
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By the way - data usage is low because no one is / was home during this snapshot.
paisleywookiee
Rock Star
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I’m running a three node Eero setup. It’s super solid, over three floors. During the pandemic, with three Chromebooks running (ew, I hate those things), plus my work machines, it ran really well. Of course, a lot of that comes down to not only your wifi, but also your ISP. Better that your network isn’t the bottleneck though.
paisleywookiee
Rock Star
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That’s what she said.
Fireproof
Shredder
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Extra nodes can help throw signal upstairs and around corners to some degree…
