Help! with Extending Wireless on Gigabit install

Internet access discussion, including Fusion, IP Broadband, and Gigabit Fiber!
16 posts Page 1 of 2
by menasche » Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:51 pm
Can anyone help... here is my situation...

I have a 2-story, 3000 sq ft home with mixed (new/old) electric here in SF.

I have tried removing the the rented router and replaced with:

1) Google wifi (3 of them)
2) Orbi (3 of them)
3) Linksys Velop (4 of them)--this is my current setup.

None of the above work as well as I would expect, with the google system working least well. Orbi worked best but will fail intermittently. Velop was easiest to install, but still I get weak spots in the house.

Would I better off using the provided wireless router (pace I believe) and some kind of extender? If so, what would your recommend?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
by dane » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:10 am
I think with most of these modern mesh wifi solutions, you'll still need the Pace for it's router/firewall functions. You could put one of these mesh solutions behind it - I've done this at my home with the WiFi mesh platform that Sonic is testing, which is similar to the Eero, AmpliFi, etc.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by menasche » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:24 am
Hi Dane,

What benefit would be obtained by using the pace router *and* the Velp (linksys mesh)? Increased coverage? Speed?
by dane » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:44 am
menasche wrote:Hi Dane,

What benefit would be obtained by using the pace router *and* the Velp (linksys mesh)? Increased coverage? Speed?
Whether it's Velop, Eero, Orbi, or the solution Sonic is working on, the idea is increased coverage and speed, particularly for 5ghz.

When Internet connections were 10-30Mbps typically, 2.4ghz had both the speed, and in many cases, adequate reach. But for faster connection speeds, you need WiFi-AC at 5ghz - and these signals do not propagate as far through obstacles as 2.4ghz. This means that with WiFi-AC you might get 300-400Mbps speeds, but it quickly drops off and you end up falling back to WiFi-N on 2.4ghz.

So these mesh solutions seek to fill that gap. And because we know our customers need a solution for better WiFi coverage, we're engaged in early testing for a Sonic-provided solution for this. But, it's early, so if you need a better setup today, do buy one of the various products, and plug it in behind the Sonic Pace router.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by menasche » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:49 am
If you need a beta-tester, let me know!

In the meantime, I am using Velop and still don't understand the benefit of attaching it in Bridge mode to the Sonic provided pace wirless router.... did you explain that and I am too '2.4hz' of a brain ;) ?
by dane » Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:12 am
menasche wrote:If you need a beta-tester, let me know!

In the meantime, I am using Velop and still don't understand the benefit of attaching it in Bridge mode to the Sonic provided pace wirless router.... did you explain that and I am too '2.4hz' of a brain ;) ?
It wouldn't make sense to deploy just one Velop (or Eero or any other mesh solution.) Their strength is the mesh, the ability to deploy two, three, or even more, to fill any gaps in coverage throughout your premise.

A single Velop would likely be no better than the onboard WiFi that the Pace router/firewall includes.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by menasche » Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:16 am
I am using 4 velops! Would it still be better to add the sonic supplied router?
by dane » Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:37 am
menasche wrote:I am using 4 velops! Would it still be better to add the sonic supplied router?
You still need the Sonic device for its router, NAT and firewall functions. You'd stop using its wifi, instead using whatever mesh solution you deploy.

One tip: when selecting a mesh wifi solution, if you have Ethernet cabling in your home, being able to connect the units via Ethernet can result in better performance. Some mesh solutions support this and some do not.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by sbrudenell » Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:09 pm
Personally I'm not a big believer in wifi mesh, since I find interference and bad wifi firmware are common, and I like my speeds to be predictable. If using wifi to extend coverage, that means going through more walls, which means lower frequency (2.4ghz, or something proprietary), which means lower speeds.

I live in an apartment and can't run copper ethernet everywhere I'd like. But I found that ethernet-over-power has come a long way in recent years. I've been using HomePlug AV2-2000 devices from Zyxel, and then I stick a good access point (I prefer Ubiquiti Unifi) on the far end, or directly plug in a smart TV, chromecast or raspberry pi.

Just like with wifi, I find the real-world speeds are less than theoretical advertised. The unit says 2000mbps on the box. When connected, it advertises 700mbps (after testing between many pairs of outlets), and various speed tests show 300-400mbps. This is still much better and more stable than other repeater solutions I've used.
by Kevin_Stephens » Fri Aug 04, 2017 12:07 pm
I use https://www.plumewifi.com/ for wireless mesh
I disabled the wireless on my sonic router.
I also disabled the DHCP server on my sonic router and use https://www.getcujo.com/ for my firewall \ DHCP server.
16 posts Page 1 of 2

Who is online

In total there are 33 users online :: 1 registered, 0 hidden and 32 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)
Most users ever online was 999 on Mon May 10, 2021 1:02 am

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 32 guests