- a third band exclusively for "backhaul" (so it doesn't interfere with speeds on the other two bands).
Look at:
Linksys Velop
Agreed. At this point in time, it's better to simply invest in a mesh system if wifi coverage is an issue.
This is kind of a long story, but very fitting to the OP's situation.
I was having some issues with the 2.4GHz band on my 6th Gen AirPort Extreme since about last fall, rather than try to troubleshoot (very unlike me), I decided to get the Linksys Velop Tri Band last April:
Shop Linksys Velop AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 5 System (3-pack) White at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.
www.bestbuy.com
I had thoughts much like many on the forum that a Mesh Wifi system was worth the upgrade from the aging AirPort, getting better coverage, faster speeds, and lower slowdowns due to the Tri Band.
While I had guessed that maybe the issues I was having on the AirPort's 2.4Ghz band might had something to do with over-crowding on the band and/or interference, I figured that even if this was true, the newer Mesh system automatically switch to the better band, so this shouldn't be a problem.
The Velop Tri Band was a little more money than some of the other Mesh Wifi systems, but they had great reviews, I liked how each node had Ethernet ports, and I was already familiar with the Linksys Velop due to me using the Dual Band version at my parents home to replace their failing Gen 2 AirPort Extreme.
Initially, I was somewhat impressed with the results, but I started to have a bunch of issues.
The first issues I encountered was that the "seamless" roaming ended up not being seamless. I purposely placed one of the nodes near the exterior wall near where I park my cars so I could have Wifi while sitting in my cars. The Velop did not switch me to the closest node and I was actually still connected to the node that was furthest away from me.
I looked up this issue online and the solution was to turn off my Wifi on my device and turn it back on to reconnect to the closest node. Not exactly was I think of when it comes to seamless. But, not a big deal, just one thing....
The next issue I was having was a huge problem. A few days in, I started having issues with bad slowdowns on some of my devices, one being a Mac that was only a 11 feet away from the parent node.
While I couldn't figure out how to tell what band I was connected to on my iPhone, on one of my Macs, I noticed that I was being switched to the 2.4Ghz band, but this was much slower than the 5Ghz band in the same spot. It would get so bad sometimes, that transfer speeds between my Macs end up dropping to under 1Mbps.
So, I found myself trying to troubleshoot my brand new Mesh system.
Thinking that maybe one of the nodes were defective, I tested each node individually to see if there was any difference between them, setting each as a solo parent. There was not a significant difference between them, and this took many hours to do.
Thinking about interference and over-crowding of the band, I used the channel finder tool, which switched the channels, but did not help.
I used the Macs' Network analyzer utility, and did see that there was a lot of activity on the 2.4Ghz band and probably over used, and got the best channel to use (which was different than the Linksys Channel Finder Tool). I couldn't figure out how to manually change the channel on the Velop, though.
I then split the bands into two different networks, and attempted to move everything to the 5Ghz band, but I was unable to, due to several devices not having a 5Ghz capability.
I did a few more things, and then ended up calling Linksys Tech Support. I still had time to return the system to Best Buy, but wanted to make sure that there wasn't
The first call was basically useless, but they elevated my ticket and I later got a call from the real tech support. They wanted to redo everything I already did, which took a lot of time, but I guess I understand. They did show me how to get to settings that are normally not accessible, including manually changing the channel.
I was probably on the phone for a total of 12 hours total, but there wasn't a difference with everything we did. I ended up returning the system to Best Buy.
But......
I did a factory reset to my 6th Gen AirPort Extreme, split the 2.4Ghz band and 5Ghz band, changed the channels to the recommended ones by Apple's Network Analyzer tool.
I noticed a big difference in performance.
The AirPort actually had faster speeds than the Velop on both bands, but was really impressed by the AirPort's 5Ghz band.
I wished I would have just done the troubleshooting of the AirPort Extreme to begin with. It would have saved me a lot of time, and would have saved me $350 if I would have kept the Linksys.
I am not saying that the AirPort Extreme is better than all Mesh Wifi systems, but in my experience, and my setup, it is much better than the Linksys Velop Tri Band that I purchased and returned.
I have since purchased a second AirPort Extreme 6th Gen from eBay for $60, and I am going to have it wired to the main AirPort. I will be re-positioning the AirPorts so I can have one close to were I have to park my cars.
I know a 2nd gen AE is like 13 years old but for $10 its a good deal, lemme know your thoughts.
I personally wouldn't bother with the 2nd Gen, but maybe if you find a cheap 6th gen it might be worth it.
Ive never had more than one wifi router in my home before but do recall hearing that adding a second one cuts wifi speeds in half.
I recall seeing this somewhere too, I think.
I am unsure if it is actually true, but I just tested it with my equipment I have at my home, and there was no significant difference in transfer speed going from one AirPort to two Airports.
Both of mine are the 6th Gen, though.
