TPLINK AX1800 HOME WI6 MESH

[choiceweb0pen0]

I had a Tendi mesh network for several years that was okay, but started to fail this summer. After some research and reading reviews, I went with a TPLINK AX1800 HOME WI6 MESH. It has been underwhelming in how often it drops network Wi-Fi signal and doesn't seem to play that well with Macs (getting self-assigned IP errors often). I've done a little troubleshooting in terms of seeing why it drops so often but haven't found much Mac-specific help. I'm probably going to return it and get something else. Any recommendations for a good Mesh network? I'm in a single-story house, 2,200 Sq. Ft. Looking to spend about $150 more or less.

 

[Bigwaff]

Is Wi-Fi 6 a requirement? Would your mesh units be connected via Ethernet backhaul?

 

[choiceweb0pen0]

Is Wi-Fi 6 a requirement? Would your mesh units be connected via Ethernet backhaul?

Good questions. It doesn't need to be Wi-Fi 6. Our Macs aren't new enough. I have a 2017 iMac and my wife has a 2020 Macbook Pro. No, I wasn't planning on connecting units via Ethernet backhaul.

 

[Bigwaff]

I've been using Gryphon mesh system https://www.gryphonconnect.com for about 1.5 yrs now and I love it. Household is all Apple and IoT devices -- about 30+ devices in total. The Gryphon system has been absolutely rock solid. I have 2300sq ft home and two Gryphon Towers (Wi-FI 5 w/ ethernet backhaul) which are more than adequate. I even get signal outside on the back yard patio and front porch. The parental controls are top notch. I subscribe to the premium service. Oh, and we stream like mad.

Now, this system isn't cheap but does go on sale with heavy discounts regularly. You can also find these Towers on eBay for $70-80 used. Gryphon also sells smaller, compact units called Guardians which don't have as much throughput. These can be had for $50 bucks or less on eBay. Mix and match Towers/Guardians as much as you want. Have family friends who have 3500sq ft home using three Guardians, one on each level for a mesh system. They don't have as many devices as I have, maybe 10, and the Guardian mesh system (no ethernet backhaul) has been rock solid for them.

There are caveats. Gryphon system is only managed via phone app. No web-based admin console, etc. Gryphon is a security minded system with the position that web-based admin consoles are an attack vector. If you are a tweaker and like lots of metrics, Gryphon might not be up your alley. The phone app is getting better all the time and starting to include network metrics. This is a set-it-and-forget-it system. Best system I've owned since Apple discontinued the Airport Extremes.. and I've tried Ubiquiti, Nest, and Synology (which I actually liked a lot .. but the parental controls simply can't compete with the Gryphon system).

Best of luck!