I've been using Airport Time Capsule for our in-home wifi for several years now. I rarely if ever use the Time Machine backup because I run Carbon Copy Cloner to an external SSD once a week. Working from home and using Zoom for meetings on a daily basis I've begun to get "wireless connection is unstable" messages. I admittedly know nothing about MESH and newer solutions for whole home wifi. Can someone please recommend a really fast, flexible wifi router that has better whole home coverage? We have a lot of devices that connect to the internet via wifi: iPads, MacBook Pros, iPhones, Apple TV 4ks, OLED TV's and Nest products (thermostat, doorbell cam, indoor cam, protects). Of course my internet provider wants to sell me on their whole home solution but I'm not going to pay a monthly fee to rent their hardware.
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Want to Upgrade to Better/Faster WiFi for Whole Home
- Thread starter PTVMan
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I have had really good experience with Synology RT2600AC plus RT2200. It is a Mesh solution, and I the connection between the two units can be either wired, or wireless. You can add multiple 2200s if needed.
With many Mesh systems, your connection may bounce back and forth between access points. This can cause delays. stuttering video, etc. Synology claims to manage that for you, not sure but my problems with Airport devices disappeared when I switched.
If possible, use wired connections on PC/Macs to leave more capacity for wireless only devices. Ethernet should have minimal issues compared to wifi.
With many Mesh systems, your connection may bounce back and forth between access points. This can cause delays. stuttering video, etc. Synology claims to manage that for you, not sure but my problems with Airport devices disappeared when I switched.
If possible, use wired connections on PC/Macs to leave more capacity for wireless only devices. Ethernet should have minimal issues compared to wifi.
In my quest to take the residential gateway that ATT
...having accomplished that (yet another story, for another day), I found that the wifi from the ATC I was using before I subbed to fibre was, frankly, abysmal . . . funny how perspectives can change in a year
So, I comped a Ubiquity nanoHD, and have been using it as my access point for about a month.
I'm pretty satisfied with the coverage/speed @5ghz (great signal over most of my 0.2acre property), but it took a lot of effort to get to where I am, now.
I went a little Off the Reservation, but I must say that (knowing, now, what I did not know, then) you will be making a sound choice to get an All-In-One for mostly effortless routing/wifi needs.
Sorry to say, but I have no pertinent recommendations for you . . . just wanted to lightly temper such enthusiasm when these ideas cross your screen (they will); and share that, yes: my beloved ATC was not all that I thought it was <smile>
Regards, splifingate
I really like Synology for the features and abilities. Might be too much for some folks who want a plug-and-play simple, reliable, modern wifi router.
For Fast, simple, and sexy, check out Amplifi. Ubiquiti's line for consumers, no enterprise knowledge required. If Apple was still making router/wifi gear...it would likely be like Amplifi.
For Fast, simple, and sexy, check out Amplifi. Ubiquiti's line for consumers, no enterprise knowledge required. If Apple was still making router/wifi gear...it would likely be like Amplifi.
Actually, Synology is pretty straightforward, even adding the mesh access points is simple. It CAN get complex if you want to add VPN, Cloud storage, etc. But for basic network functions, not too complex. Almost as simple as Airport, including mobile clients for setup and management.
Thank you for recommending AmplFi gear. Exactly what I'm looking for!
That's fair...one has to know enough though, to know what they don't need.
For non-technical folks, that might be a tall order. I would add that regardless of what services/features one needs, Synology is the about the best, clearest full-featured platform out there. It's just that some consumers won't need or want full-featured.
Oh, and their hardware is not so pretty. Yes, that should be very low on most user's list, but some folks have their router in the kitchen or on an office desk, where aesthetics might really influence their choice.
I have not used mobile tools beyond Drive or Cloud Sync clients, which are pretty straight forward.
All in with Ubiquiti. Best wifi hardware ever. I have one UAP-AC-LR per floor, these things are rock stable since more than 2 years. Excellent coverage, great speed, best APs ever installed. Put all my family on the same APs.
Yep. Many years using 2 UAP AC LITE units, and added a UNIFI MESH to cover a large outdoor area. Rock solid. Very happy, highly recommend. But...running a separate management tool and configuring APs separately from a router may be more than some consumers want or need. Amplifi should give similar quality coverage without the need to manage APs separately.