How would multiple wireless access points solve these problems? I mean, if those things block the signal between a router and an end device, then surely they would block the wireless signal between the router and a repeater, right?
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What do you think of eero? (new wifi router)
- Thread starter tennisproha
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How would multiple wireless access points solve these problems? I mean, if those things block the signal between a router and an end device, then surely they would block the wireless signal between the router and a repeater, right?
I think the idea with these or an extender is you place the second device somewhere in between (say halfway) you and the client device, so the signal is still picked up and boosted enough to make the full trip to the end point.
That part makes sense, which really only applies for covering long distances - which was why I asked my original question. The statements I bolded above have nothing to do with how far away the signal is or how long of a trip it has to make.
I'm surprised because my own house (around 2,400 sqf) is completely covered, full bars throughout and even into the driveway, by a single Airport Extreme upstairs. Granted, my house isn't concrete, but there IS wiring in the walls, and the router is more or less surrounded by game consoles, a TV, a DVR, and music equipment.
Of course if the wifi signal can't even get out of the room the router is in, none of these solutions will work. But I think in even the worst home you can get to the next room or two, then put an extender there to take the signal further along the path. These mesh devices all sync together, so in theory they will work better when you have more than two running.
They don't necessarily block, just reduce the range of my router. I was just trying to explain that some features is a normal house can mean you need more access points.
But that's why I was so curious - my own house is "normal" as well. My router is upstairs. I can be downstairs in my bedroom, outside in front of the house, two rooms over in my office - anywhere on the property pretty much, and get full bars on whatever device I'm using. So the signal doesn't seem to be impeded too much by walls or construction. That's why I was considering that since (in my own experience) the number of walls or rooms between me and the router doesn't make much difference, then it might be more dependent on the actual distance from the router. Which is why I was wondering how big people's houses are.
An example of a tricky spot I have is our bathroom. It's actually quite close to the router, one floor up and one room along. But when I put the iPad on the toilet to watch in the bath reception is not great, even though it's so close. Using Plex in that exact spot means regular buffering.
Line of sight between the router and the iPad is blocked by one radiator, two outside (therefore supporting) walls (that part of the house is T shaped), and a pile of plumbing. Also, the line of sight goes up quite sharply, so it's going diaganally through these obstructions.
Easy fix is a wifi extender in the room above the router so the signal goes along the two shortest sides of a right-angled triangle rather than straight through to the router down the hypotenuse. The only obstructions in this direction are a wooden floor and straight through a supporting wall.
We also have quite a long thin extension, and the router comes in at an inconvenient location for this.
We've got a two-story with a basement and bonus loft area (which technically is a third story). It's not so much the size the is the issue (no pun intended) but the layout and it is an older home with brick walls. Also, where my router is probably isn't the ideal spot for WiFi. I'm hoping Luma will solve my issues (I ordered Luma because their still in pre-order and is half the price of Eero).
I'm curious how brick walls come into play, being that they surround the house (my house is brick as well).
Not sure how they do. In my case, as I included before, it's probably more of a function of where I chose to place my FiOS router & TC. Basically, if you look at our house as a rectangle, mine is placed at one corner. I should experiment with moving the FiOS Router & TC to the middle of the house. I'm hoping the Lumas will solve better reception in the loft and basement.
I just installed the 3 unit Eero at my beach house. It is 4000 ft.² and there are porches surrounding the house. With the new router system I was able to kill 4 dead spots in the house. The range also extended to all the porches and even the pool. There is one problem and that is that it appears to be incompatible with my Mac book air. My iPad and phone Work fine with it, and the MacBook finds the new network but cannot hook up to it.
There is an issue in the current firmware that they are working on resolving. Stick with it
Of course a decent router works well in a modern house of sticks; the construction provides little interference. Having had plenty of experience working on new and old construction I've seen the gradual reduction in many standards, so no surprise that routers work better in newer North American homes (not sure about Europe, but the construction I got to see in Germany was pretty damn substantial.) My Asus rt1900 is the best router I've had, which absolutely soaks our lakehouse in WiFi signal but can barely make it from one end of my 1916 two flat to the other. And that's a 1250 Sq ft unit. But tons (literally) of plaster and lath, cast iron, steel mesh, cement and load bearing brick will do that. Thrown some stainless steel into that path and you've got a perfect candidate for an eero-type solution.
I'm debating on whether to go with that for the ease of installation or taking on the task of wiring all three floors with cat-6. I've only read one review of the Luma and it wasn't exactly flattering. I've heard many positive reviews of the eero on tech podcasts, but that price...
I'm debating on whether to go with that for the ease of installation or taking on the task of wiring all three floors with cat-6. I've only read one review of the Luma and it wasn't exactly flattering. I've heard many positive reviews of the eero on tech podcasts, but that price...