Discussion:
mesh system recommendations
(too old to reply)
Tim+
2023-09-23 15:28:44 UTC
Permalink
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.

My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly. Would prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).

Tim
--
Please don't feed the trolls
Tweed
2023-09-23 16:32:38 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tim+
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.
My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly. Would prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).
Tim
There are quite a number on the market. I use Linksys Velop, but it’s
probably not as cheap as you wish. The key parameter seems to be the number
of radios within the device. You need three. That’s two to radiate to
devices on 2.4 and 5GHz, and a third 5GHz to run a private link to join the
devices together. Some of the cheaper ones use two and share the 5GHz
between devices and the mesh.
Andy Burns
2023-09-23 17:54:21 UTC
Permalink
The key parameter seems to be the number of radios within the device.
You need three.
Unless you have wired backhaul from all APs to the router, in which case
two radios per AP is fine.
Tweed
2023-09-23 17:55:50 UTC
Permalink
Post by Andy Burns
The key parameter seems to be the number of radios within the device.
You need three.
Unless you have wired backhaul from all APs to the router, in which case
two radios per AP is fine.
That’s not really a mesh system is it?
Rupert Moss-Eccardt
2023-09-24 12:02:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Andy Burns
The key parameter seems to be the number of radios within the device.
You need three.
Unless you have wired backhaul from all APs to the router, in which case
two radios per AP is fine.
That's not really a mesh system is it?
It can be. If there is overlap between "APs" and there is handover
and beam-forming etc then it is a mesh if the discs co-operate much
like a cell system.
notya...@gmail.com
2023-09-26 12:15:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tweed
Post by Andy Burns
The key parameter seems to be the number of radios within the device.
You need three.
Unless you have wired backhaul from all APs to the router, in which case
two radios per AP is fine.
That’s not really a mesh system is it?
Well maybe wired it is.
Nick Finnigan
2023-09-23 18:15:31 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tim+
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.
My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly. Would prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).
I have Tenda MW3 to reach through several thick walls, at low cost.
No problems, but I've no experience of another mesh to compare it with.
Jeff Gaines
2023-09-23 19:03:48 UTC
Permalink
Post by Nick Finnigan
Post by Tim+
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.
My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly. Would prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).
I have Tenda MW3 to reach through several thick walls, at low cost.
No problems, but I've no experience of another mesh to compare it with.
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
extremely well:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not
expect to sit.
Tim+
2023-09-23 19:31:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Nick Finnigan
Post by Tim+
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.
My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly. Would prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).
I have Tenda MW3 to reach through several thick walls, at low cost.
No problems, but I've no experience of another mesh to compare it with.
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Cheers. Looks like the right price point anyway! ;-)

Tim
--
Please don't feed the trolls
Nick Finnigan
2023-11-20 12:50:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tim+
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Nick Finnigan
Post by Tim+
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.
My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly. Would prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).
I have Tenda MW3 to reach through several thick walls, at low cost.
No problems, but I've no experience of another mesh to compare it with.
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Cheers. Looks like the right price point anyway! ;-)
It may no longer be relevant to you, but BT are offering me Fibre 1 with
complete wifi for £29.99 (£34.99 after 24 months).
Andy Burns
2023-11-20 13:04:30 UTC
Permalink
BT are offering me Fibre 1 with complete wifi for £29.99 (£34.99 after
24 months).
Be aware that BT's recent policy seems to be that if/when you stop being
a customer they require the router/mesh-wifi kit is returned within 60
days, or you get charged ...
Nick Finnigan
2023-11-21 08:48:33 UTC
Permalink
BT are offering me Fibre 1 with complete wifi for £29.99 (£34.99 after 24
months).
Be aware that BT's recent policy seems to be that if/when you stop being a
customer they require the router/mesh-wifi kit is returned within 60 days,
or you get charged ...
"you'll need to return the Wi-Fi discus within 30 days or you'll be charged
£30 for each disc."

https://www.bt.com/help/bt-halo/what-is-complete-wi-fi-
Andy Burns
2023-11-21 08:54:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by Nick Finnigan
Post by Andy Burns
Be aware that BT's recent policy seems to be that if/when you stop
being a customer they require the router/mesh-wifi kit is returned
within 60 days, or you get charged ...
"you'll need to return the Wi-Fi discus within 30 days or you'll be
charged £30 for each disc."
https://www.bt.com/help/bt-halo/what-is-complete-wi-fi-
<https://www.bt.com/help/tv/how-to-return-and-recycle-your-bt-broadband-hub-and-bt-tv-box-fo>

Arguing the toss with BT whether they mean 30 days or 60 days is left as
an exercise for the reader ...
Rupert Moss-Eccardt
2023-11-22 13:28:18 UTC
Permalink
Post by Andy Burns
Post by Nick Finnigan
Post by Andy Burns
Be aware that BT's recent policy seems to be that if/when you stop
being a customer they require the router/mesh-wifi kit is returned
within 60 days, or you get charged ...
"you'll need to return the Wi-Fi discus within 30 days or you'll be
charged £30 for each disc."
https://www.bt.com/help/bt-halo/what-is-complete-wi-fi-
<https://www.bt.com/help/tv/how-to-return-and-recycle-your-bt-broadband-hub-and-bt-tv-box-fo>
Arguing the toss with BT whether they mean 30 days or 60 days is left as
an exercise for the reader ...
Other warning - it looks like you can no longer buy additional discs
beyond the 3 in Halo
NY
2023-11-25 10:55:44 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Nick Finnigan
Post by Tim+
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.
My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly.  Would
prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).
I have Tenda MW3 to reach through several thick walls, at low cost.
No problems, but I've no experience of another mesh to compare it with.
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
My experience with mesh networks (Linksys Velop) is they it works very
well, with seamless hand-off from one node to another as you take a
phone or laptop around the house. But... it is let down very badly by
the time it takes to get the remote nodes talking to the central one
after a power cut.

The problems is that 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals have different ranges and
are attenuated differently by walls. The backhaul (node-to-node) is 5
GHz for speed, but if you position nodes so they are all in range of the
parent node, the 2.4 GHz networks overlap and the devices take ages to
reconnect if they are all turned on simultaneously after a power cut.
Sometimes they never manage to, even after a couple of hours, and it is
necessary to intervene by turning off all the remote nodes and then turn
them on in sequence.

It would be easier if I didn't need 2.4 GHz for older device and for
extra range from device to node, or if 2.4 GHz could be turned on
selectively (eg at Node 1 but not at any other nodes) but that's not
possible with Velop.

The alternative is to run Cat 5 (etc) cable from the router to the
remote nodes, but that has the problem of running cable up walls into
the loft and then down the walls to the nodes - which is unsightly.
Alternatively you can run cables round the edge of skirting boards,
tucked into the end of carpets, but sod's law says that there's a
hardwood floor in the way which has no carpet to hide the cable :-(
Hence the reason we use mesh network with node-to-node comms by wifi
rather than Ethernet.

Roger Mills
2023-09-23 22:19:26 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Nick Finnigan
Post by Tim+
Any recommendations for mesh systems? We have a BT Whole home mesh system
with 3 nodes which we’re very happy with but that was bought a few years
ago when there wasn’t much choice. Now there are a lot more options at all
sorts of price points.
My son-in-law has a 300Mbps fibre connection (with Zein’s own router) and
would like something that won’t throttle throughput unduly.  Would
prefer
not to pay the thick end of £200 (which is what my system costs now).
I have Tenda MW3 to reach through several thick walls, at low cost.
No problems, but I've no experience of another mesh to compare it with.
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Looks good. Do all the nodes have ethernet ports in addition to WiFi?
--
Cheers,
Roger
Jeff Gaines
2023-09-24 07:17:14 UTC
Permalink
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Looks good. Do all the nodes have ethernet ports in addition to WiFi?
Yes. I got it mainly to give me wired connections to HiFi kit so I
wouldn't have to run cables. I just feed th nodes into a switch.
--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
There is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of preparation
Tweed
2023-09-24 08:58:20 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Looks good. Do all the nodes have ethernet ports in addition to WiFi?
Yes. I got it mainly to give me wired connections to HiFi kit so I
wouldn't have to run cables. I just feed th nodes into a switch.
The OP intimated that speed might be an important factor as well as price.
It might be worth reading this

https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/tenda-nova-mw6
Roger Mills
2023-09-26 15:38:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Looks good. Do all the nodes have ethernet ports in addition to WiFi?
Yes. I got it mainly to give me wired connections to HiFi kit so I
wouldn't have to run cables. I just feed th nodes into a switch.
Excellent - thanks.

Another question if I may: Do you use the primary node in addition to
your ISP-provided router, or instead of it.
--
Cheers,
Roger
Jeff Gaines
2023-09-26 16:31:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Looks good. Do all the nodes have ethernet ports in addition to WiFi?
Yes. I got it mainly to give me wired connections to HiFi kit so I
wouldn't have to run cables. I just feed th nodes into a switch.
Excellent - thanks.
Another question if I may: Do you use the primary node in addition to your
ISP-provided router, or instead of it.
I use the Tenda in bridge mode so my ISP's router provides DHCP, picks up
the signal and passes it to the Tenda for distribution.

I am not that technical when it comes to the Internet - the manual is
2,257 KB, if your email address is OK I could email it to you?
--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
I was standing in the park wondering why Frisbees got bigger as they get
closer.
Then it hit me.
Roger Mills
2023-09-26 17:00:27 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
I have a Tenda Nova MW6-3 purchased in January 2022 that has worked
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/
Looks good. Do all the nodes have ethernet ports in addition to WiFi?
Yes. I got it mainly to give me wired connections to HiFi kit so I
wouldn't have to run cables. I just feed th nodes into a switch.
Excellent - thanks.
Another question if I may: Do you use the primary node in addition to
your ISP-provided router, or instead of it.
I use the Tenda in bridge mode so my ISP's router provides DHCP, picks
up the signal and passes it to the Tenda for distribution.
I am not that technical when it comes to the Internet - the manual is
2,257 KB, if your email address is OK I could email it to you?
that would be good - thanks. The email address should work ok.
--
Cheers,
Roger
Jeff Gaines
2023-09-26 18:19:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by Roger Mills
Post by Jeff Gaines
I am not that technical when it comes to the Internet - the manual is
2,257 KB, if your email address is OK I could email it to you?
that would be good - thanks. The email address should work ok.
On its way :-)
--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his
life.
(Jeremy Thorpe, 1962)
Graham J
2023-09-26 16:58:21 UTC
Permalink
Roger Mills wrote:

[snip]

A proper mesh system needs a wired backhaul from each node to the
router, and to the control node which manages the others so the node
with the strongest wireless connection to a client is configured to
communicate with that client. This is dynamic so as a client moves
about the control node identifies the best node and reconfigures things
accordingly.

If the router has a WiFi component it should be disabled. However there
are mesh systems where the router contains the WiFi control function.

Done properly it can work well. Probably not suited to the domestic
user - neither in price nor the skill needed.
--
Graham J
Nick Finnigan
2023-09-26 21:24:59 UTC
Permalink
Post by Graham J
[snip]
A proper mesh system needs a wired backhaul from each node to the router,
and to the control node which manages the others so the node with the
strongest wireless connection to a client is configured to communicate with
that client.  This is dynamic so as a client moves about the control node
identifies the best node and reconfigures things accordingly.
If the router has a WiFi component it should be disabled.  However there
are mesh systems where the router contains the WiFi control function.
Done properly it can work well.  Probably not suited to the domestic user -
neither in price nor the skill needed.
I have the 3 Tenda MW3 nodes, with the primary node wired to the router,
and have no problem with wifi from the router as well as the mesh. Nearby
TVs etc. can connect to the router, phones or remote devices connect to the
mesh. No additional setup needed for the router, standard setup for MW3.
Wifi speed exceeds the 40Mbps for FTTC.
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