Having WiFi problems? Maybe it’s time to consider a Mesh WiFi solution
Difficulty: Moderate
It's amazing how many devices households have these days. Devices such as phones, tablets, computers, smart home assistants (Alexa, etc) and smart TV's just to name a few. Having your tech-savvy mother-in-law come over to stay (as in my case) pushes the limits in more ways than one. ;-) Just kidding I adore my mother-in-law.
The problems I encountered were not just due to the number of devices. Here is how it all started:
I had a standard router that came with the internet service provider; Constant drop out on wireless but fine when connected via ethernet.
Discovered there were too many wifi's around my immediate area running on wifi networks on 2.4GHz (Wifi runs on particular channels and can interfere with each other )
Purchased a new router Dlink DSL-4320L. This router has the advantage of having both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands (as you will see later, a purchase I didn't have to make)
Great! Family happy, for now.
Complaints start creeping in. "Dad Fortnite is lagging", "I don't use the wifi anymore to FaceTime as its faster from the cell/mobile phone". "I'm connecting to 2GHz as I can never find the 5GHz:". The internet is not working again.....
To add to it all I was getting a really weird issue where my main 5GHz band was disappearing from my wifi list and it started around the same time my mother-in-law came to stay with us.
Not really knowing why suddenly it was being very unstable I went about my normal troubleshooting steps. Reboot the router etc with no luck. What it came down to was too many devices on the router using wifi.
Just a few of the devices we have accumulated over the years as a large family
With the mother-in-law joining us it tipped the limit entirely, adding an additional 3 devices to the existing number of devices. To handle so many devices I had to rely on some other solution. Along comes Mesh Wifi.
Mesh Wifi or Whole Home Wifi systems consists of the main router that connects directly to your modem, and a series of satellite modules, or nodes, placed around your house for full Wifi coverage. They are all part of a single wireless network and share the same SSID and password, unlike traditional Wifi routers. There are a many suppliers of Mesh systems out there, I chose to go with NETGEAR Orbi.
Using a Mesh Wifi worked like a charm. Here's how I arranged the Mesh at my home (refer to the instructions that come with the product you have chose for setup):
Kept my existing router and connect the Orbi Router to it directly.
Disable all of the Wifi from the existing router (Refer to your routers manual on how to do this)
Placed the other Orbi Satellite in the family room near the TV
With the above setup, I was also able to reduce the number of wireless connections in the house by taking advantage of the two ethernet connections at the back of the Orbi Satellite. I purchase two ethernet cables and used them to connect the TV and the Playstation.
So far its been great, no more complaints. One last tip, make sure the power for the Orbi can't be accidentally unplugged from the power socket. Yes, it happened.
Use wired ethernet connections where you can. This reduces the number of devices connecting via wifi
Keep your firmware/software up to date on your router and Mesh Wifi
And if your still having problems with your Wifi after purchasing a Mesh system or maybe your just over technology, getting back to nature might find you a “better connection” ☺.