Mesh network or WiFi extender

Wondering whether it is best to get a Mesh network or WiFi extenders

I need to get the WiFi signal to the garage to support 2 x WiFi security camera’s

So wondering which option is better?

If you can afford it get mesh. I bought a mesh system a year or two ago and I’m never going back to extenders.

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Mesh systems tend to have better roaming support (moving between APs without losing connection). I’m using Fritz!Mesh at home with an AP in every room. It works flawlessly with full signal everywhere.

Also had good success with Ubiquiti and Mikrotik. I tend to avoid the big consumer network brands.

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Any particular bran you would recommend?

As I have to go outside I was thinking about it like an extension cable :wink:

I’ve only ever tried Netgear Orbi and didn’t do much shopping around when I bought it (about 1.5 years ago). I think I bought it because it was Wirecutter’s recommended system at the time. I’ve been happy with it. However, the satellites are quite pricey.

If I was buying again I’d probably shop around for a system where add-on satellites are a bit cheaper.

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Definitely Mesh. The Google hub (I think that’s what it’s called, or WiFi) or Orbi is meant to be good.

Although I have mesh wifi in the house, I use a Powerline adapter to get an ethernet point in my shed at the bottom of the garden.

Depends on how much you’re willing to spend/how complex you’re happy for it to be.

In an ideal world I’d say run a Cat5e around the property and then use something like UniFi as it’s a home network.

But if you’re just looking for a quick, easy and relatively cheap solution I’d recommend the Zyxel Multy mesh system. I’ve tested these in the past and they’re pretty impressive.

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I’d say Cat6 to future proof, depending on your budget

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Completely agree :smiley:

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WiFi extenders work OK but at the cost of speed. Mesh network is the way to go. I use Google WiFi but there are plenty of decent ones available, including the Netgear Orbi that some others have mentioned.

If you’re happy with the coverage around your place them I would just get an extender to the garage, but if you could do with better coverage the invest in a mesh system definitely.

BT mesh system is on offer at the moment
I personally think it’s a very good price for the hardware

No question. Mesh and powerline are delaying the inevitable. Just do it once and do it properly with cat6 or better.

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Likely a massive expense that won’t be necessary for many many years.

I’ve just done this dance myself (disclaimer, my little village has only recently had 37mbs fibre… we are quite the trend setters).

Power line worked OK, but it’s more of a stop gap IMO.

Extenders have always given average results in my experience.

I’ve tried enterprise grade stuff like the UniFi AP’s, and whilst impressive in their feature set, wont suit 99.9% of the population due to their slightly more complex configuration settings with more things to go wrong.

Plus the UniFi AP’s give off a really quiet hiss that once you hear… you can’t un-hear :joy: it’s well documented.

Netgear Orbi works amazing, is user friendly, and can be had at 20-40% off quite a bit of the year.

I bought the main router with 2 satellites and it hasn’t missed a beat. Absolutely max speed all over the house (even in the garage).

If I was building a new house, I’d get cat6 installed in every room for those “just in case” moments.

But wouldn’t recommend people retrofit that if they are on a bit of a budget.

I would stay well away from extenders on top of the pain of having to connect and disconnect from the one you are closer to. Mesh will smoothly connect and disconnect you between nodes making life much easier.

I have Tends Nova M3 which are good for the price, they are on the cheap side so I day say for performance on download and upload will be better but you pay for what you get of course.

Tenda Nova MW3 Whole Home Mesh WiFi System Pack of 3

I personally use UniFi APs to cover my home and garden. Never had any issues and after the initial configuration I’ve not had to touch them.

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Mesh.

I have CAT5e wired around much of the house but I also have three Google Home Mesh WiFi points.

Having had loads of issues with other WiFi solutions, including Apple Airport and Airport express devices, I have to say I’m extremely pleased with how the Google Mesh devices work.

My Deco M9s have been flawless. Super fast and super easy to setup.

Completely agree. I’ve got a Fritz 3490 as the main router with a Fritz 3000 AP set up in a Mesh and a spare 3490 in the kitchen area as another Mesh AP.

Great coverage all the way through and outside the house into the garden now. Which is great on weekends like this :parasol_on_ground::ok_hand::sun_with_face:

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