Mesh Network

  • 19 February 2024
  • 18 replies
  • 163 views
D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Hello Community

There are a lot of threads about Mesh networks, but this is a specific question about range.

Due to on going connection issues I am looking at buying a mesh network.

I think most of those on the market will suffice for me, but I do have a slightly unusual setup for one piece of Sonos that I need to ensure will still work post the change over

I have a Gen 1 Play 5 in our home gym which is set up on the S1 app. The gym is just over 20m from the house/router (standrard wifi signal does not reach that far)

The following set up works, and is reasonably stable

I have bridged the connection to the gym via the garage. A BT disc at the front of the garage is hardwired to a powerline adapter at the back of the garage. In the gym I have the reverse. I get Wifi in the gym which allows me to control the Play 5 and the Play 5 is hard wired to the powerline

 

I am looking at two Mesh options.  In speaking with Sonos, the TP Deco P9 was mentioned. This is recommended for thick walls (not needed in my case as such), but it seems like it would be a good option given the above set up. So;

 

The downsides seems to be it only supports wifi 5 (how much of an issue is that:? and there would be a long distance between the main router and the device in the garage

The other option is a standard 2 piece wifi (I have seen Asus Zenwifi XT8 or 9 is recommended in my reviews).  So this would be set up as follows:

 

I have a few of questions

  1. If I go with powerlines, I’d need to span a distance of 18m from the router to the back of the garage. Is that feasible? What is the maximum distances recommended between routers / units?
  2. If I went with the Asus 2 pack, would the single unit be sufficient for the whole house (about 2000 sq ft)
  3. If I leave the current set up, would I have issues with the S1 app on my phone on a different network? Also, I’ve read that it is recommended to “disconnect” the existing SSID, so how would that impact the current set up if left

 

As ever, any advice is gratefully received

Thanks

David

18 replies

bockersjv
Userlevel 7
Badge +21

I would avoid Powelines if at all possible.  Anything over 600 is unusable in my experience and the whole experience was truly frustrating.  Worked ok for periods but would fail at any SonosUpdate. 

 

Can you not just run Cat 6 armored cable between the mesh units rather thanm powerlines?  I just covered mine in gravel/mud and it’s worked for years.  

D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

I would avoid Powelines if at all possible.  Anything over 600 is unusable in my experience and the whole experience was truly frustrating.  Worked ok for periods but would fail at any SonosUpdate. 

 

Can you not just run Cat 6 armored cable between the mesh units rather thanm powerlines?  I just covered mine in gravel/mud and it’s worked for years.  

Not really - I have a block paved driveway between the house and the garage (not digging that up!), and the route directly to the gym is not conducive to running cables

I don’t need to worry about updates, as the machine is a gen1 and running on S1

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Maybe look into the Ubiquity Long Range line of Access Points?

They offer WiFi 6, 6e and 7 versions. Also building bridges but you likely won’t need that.

 

https://store.ui.com/us/en?category=all-wifi

D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Maybe look into the Ubiquity Long Range line of Access Points?

They offer WiFi 6, 6e and 7 versions. Also building bridges but you likely won’t need that.

 

https://store.ui.com/us/en?category=all-wifi

Thanks - Looks promising as there are a number of different options there

D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Maybe look into the Ubiquity Long Range line of Access Points?

They offer WiFi 6, 6e and 7 versions. Also building bridges but you likely won’t need that.

 

https://store.ui.com/us/en?category=all-wifi

Thanks - Looks promising as there are a number of different options there

Had a look and I’ll admit I’m getting out of my knowledge sphere here.

The specificsations mention Power over Ethernet, switches and gateway consoles.  So simple question

- How do I connect them up to my current router?

buzz

“PoE” or “Power over Ethernet” simply means that one end of an Ethernet connection powers electronics at the other end of the connection. This can reduce the gaggle of power supplies in an installation or the need for the services of a licensed electrician.

Some more terms: A “modem” connects to a wire or fiber in the street or a satellite feed and provides a single network connection. A single network connection is not very useful in a modern context. A “router” acts as an organizer to facilitate multiple computers to communicate with each other and the modem without stumbling over each other. Finally, an “Access Point” offers a wireless data path to clients. A “Gateway” packs all three functions into a single box that, unfortunately, we often refer to as the “router”.

A “switch” is similar to a multiple output power strip that allows multiple clients to use the same network wire. The switch is much more complicated than a simple power strip. For a power strip all outlets are equal. On the network each client must be able to send unique messages to specific clients.

A router is a take charge sort of device. Only one router can be active on a home network. As a convenience most home mesh systems contain a router. Simply connecting one of these devices to a Gateway, results in two routers competing for the same clients. Neither router wins, the owner loses. You must actively prevent this war. Usually, the best approach is to disable one router, but each situation  tends to be unique.

D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Thanks @buzz 

I have read that is best to disable the existing router.

I does seem that the POE units have a range of 100m, which would be more than sufficient for my needs - I need about 20-25m

So, is this the solution?

Connect a base POE unit to my router via a POE injector?

Then disable my existing home network and use the new mesh network?

Thanks

melvimbe

Thanks @buzz 

I have read that is best to disable the existing router.

I does seem that the POE units have a range of 100m, which would be more than sufficient for my needs - I need about 20-25m

So, is this the solution?

Connect a base POE unit to my router via a POE injector?

Then disable my existing home network and use the new mesh network?

Thanks

 

I don’t get why you are looking at POE.  Your Play:5 can’t take power through the ethernet port, so it’s of no use to you.  A mesh network that can cover that 25 m distance is all you need.

Danny
D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Thanks @buzz 

I have read that is best to disable the existing router.

I does seem that the POE units have a range of 100m, which would be more than sufficient for my needs - I need about 20-25m

So, is this the solution?

Connect a base POE unit to my router via a POE injector?

Then disable my existing home network and use the new mesh network?

Thanks

 

I don’t get why you are looking at POE.  Your Play:5 can’t take power through the ethernet port, so it’s of no use to you.  A mesh network that can cover that 25 m distance is all you need.

I was looking at PoE because of the recommendations on Ubiquity. They are all PoE units so I thought I might need one in the house to create a stong enough signal to span to the 25m to the gym and therefore just use wifi for the Play:5

I’m trying, without success to find out if the mesh networks will reach up to 25m from the base unit.  The only stats they mention are sq ft.  I just want to know the distance, not area!

buzz

The limit for any network wire is 100m. As far as the data is concerned there is no difference between PoE and regular. A PoE power injector is used when the network device requires PoE, but PoE power is not available on the connection. Switches that offer PoE are very convenient.

Typically, the gateway router is disabled, but this is not always possible because some cable TV services need the cable company’s Gateway router function. More and more companies are adopting RMR (Recurring Monthly Revenue) tactics and their equipment will have limited function unless the customer establishes an account. I’ll not mention any names, but one very capable mesh system insists on RMR or the units will stop updating and you cannot add to the system after one year. 

D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

I will be running all SONOS units on Wifi (my SONOS Net is not good enough).  Obviously the simplest option is to go for a standard MESH network, something like ASUS ZenWiFi XD4 Plus, or XT9, as long as the base is powerful enough to reach.

I don’t want to buy them and find out it’s not strong enough

melvimbe

Thanks @buzz 

I have read that is best to disable the existing router.

I does seem that the POE units have a range of 100m, which would be more than sufficient for my needs - I need about 20-25m

So, is this the solution?

Connect a base POE unit to my router via a POE injector?

Then disable my existing home network and use the new mesh network?

Thanks

 

I don’t get why you are looking at POE.  Your Play:5 can’t take power through the ethernet port, so it’s of no use to you.  A mesh network that can cover that 25 m distance is all you need.

I was looking at PoE because of the recommendations on Ubiquity. They are all PoE units.  I’m trying, without success to find out if the mesh networks will reach up to 25m from the base unit.  The only stats they mention are sq ft.  I just want to know the distance, not area!

 

Because they generally cover an area, they are not liner.  However, if you assume it’s effectively an circular area of coverage, they you can find the radius given the area of the circle.  A router/satellite with 2,000 sqft coverage is a radius of about 25 feet (~8.3 m).

There are lots of 3 piece mesh wifi packages that can cover that distance, but you might have trouble with that first 13m gap.

 

Danny
D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Thanks

Yes, that first 13m could be the problem,  I would probably need to put one in the garage to act as the bridge.  My current BT disks work OK with that distance

The ASUS ZenWiFi XD4 Plus can be extended from 2 to 3 easily. 

It says it has a coverage of 2200 sq ft for one, 3300 sq ft for 2 and 4800 for 3

the XT9 covers  2850 sq ft for 1 and 5500 sq ft for 2 -

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Maybe look into the Ubiquity Long Range line of Access Points?

They offer WiFi 6, 6e and 7 versions. Also building bridges but you likely won’t need that.

 

https://store.ui.com/us/en?category=all-wifi

Thanks - Looks promising as there are a number of different options there

Had a look and I’ll admit I’m getting out of my knowledge sphere here.

The specificsations mention Power over Ethernet, switches and gateway consoles.  So simple question

- How do I connect them up to my current router?

 

Answering this one first, then I’ll get to the other posts.

Setup:

Plug an Ethernet cable into one of your router’s LAN ports.

Plug that Ethernet into the PoE injector’s input.

Connect another Ethernet from the PoE injector’s output to the AP.

 

I do that here and find it quite nice to have the AP’s power supply by my router and on my UPS rather than having a power brick behind something inconvenient to move.

If you have a WiFi / router combination you can either set the AP to a different SSID and channel and leave the old WiFi actove or what I prefer is to disable the old WiFi and set the new AP to the same channel, SSID and password.

 

 

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Seeing some confusion above, the Access Points are just that, no routing involved so they are connected to an existing router. Ubiquity also makes routers.

The APs are powered using Power Over Ethernet so you need to provide that to them, the power is not sent to any other devices on your network, just the connected AP.

 

D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Thanks @Stanley_4 - That helps explain things

I have seen it recommended to disable the old wifi

D
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Thanks for the advice, I have a few (hopefully) final questions

  1. Based on the recommendations I am planning to disable the BT SSID. Does that mean that I still have to connect the MESH unit to the BT Router. Or can I connect the Red ended WAN cable from the wall directly to the MESH unit?
  2. I have a NAS drive currently connected to an ethernet port on the BT Router.  Do I need to change that to connect to the MESH unit if I diasble the BT Router SSID

Thanks

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Disabling the SSID makes no other changes to the router so all wired functions will continue as before.

The NAS should be happy where it is.

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