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digital10
Regular Contributor
- Jul 5, 2022
- #1
This problem seems to be all over the internet and I still have not found a solution. Does any one know more about this? I am thinking of switching to ASUS ZenWIFI. Does it have the same problem? are all mesh systems like that?
Is there anything like "mesh system are too close together?" I tested the router unit and I get 100Mbps as there is a wall or two. I installed a satellite unit in between to get the full 400Mbps of my connection but the signal is dropping. I thought this is the whole point of a mesh system to get a strong signal?! I am afraid to install the units even further away and lose more signal between the walls. Thats how Wifi works to me understanding, more walls further away= less bandwidth.
Believe it or not, I do have a netgear EX8000 extender which works like an Orbi satellite and its putting a higher bandwidth than the Orbi satellite and seems more stable so far in the same exact installation place.
Orbi Satellite: averages 180-240 Mbps
EX8000: 400Mbps+
Any opinions? Should I install my router further away? Is the signal dropping has nothing to do with satellite position and the firmware/hardware faulty? Would Voxel firmware fix this?
Part of the Furniture
- Jul 6, 2022
- #2
The only answer possible to your many questions above is, yes, APs can be too close together.
For the rest? You need to experiment, keep good notes and use the specific setup that works best in your environment and with your client devices.
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digital10
Regular Contributor
- Jul 6, 2022
- #3
The only answer possible to your many questions above is, yes, APs can be too close together.
For the rest? You need to experiment, keep good notes and use the specific setup that works best in your environment and with your client devices.
This is no use. If I put the routers further away from each other they lose bandwidth (due to more obstacles in between) degrading the wifi speed. If I bring them closer together they do not work well.
This beats the purpose of this device which is to strengthen the signal of the wifi network. My current options are:-
1-Degrade Wifi performance (further apart)
2- Get dropping connections (closer to each other)
I would love to hear from any ZenWifi users if they face this problem
Tech9
Part of the Furniture
- Jul 6, 2022
- #4
digital10 said:
Any opinions?
- What Orbi model exactly*? There are many different models with different hardware.
- Don't get Asus ZenWiFi. Folks using the most popular XT8 are still on the hunt for good firmware.
- From experience, the nodes/satellites work best when spaced out at about -65dBm signal strength.
- Dual-band "mesh" systems cut the throughput to nodes on half. Tri-band are better with dedicated backhaul radio.
- Explore wired nodes/satellites option. It will stabilize the system and improve the throughput significantly.
- Too much Wi-Fi is not making things better. You may get stronger signal only, but worse throughput.
* - I had one RBK50 set recently and it was working very well, better than wireless AiMesh.
Part of the Furniture
- Jul 7, 2022
- #5
What are your ISP speeds? How big is your home in SqFt? What type of construction materials are used in the walls/floors? How does a single router, well placed in a central location (of the areas that need coverage, not necessarily the physical center of the home?
You are limiting yourself by focusing on one aspect of WiFi. You need to experiment with different aspects and equipment too.
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digital10
Regular Contributor
- Jul 7, 2022
- #6
Tech9 said:
- What Orbi model exactly*? There are many different models with different hardware.
- Don't get Asus ZenWiFi. Folks using the most popular XT8 are still on the hunt for good firmware.
- From experience, the nodes/satellites work best when spaced out at about -65dBm signal strength.
- Dual-band "mesh" systems cut the throughput to nodes on half. Tri-band are better with dedicated backhaul radio.
- Explore wired nodes/satellites option. It will stabilize the system and improve the throughput significantly.
- Too much Wi-Fi is not making things better. You may get stronger signal only, but worse throughput.* - I had one RBK50 set recently and it was working very well, better than wireless AiMesh.
-RBK50
-Whats wrong with ASUS ZenWIFI? any "best" mesh routers?
-Orbi's RBK has dedicated 5GHz backhaul but it seems to use both 2.4ghz and 5ghz
-If I could run wires I would have done a long time ago and install unifi access points
-AiMesh is different from the dedicated zenWIFI mesh system. AiMesh is making different router models work together as mesh.
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digital10
Regular Contributor
- Jul 7, 2022
- #7
What are your ISP speeds? How big is your home in SqFt? What type of construction materials are used in the walls/floors? How does a single router, well placed in a central location (of the areas that need coverage, not necessarily the physical center of the home?
You are limiting yourself by focusing on one aspect of WiFi. You need to experiment with different aspects and equipment too.
-ISP ranges a lot I am on 5G wireless internet home. Anything from 20Mbps to 500Mbps , but usually expect at least 200Mbps . Most of the time it will be 350Mbps + . This is for Wifi , testing from the router admin page (ethernet input) I have seen 850+Mbps
-My home is big and is built with cement bricks and iron beams.
-A single router placed in the center of the home should reach all rooms but the signal will degrade due to building material and multiple walls. Hence why I opted for wireless mesh and chose Orbi as it was highly praised by everyone and the price (I thought) reflects the quality. There are eeros with 3 AP for just $170 or TpLink Deco for $160.
not sure what you mean I am limiting myself? What more can I do? To cover a house this size I need a mesh system and I can not run wires. Place satellite too close you get dropping signal, place them far away I lose bandwidth (75% easy) .
The Orbi was working fine for me coverage wise if it was not for the dropping signal.
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Atko
Occasional Visitor
- Jul 7, 2022
- #8
IMHO, wifi signal strength, interference and actual real-world performance is voodoo magic but a couple of thoughts on your observations:
- The RBR50/RBS50 devices have exactly the same radio hardware as the EX8000 the biggest difference is that it has less flash and no bluetooth. However the EX8000 can use the lower 5Ghz channels (5170 to 5250Mhz) and upper channels, as well as the 2.4Ghz channels for connectivity. The RBR50/RBS50 uses the upper 5Ghz channels (5735 to 5250Mhz) and falls back to sharing the 2.4Ghz channels only fopr the backhaul. It's possible that in your situation there is more interference at the upper channels that is causing the Orbi backhaul to be sub-optimal compared to the EX8000 (maybe someone has a 5Ghz cordless phone that uses the high channels or something).
- If you have multiple RBS50's in the same area they will contribute to the interference and will compete with each other, compared to a single EX8000.
- More satellites with mesh networking can provide more coverage, but could also reduce overall network performance.
If you can't run wires, can you use the existing wires in your home to run a backhaul? for example using cheap MoCa 2.5 Ethernet Network Adapters (e.g. Frontier WF-803FT) to connect the RBS50 to the RBR50 over cable tv connections, or worst case using HomePlug AV2 AV2000 powerline adapters to run the backhaul (I've just had issues with powerline adapters in the past, as they are subceptable to niose caused by electical load, run your electric dryer, network also dries up, YMMV)? Alternatively, if wifi is your only option see if you can find an extender with directional antennas to more narrowly focus your wifi signals to the rooms that need it.
Tech9
Part of the Furniture
- Jul 7, 2022
- #9
digital10 said:
Whats wrong with ASUS ZenWIFI?
I don't know. The threads what's the best firmware pop-up on every firmware release. Seems like there is no community consensus so far.
digital10 said:
AiMesh is different from the dedicated zenWIFI mesh system.
Asus ZenWiFi uses exactly the same AiMesh, built in Asuswrt firmware. What is called ZenWiFi XT8 is actually 2x identical RT-AX95Q routers.
digital10 said:
work together as mesh.
No. AiMesh is a marketing name of wired access points or wireless repeaters. It's not a true mesh Wi-Fi system and has very limited control.
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digital10
Regular Contributor
- Jul 8, 2022
- #10
Tech9 said:
I don't know. The threads what's the best firmware pop-up on every firmware release. Seems like there is no community consensus so far.
Asus ZenWiFi uses exactly the same AiMesh, built in Asuswrt firmware. What is called ZenWiFi XT8 is actually 2x identical RT-AX95Q routers.
No. AiMesh is a marketing name of wired access points or wireless repeaters. It's not a true mesh Wi-Fi system and has very limited control.
how much firmware could be out there? I am guessing the official then merlin
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