[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by poloman

Hi Thad, I have no misconception at all about mesh network. Think of this? How can you wander seamlessly from one device over air to another in a physical word? There will be always some latencies and background network management involved. Some of these mesh uses 2Ghz band for traffic control for that reason. Also some use a third band. If you have Cat6 cable routed all over your house, why you need a mesh. By the time you step up/down a stair you will be connected to the router on that floor. Is it having same SSID across the house so important?

Maybe not, poloman. I'm not immune to the marketing men, and maybe I just bought into mesh. I guess I do like the idea!

Maybe file it under unnecessary, but it still seems to me that why not is valid an answer as why.

[manim]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The best case scenario would be a mesh network with the nodes connected by Cat6 cable.

reminds me of this saying in the automobile world, "There's no substitute for cubic capacity".

How much ever WiFi technology improves it can never beat cable (think fiber optics).

I would always prefer cat6 ethernet cable to interconnect my future routers, expenses, drilling holes on walls and laying pipes all over the house be damned!

[poloman]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Maybe not, poloman. I'm not immune to the marketing men, and maybe I just bought into mesh. I guess I do like the idea!

Maybe file it under unnecessary, but it still seems to me that why not is valid an answer as why.

Hi Thad, Sorry, even I have not done any throughput studies on this. But the basic fact remains if you do anything on air with limited bandwidth and obstacles, you will be limited by too many variables, making tall claims made by these companies unbelievable. If you get 100Mbps on main router in the ground floor and you get same speed or atleast 90% speed from a node 2 floor away then I am wrong.

My fiber modem is around 40ft below in the basement. Airtel have run a Cat5 cable from there to the router, Still I get 94Mbps on a 100Mbps plan. So nothing can beat Cable on speed even if it is one or two gen old.

Only why not is cost benefit disproportionality to put in layman terms. With Wifi 6 things may improve.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

I had almost decided to go for TP-Link Archer C7 based on @Ragul's good experience with it.

I just found some reviews of the newer Archer C6 rated for 800mbps on 5Ghz (compared to 1300 foor the C7) that rate it a better value buy than the C7 with almost similar real world performance because it has the newer technology called Mu-Mimo and beamforming. And @1.5k cheaper than the C7 for around 2.5K its a great buy. However remember that you cannot use one-mesh with two or more TP-Link routers - only with a router+extender so while the idea is tempting to use 3 routers for a mesh

if you get the C7 + 2 RE200s it will cost 4k+1.9k+1.9k = 7.8k. While 3xC6 = 7.5K)

they wont work together. But you can save 1.5k if you are on a tight budget.

PS: Do not use OpenWRT if you plan to mesh unelss you are confident of setting up 802.11s on the RE200 after following instructions online.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by poloman

Hi Thad, Sorry, even I have not done any throughput studies on this. But the basic fact remains if you do anything on air with limited bandwidth and obstacles, you will be limited by too many variables...

But my mesh is cable based.

I agree with manim, and I wish I had had my entire house wired for ethernet, even cat5. But even if I had done, when we had this house refurbished, the area that needs coverage now is recently built.

It is about 45 degree through the ceiling/terrace but wifi doesn't make it. So it's cabled, even though that cable crosses a few metres of open air. So for me, mesh (Asus's version) is just a way of getting two wifi transmitters on the same network. It has had minimal use so far: it will never have heavy use. But I think that the wifi speeds from the second router are the same as from the main router. Limited by being on a 40mb/s broadband connection: later this year, I am looking forward to getting fibre, and tests may be more meaningful.

[mankuthimma]

Originally Posted by Ragul

I just found some reviews of the newer Archer C6 rated for 800mbps on 5Ghz (compared to 1300 foor the C7) that rate it a better value buy than the C7 with almost similar real world performance....

Hey, Thanks so much Ragul for looking up on this one. Yes C6 seems more appealing than C7.
btw, Any idea about TP-Link WiFi 6 AX1500 Archer AX10 ? only reason going for it would be WiFi 6, but Amazon reviews are mixed. Have you come across this one ?

Originally Posted by Ragul

But I am confused by your post - why are you looking at a router with half the 5G WiFi bandwidth than the Archer C7 @4k and that too at a higher base price @5600k?

It was just my general perception that Asus may be better built than TP-Link, even though the specs are inferior. So I just wanted to understand the real world performance of Asus RT59U v2 and if it is too good to miss out, then I may need to reuse my existing router as the 2nd router, not in a mesh though, to offset the price difference.
But you have brought out all the valid points, C6 seems like a better bet at that price point. Thanks again!

[binand]

Originally Posted by manim

How much ever WiFi technology improves it can never beat cable (think fiber optics).

Shouldn't one expect wireless tech to be better than fibre at least in some performance metrics? For example, the EM signal is faster in air than through the OFC cable - that should amount to something?

[hondafanboy]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Is Orbi configured as DHCP router mode? Since you are using Airtel modem and that in turn is connected to the internet, you need to set Orbi as a normal wifi router.

How do I setup Orbi as a normal wifi router ? It appears as per Netgear documentation, all I need to do is use their Orbi app and it configures required settings once it is connected to the network. I even tried the manual settings, where it asks for ISP login/PPPoE login details but it still shows no internet connection.

Originally Posted by shipnil

If you are going to use the Huawei as router, then you'll have to give it's IP address as gateway in your Orbi. Also, you'll have keep it in AP mode, if you are going to connect Orbi in the LAN port. Have you configured Orbi in such a way?

Also, assign Orbi an IP that is in the range of Huawei router range.

I did select AP mode by accessing Orbi admin page but that did not help. And it does show that it received the IP, subnet , gateway etc. Once AP mode is selected, Orbi app stops working ( its documented on their website as well), Orbi Admin/setup can be done using the website only.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

This guide should help :

https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-...n-access-point

Thanks , I followed those steps but still it showed there is no internet connection. Feel like the Airtel router needs some setting change, but not sure what are those.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

.
btw, Any idea about TP-Link WiFi 6 AX1500 Archer AX10 ? only reason going for it would be WiFi 6, but Amazon reviews are mixed. Have you come across this one ?
... So I just wanted to understand the real world performance of Asus RT59U v2 and if it is too good to miss out, then I may need to reuse my existing router as the 2nd router, not in a mesh though, to offset the price difference.

Average 2.4ghz performance is what the reviews say. Further the AX10 does not have a usb port - which is a huge bonus with a 128gb or more usb dongle inserted. 802.11ac really make file/photo/video sharing ease with its higher speed - you just need to map the remote share on your android and apple devices and everyone at home can access the same files.

I am not sure if Asus allows meshing two routers into a single mesh - but if yes then that would be the cheapest option. The downside of normal Wifi extenders is that the bandwidth achieved is always almost half of the Original Wifi at the same location.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

I did select AP mode by accessing Orbi admin page but that did not help.

First thing, please tell us you want to use Orbi in AP mode or Router mode.
Secondly, if you can take screenshots of following 3 settings pages of both Huawei and Orbi as well and upload here, we should be able to help you troubleshoot. LAN, DHCP and WAN.

And as for app usage, I always prefer to connect to a router using ethernet cable while configuring the router. It eliminates one pain point.

[kushagra452]

Hello. Please suggest a good dual band wifi extender. The extender will be used on the same floor as the ACT router. The distance from the place where the ACT wifi router is installed and the bedroom is about 10m. Will I need to install two Wi-fi extenders for good coverage. At a time max 2-3 devices will be in use simultaneously. Thank you.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

Thanks , I followed those steps but still it showed there is no internet connection. Feel like the Airtel router needs some setting change, but not sure what are those.

Check if the LAN is on fixed IP mode or DHCP mode on airtel modem. If it is fixed IP, then you might have to give that in the Orbi set up.

[paragsachania]

An experiment on Wireless WDS Bridging:

This may not be new and known to many, nevertheless I wanted to share my experience here.

My ISP is ACT Fibernet and I am on their 300Mbps plan using a dual band router as the primary access point. Due to location of the primary router, multiple walls between the router and my working desk and the dimensions of the flat, since more than 4 years I have been heavily dependent on my single band (2.4G) extender/repeater till now since the primary router’s signals were no good to reach where I work from. In fact, it has been the case with my better half too ever since she has become a regular working from home.

I had no issues working by remaining connected on the extended network and the coverage it offered including the halved speeds (the best that an extender does). This was still more than adequate for working as well streaming needs on my bedroom’s TV. However, this year has been terrible due to frequent power cuts, thanks to few sparks from the transformer in the adjacent layout whenever it rains or is windy and the power goes dead. Soon after the generator in the apartment kicks in, the extender’s off-on-boot-connect cycle would take anywhere from 45-60 seconds. This includes 10 seconds that the generator would take after the BESCOM goes down. In all, I would be pretty much Internet-less for over a minute. And then, suddenly the power would be back and the cycle repeats and that indeed had become a pain for us both. Instances like these has made me rush to my daughter’s room or the living room where signals from the primary routers are strong and that router is backed up by a UPS too.

My primary router uses a typical DC Power back-up by Resonate since more than a year now. The concern was around the extender that would directly get plugged into the AC socket. A back-up solution for that meant I buy a typical invertor UPS which I didn’t want since I found it useless to have a bulky device to provide back-up for something as small as the extender. My extender otherwise was neatly plugged into the socket of our dining area and I couldn’t imagine a UPS for this and create a mess. Also, my back-up requirement was only for those 10 seconds between the BESCOM-DG-BESCOM switch cycles each time the power went off or came back in again.

No UPS for this Repeater:


Trying out spare single band router in Wireless WDS Bridge Mode:

I had a spare single-band broadband router after I switched to ACT and this one had WDS Bridge Mode option. I simply configured this router and placed it at an ideal location, this time right near the entrance of my room where I work from. The connection was stable with multiple devices connected to this second router and so were the speeds that increased phenomenally from that of the extender. All this with a different SSID for the second router in bridge mode.

WDS Bridge Mode with same SSID and Password:

As an experiment, I then reconfigured the secondary router with the same SSID as the Primary router including the password and tested. So now we had 2 SSIDs altogether – [1] 5G from the primary router [2] Single SSID for the 2.4G from both the primary and the bridged (second) router. From my working desk, I connected my Laptop to the 2.4 SSID and tested by moving around the entire house and all the rooms (2000 SFT, single floor) and the connection remained stable everywhere. In fact, I used the WiFi Analyzer on phone and could easily make out that the device would connect to the strongest of the SSID (names being same) from either of the routers depending on where I was, all this with a seamless hand-off.

Seamless handoffs:

As another test, while sitting at my working desk, I turned off the second router and noticed that the connection to WiFi didn’t drop but the signal strength plunged to less than 2 bars because now the system was connected to SSID of the main router, signal of which has always been low where I sit. I then turned on the second router and waited for it to boot and in about half a minute the signal strength on my laptop was back to 100%, seamlessly without a drop in the connection. With this set-up of a primary router as AP and secondary router in Bridge, I spent 2 days to ensure that it was working without a glitch. It worked flawlessly for both of us and only after this I ordered a UPS for the second router and installed it.

Primary router: TP-Link Archer C1200 dual band



Secondary router: TP-Link TL-WR841N single band



In summary,

• I now have a stable connection without a significant drop
• 2 Routers – Primary as AP and secondary in Bridge Mode
• Both the routers are backed-up by a DC UPS, so power supply issues is taken care
• Placement of both routers has reasonable overlap so there is no “Dead Zone” anywhere in the house
• Channels for both routers are set differently to reduce interference and get maximum gain
• Due to the above, handoffs are seamless and speed on the second router is at par with the first one

Few details around the configuration and results:



If I can, I may borrow a router with dual band (and one that has WDS Bridge mode feature) and test it similarly and verify results on 5G. If they turn out as good as the 2.4G, I may as well replace the single band secondary router with a dual band but honestly, this has been immensely satisfactory to say the least.

While wired bridge via LAN connection is still the most apt method for bridging, experimenting and bridging wirelessly by careful placement of the routers has indeed worked very well in my case and for my requirements.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by hondafanboy

Thanks , I followed those steps but still it showed there is no internet connection. Feel like the Airtel router needs some setting change, but not sure what are those.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Check if the LAN is on fixed IP mode or DHCP mode on airtel modem. If it is fixed IP, then you might have to give that in the Orbi set up.

Please post the LAN and WAN setup screens from both your router and your airtel box.

Also show exactly how they are cable together,

This should make it easy for folks here to troubleshoot. Without this, we have no clue.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

However, this year has been terrible due to frequent power cuts, thanks to few sparks from the transformer in the adjacent layout whenever it rains or is windy and the power goes dead.

Isn't this the norm in Bangalore? Bescom used to cut power in Cox Town even for a light drizzle.

For your primary router, I would not place it right up against a roof or what looks like a step just before the roof line. You knock off range like this. The way you have positioned the second router is perfect, just straighten the antenna. If you've seen a schematic of how those antenna's work, you will understand.

I tried this bridging thing with an old BSNL+TP Link router and it was a nightmare. This was several years ago when my folks used a BSNL connection. While I did get it to work, I could not get the TP Link to hook up to the BSNL router automatically when the power failed. I suspect it was the BSNL router that was the culprit.