Fibre Broadband WiFi speed boost options

arrowman

Just got FTTH installed with Eir. Decided on the 300 Mbps package from Eir.

I just did a test and getting 267.5 Mbps wired direct to the router and 94.86 Mbps over WiFi with the laptop right beside the router. Does that sound reasonable? I thought the Wifi would be a bit better but maybe thats down to either the router or my laptop setup.

I would like to get opinions on how to get better WiFi coverage around the house.
As part of the install the KN crew set up all the fibre connection points on the inside wall directly behind the cable box in the outside wall. This is in the opposite corner of the house from where I had the router before when i was using the copper setup. The house if wired with CAT5 but that is not good enough for the new broadband signal.
So how do I "spread" the signal around the house both downstairs and upstairs?
I have a TP extender which I used in the last set up and did the trick with the previous router position to remove the main dead points but its not going to cut the mustard this time.
Can I not use the CAT5 cable at all seeing as it already is routed around the house?
I know there is a TP device that I can use - is it a powerline adapter?

Maybe there is a better option?

tsue921i8wljb3

Get some wireless access points. They connect to your Ethernet network and extend the wireless network over your home.

A couple of caveats though. Is the existing cable Cat 5 or Cat 5e? Cat 5 may be limited to 100Mb however if the cable is high quality and the distances aren't great you might get gigabit out of it. The amount of access points needed would depend on the size mif your home.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=wireless+access+points&crid=3CLYZBCVZ41C9&sprefix=wireless+acc%2Caps%2C147&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_12

arrowman

Thanks navi.

I went looking in the local electrical outlet and they have a TP link AV600 for around €60 which they said might do the trick. I am not sure if that was an adapter or an extender (not clear on what the difference is between the two).
There wasn't a lot of choice available there. From a bit of googling I have seen that a "mesh" system might be an option - a bit more expensive but it might give me better and more stable speeds?

The cabling is CAT5 only so by the looks of things it can't cope with the higher speeds possible from fibre which is a pity as the whole house is wired with it. I need to do something as having a 300Mbps connection to the house is now leaving me in a worse position due to the need to move the router position to facilitate this which meant that the WiFi speed is way worse in areas of the house where it is needed most.

tsue921i8wljb3

AV600 are power line adapters which work over the electrical cabling. I'd avoid them in your situation.

As I said earlier it is possible that the Ethernet cabling could support higher than 100Mb speed. There must be a switch somewhere in the network and if that were replaced with a gigabit version there is a chance that the cabling could work with it. Even just get a cheap, small gigabit switch and test the individual runs to see if they run at 1000Mb.

Even if the cabling only supports 100Mb surely reliable 100Mb WiFi around your house is preferential to a wireless mesh system that may or may not work to expectation? It is definitely preferential to AV power line systems.

arrowman

Thanks again navi.

I am a novice in this area so excuse my ignorance. I am not sure what you mean by a "switch somewhere in the network"?
The CAT5 cabling is wired to each phone socket - there is one in every room but I am not aware of any central switch. My idea was that the existing cabling could be used to transmit the signal around the house to each phone socket where it could be connected to a device of some description which would emit a WiFi signal for that room. But maybe that is not possible? The KN tech lad hooking up the fibre broadband more or less wrote off the CAT5 as useless which is why I was starting to look elsewhere

tsue921i8wljb3

If there is an Ethernet network in the house, each individual Cat 5 cable would come back to one central location from each room. At this central location they would connect to a switch which would enable all the individual points to talk to each other.

You say there is no switch so there is the possibility that the Cat 5 cabling has been used as phone cabling in your home. In this scenario the cabling is daisy-chained from one room to the next. This enables analogue phone but unfortunately is useless for Ethernet.

You'll need to look at Mesh or power line if the second case is true.

arrowman

Right - I get it now.

I have a feeling its the second case but I will check with the electrician who wired the house. We had a discussion around his at the time so I will be disappointed if its not left that I can get the benefit of the CAT5 for digital. I can't say that if its coming back to a central point that I have seen where that is.

mikeecho

What is the spec of your WiFi card in the computer ?
802.11 b g n ac ?

Also, are you connecting to the 2.4ghz signal or the 5ghz signal

arrowman

Not sure about the WiFi card

It's the 2.4 I'm connecting to- it's the one I've always used

mikeecho

arrowman wrote: »

Not sure about the WiFi card

It's the 2.4 I'm connecting to- it's the one I've always used

Try connecting to the 5ghz signal only.. then do a speed test

tsue921i8wljb3

The max you'll get out of the eir F2000 is about 240Mb on 5GHz. This is with an 80MHz channel and a short guard interval. This is also dependant on the device you're testing on.

This is also not going to solve your range issues. It's likely you need more than one wireless device to fully cover your hone.

mikeecho

Desiree Shrilling Tracker wrote: »

The max you'll get out of the eir F2000 is about 240Mb on 5GHz. This is with an 80MHz channel and a short guard interval. This is also dependant on the device you're testing on.

This is also not going to solve your range issues. It's likely you need more than one wireless device to fully cover your hone.

I've the same 300mb package from Eir as the op.
And I have the house wired with cat5e all back to a central location.

I have cheap Lidl repeaters set to Acces points, and they only deliver about 80 to 90mb (they only have a 100mb card)

It works fine for me.

I also have some smart TVs and Android box's etc hardwired, and they all have 100mb cards in them.

I don't need the 300mb line. When the 12 months is up, I'll be downgrading to the 150mb line.

tsue921i8wljb3

mikeecho wrote: »

I've the same 300mb package from Eir as the op.
And I have the house wired with cat5e all back to a central location.

I have cheap Lidl repeaters set to Acces points, and they only deliver about 80 to 90mb (they only have a 100mb card)

It works fine for me.

I also have some smart TVs and Android box's etc hardwired, and they all have 100mb cards in them.

I don't need the 300mb line. When the 12 months is up, I'll be downgrading to the 150mb line.

That is something similar to what I was suggesting the op do but it seems the house may not have been cabled correctly. I think 150Mb is sufficient at present for a lot of people.

mikeecho

Desiree Shrilling Tracker wrote: »

That is something similar to what I was suggesting the op do but it seems the house may not have been cabled correctly. I think 150Mb is sufficient at present for a lot of people.

Of I connect to the 5ghz from the f2000 I'll get 250~ish speeds.

It's nice, but not necessary for normal day to day use.

80 to 100 mb is plenty.
You can easily stream 4k content simultaneously on two TVs , and still run other devices such as baby monitors and web browsing etc.

I was stuck for so many years on such low speeds (3mb max) that the thought of high speed had me jumping at the 300mb package.

But at least I know now that the 150 will be plenty.

arrowman

Resurrecting this thread.

I have been using away at WiFi and have come to the conclusion that I need to do something.
The WiFi will drop for no reason and I am definitely not getting anywhere near the full benefit of having 3))Mbps at the router.
The fact that it is dropping maybe due to the increasing number of devices I have on it - between phones, tablets, speakers and smart plugs

I think changing to a new router, from the Eir supplied F2000 one might have to be considered.

Am I right in saying a mesh system plugged into the existing router might solve the problem with limitations on the maximum number of devices?

Is the Nest Wifi system available for sale in Ireland? How does it compare with other mesh systems? Will it work with the F2000 router?

arrowman

Just found on the Google website that Nest IS available in the UK but NOT available for Ireland for some reason. So that's that option ruled out.

pizzahead77

arrowman wrote: »

Just found on the Google website that Nest IS available in the UK but NOT available for Ireland for some reason. So that's that option ruled out.

The first generation ones are available from the Google Store in Ireland.

POlus you can order from the UK store but would need to use something like Parcel Motel or AN Post's Address Pal to get them delivered to a UK/NI address

tsue921i8wljb3

If you're looking at mesh systems don't buy the Google one as it won't work with eir's FTTH. Look at the Negear Orbi or TP-LINK Deco.

Both of these can replace your eir router.

Lewis_Benson

arrowman wrote: »

Just got FTTH installed with Eir. Decided on the 300 Mbps package from Eir.

I just did a test and getting 267.5 Mbps wired direct to the router and 94.86 Mbps over WiFi with the laptop right beside the router. Does that sound reasonable? I thought the Wifi would be a bit better but maybe thats down to either the router or my laptop setup.

I would like to get opinions on how to get better WiFi coverage around the house.
As part of the install the KN crew set up all the fibre connection points on the inside wall directly behind the cable box in the outside wall. This is in the opposite corner of the house from where I had the router before when i was using the copper setup. The house if wired with CAT5 but that is not good enough for the new broadband signal.
So how do I "spread" the signal around the house both downstairs and upstairs?
I have a TP extender which I used in the last set up and did the trick with the previous router position to remove the main dead points but its not going to cut the mustard this time.
Can I not use the CAT5 cable at all seeing as it already is routed around the house?
I know there is a TP device that I can use - is it a powerline adapter?

Maybe there is a better option?

Perfectly normal.

arrowman

Desiree Shrilling Tracker wrote: »

If you're looking at mesh systems don't buy the Google one as it won't work with eir's FTTH. Look at the Negear Orbi or TP-LINK Deco.

Both of these can replace your eir router.

Thanks Desiree Shrilling Tracker.

Looking on Amazon there a couple of different models of the Orbi - would you advise going for the Tri band (RBK20) one or the RBK30? The Tri Band one is double the price. My house is a 2 storey with concrete floor between ground floor and 1st floor - about 3000 sq feet. I might like to extend Wifi signal to an outbuilding about 140 metres away from the house if the system could cater for it (with more satellite devices).
I might wait at this stage to see whether Black Friday throws up any deals

tsue921i8wljb3

The tri-band devices are using one of the bands to communicate between each mesh node so performance should be better on it but at a higher price. You should watch a few review videos on YouTube to give you an idea of the limitations of these and what to expect. Here is a decent video on a TP-LINK:

https://youtu.be/IkGml1aVK-U

Also be aware if you replace the router you'll lose the phone service if your phone currently plugs into the router.