Wifi mesh systems

ratracer

Now that the TV box, Xbox etc are being used/ watched I can see glitches happening. Mrs RR’s phone isn’t also dropping Wi-Fi, so I’m assuming this is to do with the VLAN tagging?

I’ll investigate the router settings tomorrow and see how I get on.

Sheep Shagger

Gooey Looey wrote: »

Nobody knows, it depends on the layout and construction of your house, local interference and it's also down to the hardware in the devices you have. You'll be doing well too see over 500mbit though, but not sure what you'd need that for. There is no point in getting 1 gigabit if you only have wireless devices, get a lower package

Thanks, the deal we are getting is on a par with what Virgin charge us (we get about 215 mbit most days with them) so we'll give it a shot with the cooling off period.

Not sure if this bit is true but with Virgin you are sharing a line with neighbours etc however the eir infrastructure is dedicated to each house?

Clareman

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

New nest point arrived today

Signed up for eir gigabyte yet broadband today too now it's just become available, intro price of €55 a month for 24 months.

Assume nest can deal with that speed?

I'm on SIRO and have the Nest WiFi, works fine with each other. Vodafone have a better deal at the moment I think, 25 a month for 6 months and 55 after that

bk

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Not sure if this bit is true but with Virgin you are sharing a line with neighbours etc however the eir infrastructure is dedicated to each house?

Both are shared, just in different ways.

With Virgin/Coax, the cable usually runs from house to house in a loop, so yes, you are sharing with your neighbours.

With FTTH, each house gets it's own dedicated fibre cable. HOWEVER Eir use a technology called PON * for their FTTH, which means your connection is shared with 32 * of your neighbours.

So for instance with GPON the Fibre cable has 2.4Gbps available, however that is usually shared with 32 neighbours. So if all your neighbours were using their connection at 100% at the same time. You and they would only get 75Mbps (2.4Gbps / 32). Though very unlikely to happen.

* Eir uses different PON standards for their rural versus urban network. I think their newer stuff is XGS-PON, which us 10Gbps and I think they are implementing a 64 way split (so 156Mbps max speed if everyone is using it).

So yes, don't believe everything that the Eir sales people tell you.

Having said that, in deciding Eir FTTH versus Virgin Media, check the upload speed you get with Eir. I think it is higher then what you get from Virgin 25Mbps for their 250 package and 50Mbps for their 500.

bk

BTW In terms of max speed you can get from wifi. In terms of real world numbers, in the same room as the wifi router, then 250Mbps is pretty typical.

However you can now get laptops and wifi routers that support multiple simultaneous streams called MU-MIMO. My Mac supports two streams (and routher 4 streams), so I can get up to 500Mbps from this mac (basically 250 x 2). Newer macs support 3 and 4 streams, so in the same room, you could get 750 or even close to 1gig with them.

But as others have said, this falls off quickly the further away you are from the router, interference, etc.

DFS UTD

Hi - I bought 2 x Huawei mesh Q2 Pro 3 packs. Thanks for the tip off SheffWedFan!

Does anyone know if the one that is set up to the broadband router can be used as a ‘child’ - as I want to have 1 connected to broadband router and 5 around the house.

Currently I have two configured to connect to broadband router and only want 1.

Also I saw somewhere that maybe I should disable WiFi in the EIR broadband router?

Kids doing exams today so won’t be setting up until later this evening.

Any help / suggestions gratefully accepted

Thanks

DFS

Damien360

The huawei unit looks good with Ethernet back haul. But the Amazon blurb mentions an app for control. Th at doesn’t appear to have an iOS equivalent.

Is there an alternative within similar budget with Ethernet back haul and has a cross platform app for kids time control. Google looks a good alternative but it doesn’t appear to have Ethernet backhaul. I have a work laptop (admittedly could switch to wireless) and my sons gaming rig that requires wired access. I use netgear power plugs for Ethernet throughout the house and one as a WiFi repeater.

Shefwedfan

Damien360 wrote: »

The huawei unit looks good with Ethernet back haul. But the Amazon blurb mentions an app for control. Th at doesn’t appear to have an iOS equivalent.

Is there an alternative within similar budget with Ethernet back haul and has a cross platform app for kids time control. Google looks a good alternative but it doesn’t appear to have Ethernet backhaul. I have a work laptop (admittedly could switch to wireless) and my sons gaming rig that requires wired access. I use netgear power plugs for Ethernet throughout the house and one as a WiFi repeater.

THe Huawei Q2 has an iphone app. Smart Home it is called.

Dont buy via Amazon, a lot cheaper on Box.xo.uk

grogi

What router functions does the Q2 pro have?

Can you setup a 6in4 tunnel? Is there ipv6 firewall? Is there Open VPN client or server? The internet is very scarse on the information...

I am debating going this route or simply getting unifi ap...

Morby

Hi guys,

Currently in the middle of a major house refurb.

I was planning on using a Three 4G SIM for internet in an unlocked Huawei modem. The house is out in the sticks and any SIM I've tried out there is dismal, averaging about 0.2Mbps if even that.

Was planning on getting a 4G antenna booster and see if that improves things.

Will also be looking into getting a mesh system, but not got a clue what I should be going for, something like the Google Nest or the Huawei Q2 pro?

I'm a total n00b and on a budget, so the cheaper and user friendlier the better.

Also, before flooring and skirting goes down, I'm thinking of laying some CAT5 or similar down, tbh, I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm looking for though.

What sort of cables should I be laying for future proofing?

I guess now is that time for doing so before floors etc are laid.

Sorry for all the n00b questions!

Sheep Shagger

Clareman wrote: »

I'm on SIRO and have the Nest WiFi, works fine with each other. Vodafone have a better deal at the moment I think, 25 a month for 6 months and 55 after that

Eir have €55 fixed for 24 months with free apple TV (and Prime but we already have that).

Static M.e.

Morby wrote: »

Hi guys,

Also, before flooring and skirting goes down, I'm thinking of laying some CAT5 or similar down, tbh, I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm looking for though. What sort of cables should I be laying for future proofing?

I guess now is that time for doing so before floors etc are laid.

I would put down ducking or a pipes that will allow you to easily lay cables inside them and then have all ducts\pipes\cables pointing to a central location where you can put a small cabinet. "They" say that you should use Cat 6 cable, not shielded or Cat 6a, and put in two cables for every network point you need. So if you want a network point in the bedroom then put two network points in the bedroom - beside each other - in the same network socket. The logic is that it is easy to lay cable when you are doing it all in once go but if a cable breaks or is damaged it is a pain to go back and try to rerun that same cable through all your walls etc. easier to put in a second cable right from the start. Cable is relatively cheap too.

Thread from another forum you might find interesting.

Clareman

Another thing about the Cat 6 cables is that it can be used for other stuff rather than just "data", for example you could run HDMI over ethernet so you could have your satellite box in your central location and just send the signal over the cabling, see here for more https://www.blackbox.co.uk/gb-gb/page/44064/Resources/Technical-Resources/Black-Box-Explains/Multimedia/What-Is-HDMI-over-Ethernet-and-How-Does-it-Work

If I was doing up a premesis with poor internet I would be investing more on the cabling than wireless, for the price of a mesh system you would buy an awful lot of cable, also I'd also look at getting a few different SIM cards rather than just relying on 1, dot them around the house. Saying that, as an internet addict I think I would be able to cope with no running water easier than no internet

Shefwedfan

Morby wrote: »

Hi guys,

Currently in the middle of a major house refurb.

I was planning on using a Three 4G SIM for internet in an unlocked Huawei modem. The house is out in the sticks and any SIM I've tried out there is dismal, averaging about 0.2Mbps if even that.

Was planning on getting a 4G antenna booster and see if that improves things.

Will also be looking into getting a mesh system, but not got a clue what I should be going for, something like the Google Nest or the Huawei Q2 pro?

I'm a total n00b and on a budget, so the cheaper and user friendlier the better.

Also, before flooring and skirting goes down, I'm thinking of laying some CAT5 or similar down, tbh, I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm looking for though.

What sort of cables should I be laying for future proofing?

I guess now is that time for doing so before floors etc are laid.

Sorry for all the n00b questions!

Ok, I am out in sticks as well. So first thing, go to https://siteviewer.comreg.ie/ and check which providers have an antenna close to your house.



Second find out the direction. Then you need to buy a Huawei B525 or similar but check it has "Carreir Aggregation". I bought a 4g antenna then off amazon and connected all this up. Make sure you test in the first 14 days because you can bring back then


In terms of mesh then, well really I can't see past the huawei at the moment because of the price from box.co.uk. It does everything I want, well apart from device priority, but really ticks all the boxes. You have the features you need, it is really easy to set up. App is ok but basic. Plus you dont have to run wires as you can just use the electric lines.



Ethernet will always be king but if you dont know what your doing it is pointless and a waste of time. Putting down pipes to feed wires into later? not sure how this would work or if you would ever bother. Talk to your electrician and see if he knows. Otherwise I think you will be running stuff in a floor you wil never use

Static M.e.

Great post Shefwedfan, I wasn't aware that you do all of that. The siteviewer is particularly useful for seeing who has the best signal in any area.

With the Huawei box plus a decent 4G antenna what kind of speeds can you get?

ratracer

Is there any way to sort out the lack of VLAN tagging on the Q2 Pro?
I don’t understand networking, or even all the terminology, but my TV streaming box is very jumpy an the Xbox occasionally also, since I installed the Q2. It does everything else great ( coverage throughout the house, consistent speed).

Would contacting eir tech support be an use, though I can see them saying it’s not their isssue?
I’m not even sure if VLAN tagging is causing the issue, but it wasn’t happening before I installed the mesh.

Ray Donovan

Got my Eir Fibre installed this morning so will keep updated here on need for Mesh or not. 2700sq ft 2 storey all concrete. Have cat5 running through walls for ethernet backhaul if required but will speed test around the house tonight/tomorrow before I take the plunge.

Deco M5 3 pack is on my radar due to ethernet backhaul availability if required unless anybody could point me in a different direction.

Shefwedfan

Static M.e. wrote: »

Great post Shefwedfan, I wasn't aware that you do all of that. The siteviewer is particularly useful for seeing who has the best signal in any area.

With the Huawei box plus a decent 4G antenna what kind of speeds can you get?

It depends :p:p


I had Vodafone and it says up to XYZ but in reality they keep you at a stable 10Mb. I think I read somewhere that it was in my plan, I think on here. I went vodafone because they had a single antenna just over the fields.


So I decided to swap, went to Three. They had the B535 which supported Carrier aggregate and they had 2 antenna a little bit further away but with aggregate I would hope to connect to both


I bought one of these( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poynting-4G-XPOL-A0001-Cross-Polarised-Antenna/dp/B00C1DGFPS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=4g+antenna&qid=1590066820&sr=8-1 ) again remember to check for used and I picked it up for 60 quid or so. It was pristine except 2 screws missing :P saved me 25 pounds to buy two screws.

It is is worth considering that is one of the cheaper antenna, I would probably piush the boat out a bit more if I was getting again. I found forum on here with recommendations so worth asking on it....Im no expert and it is all to do with "gain".

So now, most days I am sitting at 25Mb, some days better. The odd day during the lockdown it got worse, just the antenna getting hit but never lasted long.

ThunbergsAreGo

With WFH becoming the thin for the next while I am looking at investing in one of these.

I live in a 4 bed semi, and work in the attic, so while its manageable I do have drops from time to time.

Would the Huawei ones be overkill and would something cheaper like this suffice?

https://www.harveynorman.ie/computing/networking-and-connectivity/modems-routers/tp-link-ac1200-whole-home-mesh-wi-fi-system.html

grogi

ratracer wrote: »

Is there any way to sort out the lack of VLAN tagging on the Q2 Pro?

I don’t understand networking, or even all the terminology, but my TV streaming box is very jumpy an the Xbox occasionally also, since I installed the Q2. It does everything else great ( coverage throughout the house, consistent speed).

Would contacting eir tech support be an use, though I can see them saying it’s not their isssue?
I’m not even sure if VLAN tagging is causing the issue, but it wasn’t happening before I installed the mesh.

What would you need VLAN tagging for? I really don't see a use case for VLANs in home scenario and lack of VLANs definately is not reason for jumpy XBox.

ISPs use them to tag traffic in the trunk link, but in your home environment there is absolutely no need for VLANs. Maybe when you want to isolate your IoT devices from the rest of the network (you'd create two WLANs, attach them to two bridges associated with different physical ports), but that's all I can really think about.

richardjjd

This is a fascinating discussion and I'm really enjoying it!

If possible, be interested in opinion on my own situation.

Have a Virgin Media Hub 3. I bought two Powerline adapters to improve coverage in the corners of the house furthest from the Hub. I picked up three Linksys Velops via Adverts at the end of last year as performance was still a little patchy. I'm getting decent coverage throughout the house now.

Two questions
1. The Linksys network and Virgin Media / Powerline networks have different names. Can I / should I give them the same SSID? I've been reading the recommendations on the Linksys user forum and they recommend it and I'd prefer it, but as things are working at the mo' I don't want to mess about.

2. One of the Linksys units is connected via ethernet to the Virgin Hub (and the other two are connected via wifi to that first wired unit). If I have everything under the same SSID, could I use the ethernet connection on the Powerlines to connect to the Linksys and give them all a stronger single?

I'm not a techie, so would be interested in any and all opinions!

ratracer

grogi wrote: »

What would you need VLAN tagging for? I really don't see a use case for VLANs in home scenario and lack of VLANs definately is not reason for jumpy XBox.

ISPs use them to tag traffic in the trunk link, but in your home environment there is absolutely no need for VLANs. Maybe when you want to isolate your IoT devices from the rest of the network (you'd create two WLANs, attach them to two bridges associated with different physical ports), but that's all I can really think about.

Thanks for the reply Grogi

As I said I’m rather clueless regarding networking, I thought VLAN tagging was something to do with the way eir send signal into my home. I don’t need any complicate setups, it could be just coincidence that I’m having glitches with the TV box and Xbox since I installed the Q2 Pro.

I like them, simple to setup, good coverage etc. Just wondering is there settings I’d need to change. I might switch the eir wifi back on, put those devices on that Wi-Fi and see if there’s a difference.

Shefwedfan

ratracer wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Grogi

As I said I’m rather clueless regarding networking, I thought VLAN tagging was something to do with the way eir send signal into my home. I don’t need any complicate setups, it could be just coincidence that I’m having glitches with the TV box and Xbox since I installed the Q2 Pro.

I like them, simple to setup, good coverage etc. Just wondering is there settings I’d need to change. I might switch the eir wifi back on, put those devices on that Wi-Fi and see if there’s a difference.

I am no help. I plugged it in, set the wifi name and password and off I went....I did play with the app for 30 mins but havent opened it since :P

DFS UTD

DFS UTD wrote: »

Hi - I bought 2 x Huawei mesh Q2 Pro 3 packs. Thanks for the tip off SheffWedFan!

Does anyone know if the one that is set up to the broadband router can be used as a ‘child’ - as I want to have 1 connected to broadband router and 5 around the house.

Currently I have two configured to connect to broadband router and only want 1.

Also I saw somewhere that maybe I should disable WiFi in the EIR broadband router?

Kids doing exams today so won’t be setting up until later this evening.

Any help / suggestions gratefully accepted

Thanks

DFS

Hi All

I set up the Huawei Q2 pro mesh WiFi system last night. I managed to figure out how to connect all to base (very easy).

So I’ve 1 base unit connected to Eir F2000 router and 5 other units plugged in around the house.

All are showing connected on the Huawei App.

I noticed a big improvement on speed over my regular WiFi on 3 on the plugged in ‘satellites’ but on the other 2 the speeds are VERY LOW.

I thought the mesh system would give the same speed throughout the house - is this not the case?

Also can anyone help with an other issue. I’m currently WFH - when I connect to the new mesh WiFi on my work laptop - I get kicked off the work server after a couple of minutes with a message

“you’re network connection has ended because the VPN server could no longer be reached on the network”.

My old Eir WiFi SSID doesn’t do this (as in I don’t get kicked off) - has this something to do with ‘backhaul’ ?

Would performance of the mesh system work better if I switch off WiFi on the Eir F2000 router?

I’m afraid to do this cos I won’t be able to WFH if I keep loosing connectivity to work.

I’m not a techie at all - so if anyone can help - I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks

DFS

Ray Donovan

For a mesh to work at optimum speed is it best to turn off the wifi on the ISP router or put it into bridge mode?

Or are they the same thing?

Shefwedfan

DFS UTD wrote: »

Hi All

I set up the Huawei Q2 pro mesh WiFi system last night. I managed to figure out how to connect all to base (very easy).

So I’ve 1 base unit connected to Eir F2000 router and 5 other units plugged in around the house.

All are showing connected on the Huawei App.

I noticed a big improvement on speed over my regular WiFi on 3 on the plugged in ‘satellites’ but on the other 2 the speeds are VERY LOW.

I thought the mesh system would give the same speed throughout the house - is this not the case?

Also can anyone help with an other issue. I’m currently WFH - when I connect to the new mesh WiFi on my work laptop - I get kicked off the work server after a couple of minutes with a message

“you’re network connection has ended because the VPN server could no longer be reached on the network”.

My old Eir WiFi SSID doesn’t do this (as in I don’t get kicked off) - has this something to do with ‘backhaul’ ?

Would performance of the mesh system work better if I switch off WiFi on the Eir F2000 router?

I’m afraid to do this cos I won’t be able to WFH if I keep loosing connectivity to work.

I’m not a techie at all - so if anyone can help - I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks

DFS

Very odd, are you using Cisco for VPN?

-Toppy-

Ray Donovan wrote: »

For a mesh to work at optimum speed is it best to turn off the wifi on the ISP router or put it into bridge mode?

Or are they the same thing?

I bought a few DECO's (M9's) a few months ago
I connected one directly to my ISP router and switched off WIFI on the ISP router and let the DECO's form their own network. They are smashing
To give an idea of coverage, I am in a 3 bed semi-d with a coverted attic (my office) and an extension out the back - with my 4 decos i have coverage to the bottom of the garden and 100% connectivity in the top room. The backhaul between them is a godsend as well

bk

Ray Donovan wrote: »

For a mesh to work at optimum speed is it best to turn off the wifi on the ISP router or put it into bridge mode?

Or are they the same thing?

If you can, best to turn off the ISP wifi and put it into bridge mode.

Less interference in the wifi radio frequencies for your new device to compete with. Specially if they are close to one another.

degsie

DFS UTD wrote: »

Hi All

I set up the Huawei Q2 pro mesh WiFi system last night. I managed to figure out how to connect all to base (very easy).

So I’ve 1 base unit connected to Eir F2000 router and 5 other units plugged in around the house.

All are showing connected on the Huawei App.

I noticed a big improvement on speed over my regular WiFi on 3 on the plugged in ‘satellites’ but on the other 2 the speeds are VERY LOW.

I thought the mesh system would give the same speed throughout the house - is this not the case?

Also can anyone help with an other issue. I’m currently WFH - when I connect to the new mesh WiFi on my work laptop - I get kicked off the work server after a couple of minutes with a message

“you’re network connection has ended because the VPN server could no longer be reached on the network”.

My old Eir WiFi SSID doesn’t do this (as in I don’t get kicked off) - has this something to do with ‘backhaul’ ?

Would performance of the mesh system work better if I switch off WiFi on the Eir F2000 router?

I’m afraid to do this cos I won’t be able to WFH if I keep loosing connectivity to work.

I’m not a techie at all - so if anyone can help - I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks

DFS

You haven't mentioned if you have the eir router in bridge (modem only) mode and have the first connected mesh system acting as the main router?

If you haven't bridged the eir router then it is best if the first connected mesh system is placed in Access Point (AP) mode.

grogi

bk wrote: »

If you can, best to turn off the ISP wifi and put it into bridge mode.

Less interference in the wifi radio frequencies for your new device to compete with. Specially if they are close to one another.

Bridge mode has nothing to do with WLAN...

If one is asking here, I would leave the ISP equipment in router-mode, switching off the WLAN (wifi). You can circumvent mesh routing by connecting it through Lan port and disabling any DHCP server on it.