Mesh vs APs / mixing both?
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Hi guys,
is it possible to have 3 x decos, 2 x ethernet wired acting as Access Points, then the 3rd deco not connected via Ethernet, all running one SSID?
I have fttp with sky, 500mbps, from the sky hub to an 8 port gigabit unmanaged switch, going off to various rooms, with 4 port unmanaged gigabit switches in each of the 4 x rooms, then connecting to TVs, Sky Q, Sky mini boxes, games consoles, etc.
Another room at the back of the house doesn't have ethernet and I'd like stronger wifi signal in the garden, as well round the house.
I was planning on buying either 3 deco M5 or M9s (or still open other options / advice?)
one deco next to hub, 1 upstairs in front bedroom via ethernet, then one in back of house, which doesn't have ethernet.
can the decos work like this?
Im open to any other set up ideas, as I just want high speed & stable wifi throughout. And to take advantage of the Cat5e already wired in.
Many Thanks
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@Alexandre.
thanks for all this, much appreciated.
I think I'm happy setting up the 3 nodes, now knowing I can have them mixed as hardwired and wifi.
If I hardwire one, can I then use the other port to an unmanaged gigabit switch, to feed sky boxes, consoles, speakers etc?
Also, you mention opting for the X68,
It spreads the 4, 5 , 9 versions are faster as they go up?
but what's the difference in M, S, P, X models?
im happy to pay approx £100 per node. But will heed your advice of future proofing, if it's worth spending a little more.
at the same time, I don't want to have excessive features I won't use.
I suppose I'm just looking for stable but good speeds throughout.
thanks again
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>If I hardwire one, can I then use the other port to an unmanaged gigabit switch, to feed sky boxes, consoles, speakers etc?
Yes, you can. Also, you can do that with one that is not hardwired: its both Ethernet ports can be used to connect something to them. One of my not hardwired Satellite Deco has home networking printer wired to it by Ethernet cable.
>but what's the difference in M, S, P, X models?
M and S are WiFi5, P is WiFi5 and powerline link (you don't need these), X are WiFi6.
>im happy to pay approx £100 per node. But will heed your advice of future proofing, if it's worth spending a little more.
Choose between tri-band Deco models only. These are M9, X68 and X90. X90 is usually the most expensive, but mentioning it in case it is on some sort of "back to school" crazy sale. If it is, it'll be better that X68.
At my house, I have almost everything wired. I have gigabit Internet, but I don't really need that for mobile devices. Smartphone doesn't really need gigabit speeds, and Microsoft Surface Pro tablet happily streams YouTube full screen in 4K with M9.
I can imagine you'll only really need WiFi6 if you have bandwidth demanding devices connected by WiFi, such as powerful desktop you are using as software developer or content creator.
I have no such devices using WiFi, that was the reason I decided to stay with WiFi5 and bought M9 set. It is for you to decide, if you need WiFi6, and if yes - then it is X68 for you. If not, M9 is good product.
There was another reason I went with M9, not sure if it is relevant for you. It is possible to wall mount or ceiling mount M9 with third-party wall mount. One of my Deco M9 had to be placed in the narrow corridor to provide optimal WiFi coverage to adjacent bedrooms. I wall mounted it.
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Yes, they can work like that, both Ethernet wired and not. Also, in regard to Deco nodes Ethernet wiring, see General questions about Ethernet Backhaul feature on your Deco
I have both M5 and M9 Plus in my Deco mesh, with gigabit Internet.
My recommendation is to go with 3-set Deco M9 Plus. It is tri-band, meaning Deco node in the back of the house, which is not Ethernet wired, can deliver faster WiFi speeds to its clients than M5.
Also, M9 Plus by itself is more powerful unit than M5. The best WiFi speed I ever got with wired M5 was 475Mbps, and with wired M9 - 635Mbps. Mind you, these are the best possible results I've got after many, many speed test runs. For you, and in real life usage, that would mean wired M5 would struggle to deliver 500Mbps from your Internet link to WiFi devices. M9 would be much more capable.
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If you plan to upgrade your Internet link to gigabit in the not so far future, you should consider Deco hardware that supports WiFi6, and also is tri-band. That would be Deco X68, for example.
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>one deco next to hub, 1 upstairs in front bedroom via ethernet, then one in back of house, which doesn't have ethernet.
One more thing. When you run Deco mesh in Access Point mode, you do not have to wire Main Deco to the hub. You can, but you can also wire it anywhere there is Ethernet. That may give you flexibility in how you deploy your Deco 3-set.
Example: at my house, ISP cable router sits at the far corner of the basement, where cable enters the house. I don't want and need strong WiFi signal there. My Main Deco is in the middle of the first floor, to where I ran Ethernet cable from the ISP router years ago, for my Smart TV. When I've got my Deco set, I "borrowed" that cable from TV, connected Main Deco to it, and TV to the second Ethernet port of Main Deco.
With well wired place, you'll be able to position all three Deco for the best possible WiFi coverage.
At initial configuration, Deco mesh runs in Router mode, to change it to run in Access Point mode see How to set up Deco to work in Access Point mode
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@Alexandre.
thanks for all this, much appreciated.
I think I'm happy setting up the 3 nodes, now knowing I can have them mixed as hardwired and wifi.
If I hardwire one, can I then use the other port to an unmanaged gigabit switch, to feed sky boxes, consoles, speakers etc?
Also, you mention opting for the X68,
It spreads the 4, 5 , 9 versions are faster as they go up?
but what's the difference in M, S, P, X models?
im happy to pay approx £100 per node. But will heed your advice of future proofing, if it's worth spending a little more.
at the same time, I don't want to have excessive features I won't use.
I suppose I'm just looking for stable but good speeds throughout.
thanks again
- Copy Link
- Report Inappropriate Content
>If I hardwire one, can I then use the other port to an unmanaged gigabit switch, to feed sky boxes, consoles, speakers etc?
Yes, you can. Also, you can do that with one that is not hardwired: its both Ethernet ports can be used to connect something to them. One of my not hardwired Satellite Deco has home networking printer wired to it by Ethernet cable.
>but what's the difference in M, S, P, X models?
M and S are WiFi5, P is WiFi5 and powerline link (you don't need these), X are WiFi6.
>im happy to pay approx £100 per node. But will heed your advice of future proofing, if it's worth spending a little more.
Choose between tri-band Deco models only. These are M9, X68 and X90. X90 is usually the most expensive, but mentioning it in case it is on some sort of "back to school" crazy sale. If it is, it'll be better that X68.
At my house, I have almost everything wired. I have gigabit Internet, but I don't really need that for mobile devices. Smartphone doesn't really need gigabit speeds, and Microsoft Surface Pro tablet happily streams YouTube full screen in 4K with M9.
I can imagine you'll only really need WiFi6 if you have bandwidth demanding devices connected by WiFi, such as powerful desktop you are using as software developer or content creator.
I have no such devices using WiFi, that was the reason I decided to stay with WiFi5 and bought M9 set. It is for you to decide, if you need WiFi6, and if yes - then it is X68 for you. If not, M9 is good product.
There was another reason I went with M9, not sure if it is relevant for you. It is possible to wall mount or ceiling mount M9 with third-party wall mount. One of my Deco M9 had to be placed in the narrow corridor to provide optimal WiFi coverage to adjacent bedrooms. I wall mounted it.
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@Alexandre.
thanks again for you help,
I think the M9 plus may be the way to go for me, as it's mainly TVs with 4k streaming, and the kids online gaming with tablets & Xbox etc. no PCs
one note to query, I see quite regularly, people having issues with skyQ / sky mini boxes.
Is the app pretty straight forward at splitting / assigning ip addresses to the sky set up? (If I understand that correct?)
the main Q box & 2 minis are Cat5e, one mini is wifi,
and another for Sonos speakers,
im assuming this stops the devices interfering with each other?
again, thanks for you assistance with this. It's a mine field, and I research things so much I end up back at the start!
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I have no experience with with skyQ / sky mini boxes. Check this forum, there were people discussing those. Sonos speakers is another pain point for some Deco users.
I would recommend you get your Deco set from the place with simple return policy. 2 weeks is minimum, one month return policy preferred. In that way, if you'll get stuck on trying to make Deco mesh work with all your other devices, you can pack and send it back. One week should be enough to figure if Deco WiFi mesh works for you.
Same recommendation is valid for any other brand of WiFi mesh.
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