Are more DECO's getting a more stable WiFi Mesh network/signal strength?
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Hello i am new to this, so i might be asking something that is familiar, but not to me.
I have several DECO M9 and X50 models at home. Started with the M4, swiftly went on with the M9 and now the X50 with added M9's. But have still some M9's left.
In my opinion DECO's can be used together, and would improve the range or strength or stability of the Mesh WiFi network. I am maybe wrong but i thought that more Access Points would make a stronger combined field or so. But i found this not to be true.
I am incorrect that more AP's is better? Or is het counter effective? If it is better what am i doing wrong iin my WLAN
Ground floor 1 X50 connected with 50cm UTP cable directly in the router and had 600Mbit connection. Ground floor 1 X50 in home office, Ground floor 1 M9 in kitchen
First Floor 2x X50 living room.
Second floor 1 X50 in main bedroom. 1 M9 in children bedroom
The one connected to the router is only 50 cm a way from one of the X50's in the living room. But directly over it and there is a concrete floor between. I heard even that tilting the X50's might be better because of the horizontal broadcast of the WiFi signal. And therefore of these 2 X50's would be tilted 90 degrees they might 'see' each other better and improve signal. But i do not know if that is a myth or truth.
I am hoping for some help. As the only improvement will be a back haul UTP cable solution in the house, but i have to get a specialist for that to remove coax cables and refit them with UTP. Which of course is far better but takes time ot find a specialist and a lot of money.
thanks in advance
Jeroen
I wish you have given more information, because what you shared is not enough to assess the situation. In a setup with three floors and 6 WiFi mesh nodes it is important how they connect to each other, is link between them good or weak. Also, you haven't even told what you are not happy with, specifically.
In general, having two WiFi nodes per floor, even if it is a small house, is not too much. By the way, you haven't told how large are your floors (square footage), what walls are made of. Floor plans with placement of Deco units will be nice to have.
Concrete is WiFi killer. There is no magic in how WiFi mesh nodes connect to each other: they use same standard WiFi protocols. If concrete kills signal to your smartphone from router or Main Deco one floor below, it'll kill signal to WiFi mesh node such as M9 or X50.
Replacing M9 Plus with X50s will not improve how signal passes through concrete floor. WiFi 2.4GHz may struggle to get through, WiFi 5 (M9 Plus) will struggle even more and WiFi 6 (X50) will be even worse.
In fact, you might get better result if you make M9 Plus Main Deco on the Ground floor and place another M9 Plus right above it on the First floor, and another M9 Plus right above them on the Second floor. You should try that.
With 6 Deco units on three floors it is important how they connect to each other and you may need to configure them connect properly. This feature is called "preferred signal source." It is described here: How to select a preferred signal source on the Deco App
Deco X50 has that option, but in your mixed Deco mesh you have Deco M9 which does not, yet. That's why you won't see it in Deco app. It'll come with M9 firmware 1.6, or you may install beta firmware if you want to and it'll enable that feature. Beta firmware can be found here: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/574954
When you have that option enabled and can share how your Deco units connect to each other, I'll be able to tell you how you need to configure them to connect properly.
What they don't tell in WiFi mesh marketing materials is that it does not "just works." You need to have understanding what you are doing and it helps to have some sort of IT background and basic understanding in how WiFi works and how WiFi mesh operates. If you can find someone locally with that experience, you may wish to use their service.
It is a good idea to wire Deco nodes with Ethernet cables, because it will deliver tremendous improvement in WiFi mesh performance. Especially, together with the option to properly configure how Deco units that are not Ethernet wired, on each floor connect to nodes which are Ethernet wired.
If retrofit with UTP is too expensive but you have coax cables going to each floor already, there is another option: MoCA adapters. They will pass Ethernet through coax. You will need to investigate that technology, and adapters might not be cheap, and some adapters might not be compatible with Deco Ethernet backhaul - so it may be trial and error. Getting MoCA adapters from the place with return policy is highly recommended. Look for MoCA 2.0 or better.
