Best Deco for thick walls etc?

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Best Deco for thick walls etc?

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Best Deco for thick walls etc?
Best Deco for thick walls etc?
2024-01-02 11:50:03 - last edited 3 weeks ago
Model: Deco M9 Plus  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

I have a number of Deco M9+ disks and they perform well, most of the time. The issue I have it that I live in a non-standard eco house with lots of insulation and thick walls. In a couple of places I can't get two adjacent Decos close enough for a reliable connection - signal weak or non-existent. Any suggestions for other Deco units that would be compatible with the existing M9+s.

 

I've tried Powerline connections but they don't work as the two areas are on different switchboards / circuits. 

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Re:Best Deco for thick walls etc?-Solution
2024-01-02 16:33:44 - last edited 2024-01-02 19:52:28

  @Pedr057 

 

I ended with drilling holes in walls and ceiling of my house, after spending few hundred dollars on other solutions that failed for me.

 

Perhaps, you'll be luckier. From all Deco models, excluding ridiculously expensive and not guaranteed to be better, your best bet would be X90/X95. They will work best in pairs, meaning of you need to penetrate thick wall you should have X90 on one side of that wall connected to X90 on another side of that wall.

They support Connection Preference feature, so do M9 Plus, which means you can configure them connect to each other the way you want to. 

 

I suggest starting with just one pair of X90/95 and see if you'll get from them what you want. Make sure you buy these from retailer with simple and good return policy. 2 weeks return policy should be enough, as you have experience with Deco mesh and wouldn't need a lot of time to set, conigure and test these.

If they work for you, add more as needed.

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Re:Best Deco for thick walls etc?
2024-01-02 13:49:27

  @Pedr057 

 

Thick walls are WiFi signal killer. Does not matter what Deco model you try or what other brand of WiFi mesh. They all use same standard WiFi protocols to communicate.

 

With WiFi, newer versions of WiFi protocol provide faster speeds but on shorter distances with more sensitivity to obstacles such as walls. WiFi 2.4GHz, the oldest protocol from currently available, is slowest of them all but best at dealing with obstacles. If it can't penetrate walls of your house, WiFi5 will be even worse, and don't even bother with WiFi6/WiFi6E/WiFi7.

 

M9 Plus is WiFi 2.4GHz and WiFi5. If you can't make it work, it'll be waste of time trying to find something different that will work over WiFi through walls. In that situation, your only realistic option is wired link, and you can choose from powerline, Ethernet or if your house has TV (coax) cables laid through it - MoCA.

 

You said you tried powerline and it does not work. I am also guessing if it were easy to lay Ethernet cable you would have done it already. How about TV (coax) cables, does your house have them?

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Re:Best Deco for thick walls etc?
2024-01-02 16:23:59

 @Alexandre

Thanks for your response to my query. I do have some rooms with wired ethernet and coax TV cables connected back to central locations. The ethernet connects to a unmanaged switch (and enables some of the Deco M9+s to operate in backhaul mode. It's a long, thin house and the existing ethernet (and coax) does't go to the extremities. I was hoping to avoid drilling holes through walls and digging trenches etc, hence my hope that something would reach a little further than the M9+s and avoid adding to the ethernet infrastructure. I'd gladly sacrifice some speed in return for penetration / distance.

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Re:Best Deco for thick walls etc?-Solution
2024-01-02 16:33:44 - last edited 2024-01-02 19:52:28

  @Pedr057 

 

I ended with drilling holes in walls and ceiling of my house, after spending few hundred dollars on other solutions that failed for me.

 

Perhaps, you'll be luckier. From all Deco models, excluding ridiculously expensive and not guaranteed to be better, your best bet would be X90/X95. They will work best in pairs, meaning of you need to penetrate thick wall you should have X90 on one side of that wall connected to X90 on another side of that wall.

They support Connection Preference feature, so do M9 Plus, which means you can configure them connect to each other the way you want to. 

 

I suggest starting with just one pair of X90/95 and see if you'll get from them what you want. Make sure you buy these from retailer with simple and good return policy. 2 weeks return policy should be enough, as you have experience with Deco mesh and wouldn't need a lot of time to set, conigure and test these.

If they work for you, add more as needed.

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