Need help with wifi dead spots
My router is plugged into a cable modem. The router is also hardwired to my office deskside computer. The house was remodeled in 2002 so I ran Cat 5e cable into almost every room/basement/etc. The router is also hardwired to a small switch. 5e cables from the various rooms are connected to this switch. There are areas of this "two-story house with basement" that have wifi dead spots. I need help selecting the appropriate hardware to correct this issue. I see there are wireless solutions but it seems if I have cable running into the areas of dead spots that a wired solution would be better. Maybe not? I'm looking for direction. Thanks.
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@dbsoccer Are you willing to replace that (EOL) router? I'm afraid it has reached the time when TP-Link no longer supports it.
I'd suggest a model that supports Ethernet backhaul such as a Deco model or Router with EasyMesh AND EasyMesh Ethernet backhaul.
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@jzchen I have family members constantly complaining about all the deadspots in the house. If replacing my router is part of the solution I'm all for it. I know nothing of the models you've listed. I did read some about the mesh solution but need to look into what backhaul is all about. I am assuming with any new router it will ports such that I can still hardware to my office computer and to my switch - goes without saying, I'd guess. Thanks for your input!
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@dbsoccer Since you've wired the house, (smart idea by the way,) the simplest way to fill the dead spots is to add Access Points to the rooms where there's a dead spot, and connect them via ethernet to the ports you've added to each room. The wired connections act as "backhaul" for the data transferred between "nodes", or devices on the network that act as data hubs/switches.
Creating a network Mesh is a somewhat new development that your current router does not support, (I checked). Since it is EOL, TP-Link will not be updating it to support mesh on top of that. A Mesh topology means you can bring your WiFi devices from one room to the next, kind of like how your cell phone works on the road. You don't drop your call when the cell phone seamlessly hops among different cell towers, and your device moving from one node to the next does not lose it's place/doesn't need to reconnect each time to different nodes, it is being handed off in a similar fashion.
Since wiring a house is in itself an investment/cost I asked if you'd be willing to spend more to replace the router. If you are willing to then creating a mesh network would go nicely with your wired home. That said we are on a TP-Link forum, so I like to answer with a TP-Link solution. TP-Link actually produces products with three different AiMesh solutions: OneMesh, Deco Mesh, and EasyMesh. OneMesh and Deco Mesh are TP-Link's proprietary Mesh solutions, but they do not work with each other. EasyMesh is a WiFi Alliance Mesh solution, meaning technically it should work accross different manufacturers products which support EasyMesh. EasyMesh happens to work with OneMesh in a certain fashion. (I have to be careful with that statement as it's a little tricky). EasyMesh can work with wired backhaul, but it is being rolled out to certain models, (also need to be careful of certain versions/revisions of those models), so that you'd need to be careful to find EasyMesh products that support wired backhaul by checking the available firmware descriptions to see "EasyMesh wired backhaul".
Do a little research on the various models available. Budget plays a big role on the decision...
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Thanks jzchen, What is the benefit of implementing a network mesh over adding access ports to my current situation - assuming I will refresh my router to something more current such as an Archer AX55? Or is this the same. I see TP-Link has several Range Extenders that can act as Access Ports but at my level of knowledge, it is not clear how I'd select one over the others. Cost can be a factor but if I buy a cheap one that doesn't fix the problem then it is money wasted.
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@dbsoccer Well there are a couple of things that would improve:
1. Throughput is higher 3000 Mbps vs 2300 Mbps, meaning less likely you'll get complaints of slow internet, more devices can be connected at the same time. (The internet service speed becomes more of the limiting factor)
2. Security improves as you move from WiFi 5 to WiFi 6, meaning it supports WPA3-Personal, vs the older WPA2.
3. The Mesh functionality that I already mentioned
To be honest if I were getting complaints about dead spots I would quickly grab one of the powerline kits and convert your AC wiring to WiFi. (I've never used one so I can't make promises on effectiveness, besides not seeing your specific situation):
https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/powerline/tl-wpa8631p-kit/
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