Mesh/Repeater/Extender - whats the difference?

[80211WiGuy]

Hey Guys,
I feel like I really should know the difference between these three but I'm struggling to define them. Could someone help me out?

Mesh - Most intelligent form. Depending on the product, does some L2 routing and can figure out the most efficient path for packets between multiple points to the root AP, or multiple roots.

Repeater - A dumb unit that just repeats every frame sent to and from the main AP?
Extender - same as a repeater?

Does a 2 AP mesh act the same as a repeater or extender?

Thanks!

 

[thiggins]

Ahhh. Wi-Fi marketing, which exists to create differences in places where they don't really exist.

Let me try:

- Wi-Fi extenders are products that use Wi-Fi repeating (retransmission) to extend the range of an SSID using multiple BSSIDs (MAC address of a Wi-Fi radio).

This oldie-but-goodie explains WDS. This one explains extenders/repeaters that don't use WDS, which are more common today.

"Mesh" systems is another example of Wi-Fi marketing at work. It's applied to both systems that use multiple APs that can operate in a peer-to-peer manner (eero, Google Wi-Fi) and router/extender (NETGEAR Orbi, Zyxel Multyx).

The 802.11s mesh networking standard is very broadly defined and has many variants in actual implementation. In practical terms, just because a company calls its product "mesh", doesn't mean it uses 802.11s at all.

In the end, extender/repeaters form static pairs of APs. "Mesh" systems can form dynamic links. Truth be told, most consumer "mesh" systems are just starting to learn to be dynamic. Part of this is the base technology (Qualcomm's WiFi SON) is on the learning curve. But a more significant part is that if a system is too responsive to link quality changes, it will become unstable, trying to fix problems that are gone by the time the fix is put into place.

 

[80211WiGuy]

Thanks Tim!
Those were some pretty in-depth articles on what I agree is a poorly defined area of WiFi!
So we've got Repeaters and Extenders that either use WDS or some kind of Client-style way of connecting, and the bridges which typically use the client style connection method. Then the current generation of proprietary mesh systems which are mostly based on the one chip maker's implementation - Qualcomm, and from what I've heard, Broadcom might be trying to play some catch-up?

Thats a really interesting observation regarding systems being too responsive to link quality changes. Knowing how variable transmission speeds can be on even stationary clients, I can imagine how something like that could run a muck on someones network.

Appreciate the in-depth knowledge and observations! Hope to catch you at the next WLPC.

 

[thiggins]

Wi-Fi bridges use the same techniques (WDS or STA emulation), but don't retransmit the packet over Wi-Fi; send it to Ethernet instead.

It's actually Realtek that seems to be more aggressively pursuing mesh (Tenda MW6). Haven't seen Broadcom yet in any "mesh" gear.

 

[80211WiGuy]

The current vendor we use for home mesh WiFi is AirTies - I think they use the bcm43217tkmlg

AT&T just picked them up too, but I think they just use the "extender" function on them.
https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/u-verse-high-speed-internet/KM1192919

 

[thiggins]

The current vendor we use for home mesh WiFi is AirTies - I think they use the bcm43217tkmlg

AT&T just picked them up too, but I think they just use the "extender" function on them.
https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/u-verse-high-speed-internet/KM1192919

Interesting. AirTies had mesh products before Qualcomm. I've met with them many times at CES and other shows. They are interested only in service providers so won't send any product for review.

Just checked FCC and WikiDevi. The Air4830 uses Quantenna QT3860BC on 5 GHz and Broadcom BCM43217 on 2.4 GHz.

 

[80211WiGuy]

Interesting. AirTies had mesh products before Qualcomm. I've met with them many times at CES and other shows. They are interested only in service providers so won't send any product for review.

Just checked FCC and WikiDevi. The Air4830 uses Quantenna QT3860BC on 5 GHz and Broadcom BCM43217 on 2.4 GHz.

Yeah, I was told that the 4830 is being made for a major SP in EU and it wont be available for some time. We use the 4920 which is 3x3:3. I came across an older article regarding their partnership with broadcom for a managed mesh wifi play.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...to-service-providers-worldwide-300459690.html

The managed solution is still under development but what they have working so far has been really good for us. Performance wise they're about on par with most 3x3 SOHO vendors. I got a macbook to pull and push around 550Mbps last year.