(Short Version): I'm looking for a plug and play wifi system that'll reach all corners of my old 3 story 4000sqft house without problems.
(Long Version):
I'm looking to get reliable wifi into all corners of my 3 story house. I currently have a TP Link Archer C7 as my router, with Optimum 200mbps service, and an extender on the second floor in the hallway facing a big open stair. The router itself is on the first floor in the center with a wall between it and the stairs.
The first floor is fine and the wifi reaches out to the front porch and rear decks. The second floor though the wifi is spotty even with the extender. I get speeds of around 40-50mbps when I test, but you can see it goes up and down while it's testing. My wife is currently working from home on the second floor in a spot that I knew beforehand was iffy. Her VPN drops constantly and Zoom calls freeze. The 5G on the extender works best there.
The third floor is even worse. My daughters have been complaining about it for years. Of course they mostly watch movies up there, facetime, all the usual stuff that people in their 20s do. The one thing that none of us do though is play games, except that I use Zwift, a cycling app based on game tech. I don't have issues as I do it on the first floor. The other big use is hi-res music streaming. It doesn't seem to have a problem either. There is a basement too, the clothes dryer has wifi, and I sometimes stream music down there. Not a problem so far but light use.
We mostly use macs as computers, with iPhones and iPads. My wife is on windows though. Also, I use an Echo with about 20 smart home devices, a Firestick that is located with the router, and a bunch of Raspberry PIs that are DLNA/Airplay endpoints. Our new appliances also connect, although I still don't see the point of it. When I checked the router there were close to 30 devices connected, all of them I recognized as mine. Come to think of it, even my bike computer connects, as does the bike trainer.
What would be a good upgrade that'll last me a few years? I'm looking for something out of the box, I don't want to become the network guy at home. There is no ethernet nor coax running anywhere either. I was thinking one of the 3 piece mesh systems, but are they worth buying now or is something better going to come along as soon as I click 'buy'? Which one? Netgear, TP Link, Eero, Nest? They seem expensive too given I thought the Archer was expensive when I bought it. I just want something that'll accomodate the next upgrade or devices, whatever that will be, without yet another purchase. When I bought the Archer all I had were a bunch of laptops and phones, now I have an entirely connected house.
(Long Version):
I'm looking to get reliable wifi into all corners of my 3 story house. I currently have a TP Link Archer C7 as my router, with Optimum 200mbps service, and an extender on the second floor in the hallway facing a big open stair. The router itself is on the first floor in the center with a wall between it and the stairs.
The first floor is fine and the wifi reaches out to the front porch and rear decks. The second floor though the wifi is spotty even with the extender. I get speeds of around 40-50mbps when I test, but you can see it goes up and down while it's testing. My wife is currently working from home on the second floor in a spot that I knew beforehand was iffy. Her VPN drops constantly and Zoom calls freeze. The 5G on the extender works best there.
The third floor is even worse. My daughters have been complaining about it for years. Of course they mostly watch movies up there, facetime, all the usual stuff that people in their 20s do. The one thing that none of us do though is play games, except that I use Zwift, a cycling app based on game tech. I don't have issues as I do it on the first floor. The other big use is hi-res music streaming. It doesn't seem to have a problem either. There is a basement too, the clothes dryer has wifi, and I sometimes stream music down there. Not a problem so far but light use.
We mostly use macs as computers, with iPhones and iPads. My wife is on windows though. Also, I use an Echo with about 20 smart home devices, a Firestick that is located with the router, and a bunch of Raspberry PIs that are DLNA/Airplay endpoints. Our new appliances also connect, although I still don't see the point of it. When I checked the router there were close to 30 devices connected, all of them I recognized as mine. Come to think of it, even my bike computer connects, as does the bike trainer.
What would be a good upgrade that'll last me a few years? I'm looking for something out of the box, I don't want to become the network guy at home. There is no ethernet nor coax running anywhere either. I was thinking one of the 3 piece mesh systems, but are they worth buying now or is something better going to come along as soon as I click 'buy'? Which one? Netgear, TP Link, Eero, Nest? They seem expensive too given I thought the Archer was expensive when I bought it. I just want something that'll accomodate the next upgrade or devices, whatever that will be, without yet another purchase. When I bought the Archer all I had were a bunch of laptops and phones, now I have an entirely connected house.