(Qn) Topology for router plus mesh

[kingafish]

Hi all,

I currently have an existing Asus RT-AX3000 router and also recently bought TP-Link Deco x20 (3-pack).

I'm wondering if there's a suitable topology that can best make use of what I have to create the best wifi experience.

Currently thinking of setting the 3 deco x20 to be access point mode wirelessly, my asus router will still be connected to the ONT.

If someone has a better topology please suggest and elaborate in detail if possible

Thanks!

 

[Tech9]

You don't have much options. Try Asus as Router and Deco in Access Point mode for Wi-Fi. Wired Deco will give you much higher performance, compared to wireless. Wireless backhaul will cut the throughput at the satellites in half. You may lose Guest Network separation in Access Point mode.

 

[L&LD]

AP mode requires a wired connection. You're describing Repeater mode.

With all three Repeaters in (heavy) use, your ISP speeds theoretical maximum becomes 1/8th of what you're paying for (throughput is halved with each additional Repeater).

How big of an area are you trying to cover? If less than ~2K SQ FT, optimally placing/orientating the RT-AX3000 may be all that is required.

 

[Tech9]

AP mode requires a wired connection.

With Deco in AP mode (called Bridge Mode) you wire the Main unit only and the Satellites can be wireless. Same as AiMesh in AP mode.

 

[L&LD]

Wired is AP mode. Wireless is simply Repeater mode. No matter what it is called by each manufacturer.

Same knock on the throughput when the nodes/Satellites are in use.

Repeater mode = wireless AiMesh

 

[kingafish]

I took this from TP Link site How to set up Deco to work in Access Point mode? | TP-Link, it seems that AP can work wirelessly in the Wifi Backhaul topology. I'm not exactly sure how big my house is, but I'm pretty sure the 3 Decos that I bought is overkill and would definitely will be more than enough to give full strength coverage in my house. I understand that Ethernet backhaul will definitely give better speeds, but that is not an option for me right now, otherwise I wouldn't have bought wifi mesh in the first place. In my first post the topology I suggested actually came from Topology 2
Can I use Deco with my existing router? | TP-Link

and I'm just trying to see if there's a better topology to use, otherwise I'll just stick to this. Thanks all for input.

 

[L&LD]

How big is your home/area to be covered in SQ FT?

You have no choice for how you can implement the Deco, you need to use Topology 2, from your own statements.

Again, it doesn't matter what the manufacturer calls it, it is not wireless AP mode, it is Repeater mode and will affect your whole network when it is under load.

 

[Tech9]

This Deco is dual-band* and to avoid big performance penalty to the 3rd hop the setup has to be like this:

Satellite - Main - Satellite

This way you'll have unavoidable 1/2 throughput to clients connected to Satellites, but more acceptable. How much it will impact your Internet experience depends on what ISP speeds you have. With good signal AX 2-stream wireless backhaul you may see 800Mbps from Main and about 400Mbps from Satellites to AX 2-stream client on 5GHz. In real life conditions it will be perhaps lower, depending on how the Deco system is placed (the quality of backhaul connection), how far the clients are from nearest radio (Main or Satellite) and what type of clients you have (N, AC, AX, single or 2-stream).

* - 3-radio (also called 3-band) "mesh" systems with dedicated wireless backhaul solve the throughput issue. Still, wired is the best option.