My sister is in desperate need of some good wifi coverage. I must admit I could use some as well, so this has a dual purpose.

She has 5200 sq ft.

Last year we tried a 3 pack Orbi from Costco (large home 7500 sq ft). The problem was the extenders would constantly disconnect from the main unit, no matter where we put them. It would work fine and have great signal for a couple of days, and then just disconnect and require restarting the unit. After a month of tinkering with it and seeing similar issues online, we took it back.

Does Orbi have anything new that is working better? Any other mesh systems we should try? I know having the house wired would be the best option, but it isn't going to happen.

Thank you!

I got this one about 6 months ago. It performs extremely well and is easy to set up: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/l...AvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We only have a house with 2,800 sq ft but it reaches every room at full strength and also the whole yard without extenders.

Jim

I had very good success installing a TP Link Deco System in my next door neighbors house. Very easy install and configuration changes.

Short of that, would your sister be open to run CAT cable through the attic? You could probably install a couple wired access points strategically on a ceilings in the house and have rock solid, fast, WiFi. That's what I did in my house and I feel it was the best solution.

The only way to get good WiFi coverage is to have good APs within acceptable range to all areas you wish to cover, with each AP back-hauled to the wired LAN, all of it connected with a good network switch.

Everything you do other than that will result in a reduction of "good"ness. Only you can determine how much expense and effort you're willing to invest to achieve "good" WiFi coverage.

E.g.: To get good WiFi coverage throughout our little 1300 sq. ft. ranch, incl. the patio in the back, I installed a good (read: Non-typical-consumer) WiFi Access Point in the ceiling, smack-dab in the center of the house, and ran a network cable back to the main Ethernet switch (also not typical consumer grade) in the computer room.

Coverage is solid as a rock, even out on the patio and into the (literal) corners of the basement. Performance is essentially indistinguishable from the wired network for normal use.

TBH: The only way to know what would be required would be to temporarily rig APs in acceptable locations and then check coverage. A type of wireless survey.

I've been very happy with Google WiFi.

I have a three piece Orbi system that gives me great coverage in and around our home. We're on 5 acres and much of it is covered. Easy setup and about $400 at Costco. I believe it is set RBR50.

quote:

The only way to get good WiFi coverage is to have good APs within acceptable range to all areas you wish to cover

This is basically it. ^^^

If you can run cables to those areas then the better the performance is.
If not then communication will have to be "wireless" by bridge, extender or MESH.
Lately MESH has been a big seller due to minimal configuration.
Wired AP's are the best in performance by far but more difficult to properly design and configure.
Use more AP's with non-overlapping configuration and power appropriately.
If MESH use more AP's and place closer to each other.
You DON NOT need or WANT to have each with FULL POWER on the radios.
Think of it like having more speakers in each area than less playing full blast.
Plenty of good brands - I like Engenius but YMMV.

Eero. Great product, and amazingly they are easy to get on the phone and have great tech support.

https://eero.com/?cvosrc=ppc.g...aEafZHBoC1M8QAvD_BwE

They have professional needs and need a professional solution.

Nothing from Costco or BestBuy, etc, is suitable for a 5200sqft house such as this.

There is unlikely to be any inexpensive options.

When building or buying a house such as that, an accurate budget for connectivity should have been done from the beginning, and it very rarely is.

Google mesh network. Solved all my problems and has been incredible. Would recommend in a second.

All the new mesh systems work well. I have the Amplifi by Ubiquity and love it. The last thing I want to do when I get home from fighting technological fires is to deal with them. Mine plugged in, I set the wireless name and password to what I had before, and haven't had to touch it. The coverage is fantastic, and the touch screen on the router even lets me do the updates when needed. There was a security vulnerability that affected most router manufacturers earlier this year. By the time I got home the update was ready to install.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
You DON NOT need or WANT to have each with FULL POWER on the radios.

I would word that as "may not need or want." It all depends.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Think of it like having more speakers in each area than less playing full blast.

Or like how cellular networks work. Which, in a multi-AP wireless network, is kinda sorta what you're building.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Plenty of good brands - I like Engenius but YMMV.

I concur. Upon smschulz' and others' advice, here, I went with EnGenius after Ubiquiti stopped working for me. Works like a champ.

quote:

Originally posted by sig77:
Google mesh network. Solved all my problems and has been incredible. Would recommend in a second.

#metoo I get internet throughout my house and yard now. It’s great.

I installed Orbi a few weeks ago and have been impressed.

quote:

Originally posted by hunter62:
Last year we tried a 3 pack Orbi from Costco ...

Not sure which Orbi system you had but I recall reading that there is a big difference in the RBK50 vs the RBK40. I've also had the RBK50 with two satellites for several months and it has worked well. We have 1950's plaster walls with wire screens in the plaster, and this system works better than prior wifi range extenders that we used.

My house isn't that big, but we had problems. I called the provider, and they installed additional equipment that provided service throughout at no extra charge.

Buy a bunch of cheap old routers at yard sales, put them all over the house, hardwire Cat6 to them. That's what I do. 4 of them should work for you.

FYI....MESH has some built-in AI that determines what AP to communicate with as opposed to configured bridged AP's.
The performance is still the same (MESH vs Bridged) and less than better performing straight multiple hardwired AP's but the installation and configuration is easier.
They (MESH) still needs to be close enough to talk to another.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Buy a bunch of cheap old routers at yard sales, put them all over the house, hardwire Cat6 to them. That's what I do. 4 of them should work for you.

Multiple "routers" is not the correct answer and is not something I would advise.

If I remember correctly, Orbi isn’t a true mesh system. That’s why I didn’t buy it. I went with the Velop system and it works amazing. (My home is the same size as your sister’s).