I am looking for a wifi mesh system to improve the coverage in my home. I looked around and found a cheap solution with decent reviews, the Halo 50G by Mercusys (TP Link). I am not a fan of super cheap, super easy to use “magical” solutions, and within minutes of connecting just the access point I was seeing calls to the likes of google, facebook, amazon, etc in my network coming from the device. Not ideal.
I also found that Ubiquiti and Netgear may be the best options out there, but the prices I found are north of 600€ and I can not afford to pay that much right now.
So, my question is: Is there any wifi mesh system that is not using my network against me and does not empty my wallet? I am based in Europe and would like something under 200€ if possible, and ready to buy from the shelf.
Thank you for reading and for any recommendation.
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check out OPNsense routers and use your existing equipment only as access points. You can then make firewall rules to block them from phoning home. protectli sells some inexpensive models.
It is probably Chinese junk, but I’m using a set of cudy m3000 WiFi6 mesh devices that run openwrt. Could be worth looking into. They are about as cheap as I’ve seen. There should be WiFi7 versions out nowish /soon.
If you are willing to do your homework:
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/mesh/startThis is what I did. Flashed OpenWRT on all devices and enabled the 802.11r stuff. My “mesh” is just multiple APs connected by ethernet and fast BSSID handover.
802.11s is a mesh where it’s all done over Wifi. 802.11r uses ethernet for comms between APs.
I considered OpenWRT at first, but right now I do not have the time, or the will, to start learning about the project. It sure looks like something I will probably do in the future, but as of now I just need a commercially available solution.
considered OpenWRT […] now I just need a commercially available solution.
FWIW you can buy OpenWRT based hardware, no tinkering, e.g. https://www.turris.com/en/products/omnia/
GL. Inet is a commercial product running OpenWRT in the background
Maybe https://www.gl-inet.com/
As I understand their stuff runs a custom OpenWRT, so you can use them as-is, or if you want vanilla OpenWRT it’s very easy to flash them.
As far as Mesh goes I’m not sure how they would do, for mesh to perform well you need a system that has dedicated mesh radios in the 5/6ghz bands, and only the more expensive mesh systems typically have that.
I ditched Netgear due to poor performance and went with Ubiquiti. I’m fortunate that I could afford to buy a console for management but if you’re willing to self-host then there is no cost there. You could then get several APs (they have some as low as $99) and you’re all set.
FYI all ubiquity aps I ever bought broke within 5 years. Ymml
It might be helpful to specify your network needs. The system you linked is a WiFi 5 system. That’s 10+ year old technology.
What kind of speeds are you looking for? Will your access points be wired or wireless?
My wifi 5 APs from unity get 450-500mbps. The wifi 6 APs get between 300 and 600. Only the expensive 7 pro max get noticeably more, 2.3Gbps, but the wifi 5 is more than enough for 95% of people out there.
Interesting. When I upgraded from WiFi 5 to WiFi 6 it was a significant upgrade but there are a ton of other factors that play into what actual speeds a user may get.
I was more just interested in getting more details about OPs needs as OP basically only provided a budget, which makes it a bit difficult to give advice.
Interesting. What do you get on wifi 6? On what hardware?
For wifi 6 I have unifi ap 6 lite, unifi Express gateway in ap mode and my ISPs router, some Telekom own hardware IIRC.
For wifi 5 I tested mainly unifi ac lite (the first gen). I got around 300mbps from a raspberry pi with hostapd, but that hardly counts as an access point…
For the past 5ish years I had google WiFi pucks (gen 1, ac1200). 4 pucks, one as the router 3 as APs. 3/4 pucks were wired.
Switched over to using a NanoPi R4S (4GB version) as my router and 2x ZyXEL NWA50AX Pros for my APs. The cost for this is actually right around OPs budget, maybe a bit over.
The biggest improvements, in terms of speed for me, are devices that are WiFi 6 capable now getting much better wireless speeds (not super surprising), some going from around 200mbps to about 600mbps.
To be clear there there are over 30 devices on my network spread over 2000 sqft so I am a bit reluctant to reduce everything to a couple of speed tests when there are other factors involved.
The system you linked is a WiFi 5 system. That’s 10+ year old technology.
I feel old… First adopted in 2013
Does it have to be new? I can consistently find used ac lites from unifi on Kleinanzeigen.de for 50€, I got two of those and later a 6 lite for another 50€, that’s half my network. They are old and out of warranty, but use very low power and have really decent speeds (~500mbps).
You can just setup an extender where you need it. That is what I have. No real need for mesh unless your place is really big.
If you can handle steep learning curve with less proven stability, Mikrotik.
I’m also looking for a good WiFi mesh, preferably one that can be used with IoT devices (aka. Even without an internet connection).
I tried TP-Link Deca, but the mesh refuses LAN communication if the router doesn’t have a constant and stable connection to the internet - A feature I previously believed to be given - making it unusable for IoT and for providing WiFi at remote locations.
I tried TP-Link Deca, but the mesh refuses LAN communication if the router doesn’t have a constant and stable connection to the internet
that’s ridiculous
Yeah, I even wrote TP-Link an E-mail about this, but they wrote back that that was just how the device worked, that they could not recommend any of their mesh solutions which could provide a stable WiFi connection even without internet, and that they obviously couldn’t recommend any devices from competitors.
My image of TP-Link might have taken a hit as result as I believed this to be a fundamental and implied feature.
Do you have requirements for the WiFi Standard?
Do you want to build up a new system or adding to your current setup?
For the price point you could look into the AVM Fritz Ecosystem. Their Mesh solution is quite hassle free and for 200€ you could get WiFi 5 capable devices on the used market.
Not sure how well they work with other brands, so you might want to invest in a FritzBox and FritzRepeater (should be in the budget used).
Anything above WiFi 5 could be out of your price range, especially new.
Ubiquity APs with WiFi 5 could be in your budget, even new. Look into the AP HD. You will need a controller installation though, weither on your desktop or on a NAS, Server. You do NOT need to buy an appliance from them for management. They do not make it clear on their website.
