Consider improving your home network by seeking expert guidance.
Consider improving your home network by seeking expert guidance.
Hi all, I'm looking for a WiFi upgrade. I live the UK and have a 5 bed house with an extension and loft conversion. UK houses are mostly brick built and having an extension means I have an external doubleskin brick wall running through my house. I also have a brick built garage at the end of my garden. I mention the bricks because I believe most of you here are North American and most of your houses are timber and I think WiFi goes through timber far easier than brick so I will need something with good penetration (Nice...). Also my router is in the corner of my house, I can't really move it. I do not know if it is possible but something directional would be cool. Would need 120degrees I think. Another issue and I think what might be causing some of my problems is I have ALOT of devices. I have a fairly 'Smart' home, I just had a count, and I'm fairly sure this is low, but I got to 20 Wireless devices that are 'Background' e.g. always on. Alexa, Ring, Tado, Sonoff, Kasa etc. That is before the numerous phones/laptops/tablets/TVs/consoles etc. My current set-up is a my ISP router, (Virgin SuperHub 3) off of that I have a CAT5E run up to a switch in my 'Office' which has my gaming PC, work laptop & TV plugged into that. It also has a powerline run out to the garage with an access point to run the security camera, garage laptop, smart speaker, and other smart devices. It's pretty cool actually I have a radiator and compressor on Sonoff switches I can say 'Alexa I'm working in the garage" and it will turn on the compressor and radiator on so when I get down the garage my compressor is full and the garage is warm(ish). I also have a micro server under the router (runs an FTP site and Local DNLA Streamer) I also have a WiFi Extender upstairs in an attempt to boost signal to the top floor. I was thinking I would switch my SuperHub to modem only mode and get a new router to improve things. However I also considered having the SuperHub on 2.4ghz only with the SSID hidden to run all of the smart switches and stuff that doesn't need bandwidth to offload those connections as they do all work currently. I also have a Quest 2 and use Virtual Desktop. I would like to be able to play games from my desktop over WiFi downstairs, (Gaming PC ->Switch -> Router -> Quest) I can at the moment but it sometimes has a tiny amount of lag that is noticeable. I would like either an uber powerful router that covers me everywhere or a mesh system so I do not have to worry about manually switching my AP depending on where I am. That being said I'm happy with the garage setup, everything works and currently it is far enough away that I do not really have trouble with being connected to a low signal AP My budget is about £2-300 any recommendations? Thanks, Chris My current Kit... Router - https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews/vir...uper-hub-3 Switch - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000...UTF8&psc=1 Powerline - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01B...UTF8&psc=1 Repeater (Upstairs) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07R...UTF8&psc=1 AP (garage) https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015...UTF8&psc=1
Are you planning a complete home renovation soon? Cat6 cabling is ready to go. I recently moved into a historic home from the 1700s—just three years ago. With only three bedrooms across two floors, the interior likely had old wiring and poor connectivity. Wireless options failed completely; I tested various routers and even expensive alternatives like Orbi, but nothing worked. Last year I installed Cat6 up the side of the house into the attic, where a switch splits the signal to each room. Each room has its own switch for devices, except phones, tablets, and laptops which connect wirelessly. Everything else is wired and receives a solid 1Gbps connection.
I wasn't planning to install CAT6 at first, but I ended up considering it. Honestly, my current setup works fine—1Gbps to the office is more than sufficient. My internet speed is 200Mbps, and reading/writing to the server won’t approach 1Gbps because the drives are mechanical. Going for 10Gbps would be costly, and I don’t need it yet. When I upgrade, I expect wireless options to be more practical, cheaper, and simpler. Most of my tasks will involve VPN connections, downloading via Steam, and streaming from servers. I’ve used Steam at 28MBps without any problems. Still, I’ve heard that 10Gbps can work over CAT5E for short distances—my run is only 15–20 meters, so it might be possible. What I’m focusing on is improving the wireless side of my setup.