Do I buy a better router just to make my mesh network work faster?
Do I buy a better router just to make my mesh network work faster?
I have a TP-Link M4 Deco system with AC1200 speed for 300 Mbps internet. I also bought another Deco set but used an old D-LINK router for the main setup in my living room. This second system is at the end of my house, and even though it works fine, my download speed there is slower than where I am using the first Deco. At home, when Wi-Fi, I get about 260 Mbps down and 51 Mbps up. The upload part matches what the plan says for me. But at the end of the house, with an ethernet cable to the second Deco, my speed goes up only slightly, getting around 170 Mbps down and still 51 Mbps up. If I could get a newer AX1800 router instead, would it make my whole mesh system faster? Or will there be no change at all?
You put the second device in the wrong spot, so this isn't really helping. You just plugged that into your computer like an extra internet card using an Ethernet cable instead of a USB stick. It's still not working over Wi-Fi because it needs to reach the router. That is exactly how normal Wi-Fi cards work on computers too. The pictures show magic, but real instructions say where to put things. There is no magic that makes routers stronger just by placing them in a room. Radio signals have strength limits set by laws and all devices are already at their strongest point. A new AX1800 model is also a budget option with low power and doesn't support fast speeds like 160MHz. It will run slower than your old router because of the lower power. Also, if you change just the Wi-Fi part while keeping the Ethernet connection to your router, there won't be much gain either. The biggest problem is that walls and furniture absorb the signal, so putting a new device halfway between your room and the main router won't make it go faster with repeater mode. Even then, running a longer cable helps because fewer things block the signal path.