F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Networks This might help address your networking concerns.

This might help address your networking concerns.

This might help address your networking concerns.

J
JokerFame
Senior Member
670
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM
#1
I currently have about 30 WiFi devices at home, and this is likely going to rise to as high as 50 over the next year. I am having issues with devices either disconnecting or saying they can't find Internet. It was suggested here in a previous post that adding more wireless AP's would fix the issue, since it's not a internet bandwidth problem, it's a local networking issue with too many devices trying to "talk" at once. I don't want to spend more money than I need to to fix this. I currently have a Linksys EA8300 router, with about 15-20 devices on the 2.4 Ghz band and about 5-15 on the 5Ghz band. The bulk of my devices are smart home devices, like Google Homes, Chromecasts, Chromecast Audios, and Wemo Light Switches/Dimmers. I don't find anything online suggesting they have mu-mimo and even if they did I don't believe my router supports it. https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-...ds=wifi+ap Will this, or something of similar price, fix my issues? I already have a ethernet run into my kitchen from the upstairs router, so one of these could add a new AP on that level of the house. Alternatively, I'd consider Google WiFi, but at $250 I'd need absolute certainty that it would not have these issues. For that kind of money I expect 99.99% uptime no issues on any devices not connecting. Plus it seems to be meant for WiFi only, so I'd need to spend even more money on an additional gigabit switch to add to the Google WiFi since it alone won't have enough ports for my wired devices. My other question : if I do buy this $25 thing, or if you guys suggest something similar that won't break the bank, will I need to set up all my devices again? Will it repeat the same SSID/Password and just act as a new stronger AP for nearby gadgets, or will I need to set everything up on a new SSID? My fears here go both ways; if I don't set up a new SSID what's to stop these devices from ignoring the new AP and continuing to bog down my existing AP upstairs? If I do make a new SSID and this device fails later on, which has happened before when I attempted a dual AP setup, then i have to individually fix every single device in the interim while I wait on a new AP, or go without those connected devices while I wait.
J
JokerFame
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM #1

I currently have about 30 WiFi devices at home, and this is likely going to rise to as high as 50 over the next year. I am having issues with devices either disconnecting or saying they can't find Internet. It was suggested here in a previous post that adding more wireless AP's would fix the issue, since it's not a internet bandwidth problem, it's a local networking issue with too many devices trying to "talk" at once. I don't want to spend more money than I need to to fix this. I currently have a Linksys EA8300 router, with about 15-20 devices on the 2.4 Ghz band and about 5-15 on the 5Ghz band. The bulk of my devices are smart home devices, like Google Homes, Chromecasts, Chromecast Audios, and Wemo Light Switches/Dimmers. I don't find anything online suggesting they have mu-mimo and even if they did I don't believe my router supports it. https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-...ds=wifi+ap Will this, or something of similar price, fix my issues? I already have a ethernet run into my kitchen from the upstairs router, so one of these could add a new AP on that level of the house. Alternatively, I'd consider Google WiFi, but at $250 I'd need absolute certainty that it would not have these issues. For that kind of money I expect 99.99% uptime no issues on any devices not connecting. Plus it seems to be meant for WiFi only, so I'd need to spend even more money on an additional gigabit switch to add to the Google WiFi since it alone won't have enough ports for my wired devices. My other question : if I do buy this $25 thing, or if you guys suggest something similar that won't break the bank, will I need to set up all my devices again? Will it repeat the same SSID/Password and just act as a new stronger AP for nearby gadgets, or will I need to set everything up on a new SSID? My fears here go both ways; if I don't set up a new SSID what's to stop these devices from ignoring the new AP and continuing to bog down my existing AP upstairs? If I do make a new SSID and this device fails later on, which has happened before when I attempted a dual AP setup, then i have to individually fix every single device in the interim while I wait on a new AP, or go without those connected devices while I wait.

H
Hughed
Junior Member
18
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM
#2
This low-cost option is going to be quite disappointing. I’d probably choose something like the Unify APs so you can use a single SSID and it performs well with many devices.
H
Hughed
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM #2

This low-cost option is going to be quite disappointing. I’d probably choose something like the Unify APs so you can use a single SSID and it performs well with many devices.

N
NekoKagamine
Member
120
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM
#3
Would you like two units or can you connect the device using your current router?
N
NekoKagamine
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM #3

Would you like two units or can you connect the device using your current router?

I
isaac17gamer
Member
73
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM
#4
You likely don’t need the LR format. I can provide several options—50 units is quite high for one API.
I
isaac17gamer
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM #4

You likely don’t need the LR format. I can provide several options—50 units is quite high for one API.

M
mr_banana11
Member
62
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM
#5
Could I purchase this product? It would fit well in my kitchen on the current gigabit Ethernet switch, a garage unit about 30 feet away connected to the existing powerline switch, plus the upstairs router. You could also place another one in the bedroom using a Wi-Fi to Ethernet adapter. This setup would provide four access points. My router, one of these via Ethernet, another via powerline, and a third still acting as an AP through a Wi-Fi adapter would work. It would help distribute traffic without relying solely on the single 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection. The SSID would likely be consistent across all devices.
M
mr_banana11
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM #5

Could I purchase this product? It would fit well in my kitchen on the current gigabit Ethernet switch, a garage unit about 30 feet away connected to the existing powerline switch, plus the upstairs router. You could also place another one in the bedroom using a Wi-Fi to Ethernet adapter. This setup would provide four access points. My router, one of these via Ethernet, another via powerline, and a third still acting as an AP through a Wi-Fi adapter would work. It would help distribute traffic without relying solely on the single 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection. The SSID would likely be consistent across all devices.

R
ryanock2005
Junior Member
17
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM
#6
They really want the AC, grab this link https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks..._title_def. I’ll probably stick with one brand so everything stays consistent. That way you can smoothly switch between models instead of dealing with a mess.
R
ryanock2005
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM #6

They really want the AC, grab this link https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks..._title_def. I’ll probably stick with one brand so everything stays consistent. That way you can smoothly switch between models instead of dealing with a mess.

K
kill_pvp
Member
61
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM
#7
I’m looking for the most affordable solution to keep everything connected on the same network. I’m willing to invest heavily only if I’m 100% confident it will work flawlessly. If problems are likely, I prefer minimizing extra costs instead of buying temporary fixes. It looks like a few budget-friendly APs that connect via Ethernet can help, since the issue seems to lie with WiFi’s shared nature—not my internet speed or local bandwidth. Adding more APs, even cheaper ones, will provide more devices with access. My router should handle multiple connections easily; the real constraint is WiFi’s limited capacity when many devices try to communicate at once. If everything were hardwired, the main concerns would be internet speed and local network limits, which I’m satisfied are okay.
K
kill_pvp
02-29-2024, 03:20 AM #7

I’m looking for the most affordable solution to keep everything connected on the same network. I’m willing to invest heavily only if I’m 100% confident it will work flawlessly. If problems are likely, I prefer minimizing extra costs instead of buying temporary fixes. It looks like a few budget-friendly APs that connect via Ethernet can help, since the issue seems to lie with WiFi’s shared nature—not my internet speed or local bandwidth. Adding more APs, even cheaper ones, will provide more devices with access. My router should handle multiple connections easily; the real constraint is WiFi’s limited capacity when many devices try to communicate at once. If everything were hardwired, the main concerns would be internet speed and local network limits, which I’m satisfied are okay.