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Forum Discussion
Which Mesh System for 5 storey Terrace House
I live in a 5 storey terrace house with VERY thick walls. I would like an Orbi system and plan to have a satellite on every floor. Which one would you recommend? Price is not an issue, just want...
Hi there!
Thanks for replying please see my answers below:
What are the dimensions of each floor? 6m x 12m
Are these thick walls interior on every floor? Yes double brick walls throughout interior. Each level has 2-4 rooms
Is it possible to connect all of the satellites to the router with ethernet cable? NO. We don’t have cavity walls to feed cables
What is the internet feed? (cable? fiber? speed?)
We are in the Australian NBN with about 100mbps download speeds
Where does the internet feed come into the house?
It comes from the street (which floor?) on the 2nd level
What prompted the choice of Netgear Orbi vs. other systems? It has been recommended by my cable guy
Are Parental Controls important? It’s a bonus but we use apple screen time
How many devices of what types are expected to connect to this system? 2 MacBooks, 3 iPads, 2 phones, 1 iPad, 2 TVs, 1 Arlo security system, 5 homepods, 5 mini homepods, 1 SONOS system, 2 smart lightbulbs.
Thanks for replying please see my answers below:
What are the dimensions of each floor? 6m x 12m
Are these thick walls interior on every floor? Yes double brick walls throughout interior. Each level has 2-4 rooms
Is it possible to connect all of the satellites to the router with ethernet cable? NO. We don’t have cavity walls to feed cables
What is the internet feed? (cable? fiber? speed?)
We are in the Australian NBN with about 100mbps download speeds
Where does the internet feed come into the house?
It comes from the street (which floor?) on the 2nd level
What prompted the choice of Netgear Orbi vs. other systems? It has been recommended by my cable guy
Are Parental Controls important? It’s a bonus but we use apple screen time
How many devices of what types are expected to connect to this system? 2 MacBooks, 3 iPads, 2 phones, 1 iPad, 2 TVs, 1 Arlo security system, 5 homepods, 5 mini homepods, 1 SONOS system, 2 smart lightbulbs.
What is the WiFi coverage with the existing WiFi system?
- Good over the entire building?
- OK on the floor with the WiFi, but worse on other floors?
- Some "totally dead" spots?
Would it be correct to assume that these brick walls are vertically aligned?
What are the floors constructed of?
- Hi there!
Yes the wall are vertical. The floors are timber with gyprock ceilings, insulation and carpet.
Without extenders I can get good wifi on the floor with the modem only. The rest of the house would be dead.I think it only fair to point out that a lot of us have personal experience with only one product. (There are certainly posts now and then which mention, "I bought the Orbi because I was disappointed with..." just as there are posts that end with, "I returned the Orbi and bought a.....") I've had my original Orbi since 2016 and it is the only WiFi router I know much about.
Purchasing a five unit WiFi system is a substantial investment and there are a number of considerations.
The 2016 Orbi RBR50/RBS50 systems, for example, are more than adequate for a 100mb internet service. If you move up to gigabit service a year from now, it may not have the "horsepower" to handle heavy use. The backhaul links between router and satellites will only struggle (if at all) on the link to the 5th floor. Netgear recommends having no more than two satellites in a "Daisy Chain" (router-satellite1-satellite2). Your situation may involve three in a chain (router-satellite1-satellite2-satellite3). Amazon is selling the RBK53 package for $400US. Two packages ($800US) will result in a router, four satellites, and one 'spare' router.
The newer AX Orbi's, such as the RBR850/RBS850 products, are significantly more costly. They support 802.11ax transmsstion (also called WiFi 6), both to user devices and between Orbi and satellites. The additional investment thus provides a degree of future proofing against (a) increasing internet speed and (b) purchasing new WiFi devices which include 802.11ax. I have exactly zero WiFi 6 capable devices and only 200mbs internet service, so I have zero plans to invest in WiFi 6 for at least another year (or two... or three). Amazon is selling the RBK853 for $979US. Two packages will thus be an investment of $1,958.
There are numerous competing products. Netgear has the Nighthawk line of products, and every major manufacturer has WiFi systems of varying capability. It might be a good idea to ask around, but I have no idea who to turn to. Neighbors? Electronic stores?
I do have some advice:
- Learn about return policies before purchasing. This is not the kind of investment people find trivial.
- You are right to avoid entry level products, which are often dual band and lack ethernet ports on the satellites.
- WiFi is really touchy about placement. It is usually not a good idea to "stack" access points directly above and below each other. Antennas have radiation patterns which make connections "up" and "down" not nearly as strong as "horizontal" or "diagonal".
- Give serious thought to ethernet cabling. Maybe ask an installer, "can you install ethernet cables that are not ugly?" (Perhaps in the corners?)
- Start small. Once the initial router is connected, verify that the 2nd floor has adequate WiFi service. If not, stop and return.
Install both floor 1 and floor 3 before proceeding to 4 and 5. If good WiFi is not achieved on 1 and 3, stop.
