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Forum Discussion
rpiccand
Nov 06, 2023Aspirant
Connect EAX15 to another EAX15
Hi - I have installed an EAX15 extender, which works great. I would need to further extend the wifi coverage and was wondering if I could use another EAX15 if the signal already comes from anothe...
plemans
Nov 06, 2023Guru - Experienced User
Can you? Yes.
Should you? Thats another question.
Problem with single/dual band extenders is that they use the same wireless chip to go router---extender and then extender---device. And they can't broadcast at the same time. So their throughput (speed) is cut in half from what they receive. Add another extender in there and that 2nd extender can be at 10-25% speed of the router. Plus it has higher latency. The other issue you can run into is the extenders can connect to each other when they're setup in their mesh configuration as there isn't anything controlling the system.
So speed/stability issues can arise when daisy chaining extenders.
Best recommendation is if you have to do it, to set it up in star configuration.
Star:
Extender<----------router----------->extender
That way they aren't daisy chained (helps speed drops) and they're less likely to connect to each other.
Usually if someone is needing more than 1 extender, I recommend the switch to a tri-band mesh system for the dedicated backhaul that preserves throughput and has a router managing the system for stability.
rpiccand
Nov 06, 2023Aspirant
Thank you for the detailed explanation - makes a lot of sense now ...
What I am trying to achieve is bring Wifi connectivity in the basement, where there is very little to no signal today.
I was thinking of daisy-chaining in order to get some signal for the repeater to catch.
Going with a star-like setup won't get signal in the basement, unfortunately.
Thanks,
Regis
- michaelkenwardNov 06, 2023Guru - Experienced User
rpiccand wrote:
What I am trying to achieve is bring Wifi connectivity in the basement, where there is very little to no signal today.
Basements are a beast when it comes to wifi.
Is it wifi you need down there or a wired Ethernet connection?
In either case, tou could try Powerline Ethernet.
This hitches a ride on the building's mains circuit. As long as the wiring isn't too "noisy", and doesn't come with fancy isolators and trip switches, you can sometimes achieve fast Internet speeds than wifi.
Then you can use the ethernet connection in the basement to feed an access point top deliver wifi there.
Just about any router or wifi extender has AP mode.
At the moment I have a MS90 satellite on the receiving end of an Ethernet connection back to an MR90 router. The MS90 has a couple of Ethernet ports that I can also use as well as the wifi.
- rpiccandNov 06, 2023Aspirant
I tried powerline - but basement and ground floor (where the router is) are on a different "phases", so it won't connect.
I also thought about having an ethernet cable run down to the basement - but the tube is already full. Electricians recently came to pull fiber from basement (home entry point) to router, and they struggled literally an entire day. I guess I should have asked them to setup the router in basement and pull ethernet upstairs instead ... that would have been the right thing to do :x
I realized my ISP is letting customers evaluate "Plume" devices for free for 30 days. I'm gonna give it a go as a next step, see if that would work better.
Thanks all for your ideas and support
Regis
- plemansNov 06, 2023Guru - Experienced User
the plume devices have seemed pretty solid.
Are you having to rent them? If so, then I'd look at a triband system.
I don't suppose you have coax ran throughout the home?
MoCa adapters work pretty solid too and are pretty solid.