No Mo' Deadspots: Mesh WiFi Upgrade

Ah, the holidays. A time of joy. A time of coming together. A time of scrolling through Instagram in the corner when it all gets to be too much. Except at my parents' house, where there were so many deadspots we might as well be a WiFi graveyard.

I was determined to fix it. Not only for my own sanity, but also because my parents have a crazy neighbor and there was no way for me to force * cough * I mean, gift them a security system for their own safety if the WiFi couldn't record Mr. Banana Pants next door.

So, how does WiFi work?

Do you know about WiFi standards? Do you care? I didn’t but I ready this anyways. Very helpful background, but not necessary to know. I’ve included it here for reference, but will get right down to it. You, the consumer, buy access from an Internet Service Provider (ISP). They usually provide or rent you a modem. The modem brings the internets (technical term) into your home. You then either rent or provide your own WiFi router to create your WiFi network. You can test how much speed you actually have on your home WiFi network by going to speedtest.net, a free site.

What is mesh wifi and who is it for?

There are three main options for creating a WiFi network at home: traditional router, router + WiFi extender, and mesh WiFi. The range of the devices depends on the size of your home, the construction, and your needs. Do you live in a small apartment with no dead spots? A traditional router should (and probably does) work for you. Do you live in a large home with brick walls? You likely have deadspots that could be fixed by a WiFi extender or a mesh system. There are a lot of articles and helpful recommendations out there, but my decision came down to this:

With a router + extender you need to set up a separate network for the extender and may have to switch between the two networks at home. This would be very confusing for my parents, and a non-starter. This option is cheaper if you are willing to put up with the potential extra hassle/have the skillz.

A mesh wifi system consists of several WiFi router nodes that work together to provide seamless WiFi coverage. Instead of everyone trying to connect to a traditional router (and possible extender) you automatically connect to the node nearest to you. It is more expensive, but easier for everyone so this is what I chose.

What is dual vs tri-band? Which do I want?

Dual-band WiFi routers support devices on the older 2.4GHz signal, and newer devices on a 5 GHz signal. Tri-band WiFi supports devices on the 2.4 GHZ, as well as devices on two separate 5 GHz signals. In essence, tri-band is just an extra lane on your wifi highway. Will this make your WiFi faster? No. It means that your devices won’t be slowed down by congestion. WiFi speeds are impacted by a number of factors, of which a router is one of them. If you’re looking to increase your speed you will also have to examine your ISP service speed you are paying for, and your wall material, to name a few. This has a more in-depth explanation of how the routers work and some of the marketing claims by manufacturers. Given the advances in technology happen fairly frequently, and the number of devices in homes nowadays, I went with a tri-band.

What I was looking for: a tri-band mesh WiFi system with parent-proof easy set-up for an old home with unknown wall materials, and a large range that could extend through the house, to the garage, and all the way to the maple sugar shack (don’t we sound quaint?). It also needed to install its own updates, because ain’t nobody got time for that notification. Bonus points if it meshed with Alexa to make things easier for my parents, and Jeff Bezos’s eventual takeover of the world order. What did I choose? The EERO pro. Read on for why.

Options considered:

I did some googling and read through this, this, this, this and this for the top options:

google wifi: Dual band, but cheap and easy!

Google nest: Not tri-band. Automatic DQ. That said, its performance was highly rated and they come in cute colors.

NETGEAR Orbi: I called my best IT friend who recommended the Orbi, but I think he overestimated my parent’s ability to survive without easy-access U.S.-Based customer support. Also, the pricing for the coverage needed wasn’t less than the EERO: It was two notes for $330 vs three nodes for $399 (on sale), and due to the shape of the house my parents definitely needed at least three. NETGEAR also offers NETGEAR Armor anti-virus protection for all your connected devices for an additional subscription. This was a pass mainly because all our devices have this already, it would likely confuse/worry my parents, and I don’t need another monthly subscription.

Netgear nighthawk: the ones cited in the articles I found were highly rated, but were either “mesh capable” (bestbuy.7tiv.net/ao6Qq) i.e. require additional purchases, or were nodes that supported dual-band.

EERO: I called and with customer service (thanks, Sam!), who answered all my questions, and helped me validate that EERO was the most cost-effective/powerful mesh WiFi for me. While the online tool suggested I do a pro + two beacons, the beacons only do dual-band WiFi. The beacons are cleaner to install as they only require a plugin. The 3 pro-pack pros all have tri-band WiFi and need to be placed somewhere they won’t get stepped on. He also mentioned you can purchase eero mounting brackets for cheap on amazon. I purchased these. Software updates are done automatically. For malware/virus protection you have to buy eero secure which also comes with a VPN, a handy feature I couldn't fine elsewhere. With the EERO you also get us-based customer service with free tech support.

He also gave me an installation pro-tip: If you plug them all in at once for set up, you can unplug the other nodes and install where you want. You’ll be able to tell how far away you can place them by the blinking lights: if they won’t stop blinking red you have gone too far.

Tune in next week for an update on how installation went!