Mesh network with my R7800?

[cdysthe]

Hi,

I've got a R7800 which is working perfectly. However, I now have to move it to the other end of the house so the far end will lose out. I have recently seen that Netgear advertise their extenders as mesh network devices working with your existing router. Is that really the case? I have tried extenders many times in the past, even Netgear ones, and it has never worked for me. But if the extender now can work as part of a mesh network I would be willing to try again. Anyone know if I should even bother trying this, or are they calling it "mesh" as part of a marketing ploy to sell extenders?

If this is a path worth exploring, which Netgear model should I consider to go with my R7800?

 

[bartj12]

I'm thinking about an extender as well, I've read some good things about the netgear Ex7700. Didn't had the opportunity to try it myself though.

 

[thiggins]

The EX8000 and EX7700 will act as extenders with separate backhaul radios. But they aren't mesh, i.e. don't link to each other and don't support multi-hop links.
https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wir...awk-x6s-tri-band-wifi-range-extender-reviewed

 

[Motofixxer]

Hi,

I've got a R7800 which is working perfectly. However, I now have to move it to the other end of the house so the far end will lose out. I have recently seen that Netgear advertise their extenders as mesh network devices working with your existing router. Is that really the case? I have tried extenders many times in the past, even Netgear ones, and it has never worked for me. But if the extender now can work as part of a mesh network I would be willing to try again. Anyone know if I should even bother trying this, or are they calling it "mesh" as part of a marketing ploy to sell extenders?

If this is a path worth exploring, which Netgear model should I consider to go with my R7800?

Extenders in general are very limiting by their design. For better performance I would suggest a regular AP or look at other options. Why does the router have to move? Can the router stay and use a switch at the other end of house? Can the router be moved to a central location? Additional wiring can usually be run fairly easily.

 

[cdysthe]

Extenders in general are very limiting by their design. For better performance I would suggest a regular AP or look at other options. Why does the router have to move? Can the router stay and use a switch at the other end of house? Can the router be moved to a central location? Additional wiring can usually be run fairly easily.

The router has to be moved because a family member need a wired connection. It will be very hard to run a cable to the new location. I know that extenders are a bad solution but Netgear now claims that their extenders can be use in a mesh network setup instead of as an extender to the existing network.. We have a mesh network at my office location which works great.

 

[cdysthe]

The EX8000 and EX7700 will act as extenders with separate backhaul radios. But they aren't mesh, i.e. don't link to each other and don't support multi-hop links.
https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wir...awk-x6s-tri-band-wifi-range-extender-reviewed

So what Netgear claims here https://www.netgear.com/landings/mesh-wifi-extenders/ is not correct? It says: "Use the Nighthawk Mesh Extenders with your existing WiFi and create powerful whole home WiFi".

 

[OzarkEdge]

So what Netgear claims here https://www.netgear.com/landings/mesh-wifi-extenders/ is not correct? It says: "Use the Nighthawk Mesh Extenders with your existing WiFi and create powerful whole home WiFi".

Sounds like an ASUS AiMesh.

Given you have the R7800 and you need a solution, why not buy their mesh extender and give it a try?

OE

 

[cdysthe]

Sounds like an ASUS AiMesh.

Given you have the R7800 and you need a solution, why not buy their mesh extender and give it a try?

OE

Sounds like an ASUS AiMesh.

Given you have the R7800 and you need a solution, why not buy their mesh extender and give it a try?

OE

I think I will. As long as I can return the unit all I will waste is some time if it doesn't work well

 

[thiggins]

So what Netgear claims here https://www.netgear.com/landings/mesh-wifi-extenders/ is not correct? It says: "Use the Nighthawk Mesh Extenders with your existing WiFi and create powerful whole home WiFi".

I didn't say the extender won't work. I just said it's not mesh. Mesh technology has a specific meaning that has been misused by Wi-Fi marketing folks. It's now used to describe products that use multiple access points that can be connected wirelessly (or via Ethernet).

As OE said, give it a try. The NETGEAR extenders will work with any router, not just NETGEAR's.

 

[cdysthe]

I didn't say the extender won't work. I just said it's not mesh. Mesh technology has a specific meaning that has been misused by Wi-Fi marketing folks. It's now used to describe products that use multiple access points that can be connected wirelessly (or via Ethernet).

As OE said, give it a try. The NETGEAR extenders will work with any router, not just NETGEAR's.

Thank you for the clarification. So it is marketing speak then?

We have a Ubiquity system at work which was sold us as a "mesh" system. Then there's the Orbi. Also mesh. Would you say that myt r7800 with an extender running "Netgear Mesh" works the same way as Orbi? I am trying to understand this but it seems like the "mesh" term is taken over by the marketing department at Netgear and as I understand it, ASUS. I did have an extender in my previous setup, also Netgear, and it was just trouble with dropped connections and reboots. I will try again now. Maybe I'll get it to work this time around, mesh or no mesh

 

[e38BimmerFN]

My EX7700 works well with my R7800 and XR450. Great extender. A friend of mine has the EX8000. Loves his.

 

[cdysthe]

My EX7700 works well with my R7800 and XR450. Great extender. A friend of mine has the EX8000. Loves his.

Just ordered one. Time will tell. Currently my router runs for weeks without any problems whatsoever. The true measure of success will be to what extent I can set and forget the extender. I want to forget as much as possible!

 

[e38BimmerFN]

Key will be also placement. Start setting the EX out at 30 feet to begin with. I had mine at 40 feet from the router upstairs 2nd level while the EX was downstairs on main level. No problems. I set everything for single SSID as well. Set a static IP address on the EX out side the default routers IP address pool. This helps to get access when needed.

 

[andy o]

Why not leave the router where it is, and get another router or AP and put it in bridge mode at the end where wired is needed? I've bought 3-stream AC routers that I use like this for as low as $20 (Walmart sale of Netgear R6250), but more usually you can get sales for around $50~60: https://slickdeals.net/f/13034752-netgear-nighthawk-r6700-ac1750-dual-band-smart-wifi-router-53-99-ac-free-shipping-via-amazon?attrsrc=Test:HideExpiredSearch:Control&src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1 If you search on Slickdeals again, you will find deals for TP-Link ones that are a bit cheaper, but I don't know if they can be put in bridge mode.

There are also dedicated AP/bridges that may be cheaper, though I think most of them are 2-stream only.

 

[pec]

If you have cable TV coax available, I have had good luck with the MoCA 2.0 bonded ECB6200 network adapters from ActionTech. I use a pair of these to get from the first to the second floor in my home, and I consistently show 920 Mbps down running Speedtest.net to my local ISP. These could also be used to get Ethernet to new location and leave the R7800 in the same place.

 

[cdysthe]

If you have cable TV coax available, I have had good luck with the MoCA 2.0 bonded ECB6200 network adapters from ActionTech. I use a pair of these to get from the first to the second floor in my home, and I consistently show 920 Mbps down running Speedtest.net to my local ISP. These could also be used to get Ethernet to new location and leave the R7800 in the same place.

Very interesting, and I I do have coax available around the house. I will look into this option which seems novel and not very complicated. Thanks!

 

[cdysthe]

Got a Netgear EX7300 extender and set it up using SmartConnect but on a fixed IP. It works great so far. I get close to the same speed I got before on wi-fi, somewhere between 400 and 600 Mbps. That's more than good enough at that location in my house. I will keep this setup for a couple of weeks. If I'm not experiencing dropped connections and reboots this is the way to go for me. I moved around the house and the devices jumped from the router to the extender just as they should. I'm impressed with the immediate results.

Update: After a week or so problems started to appear. Random disconnect between router and extender for 5 ghz wifi. These disconnects happen after a few hours of operation. I have tried to reset both router and extender, Same problem. I will return the extender and look into getting Orbi instead. I just can't take the aggravation with the extender. I was hoping it would work. It doesn't