Mesh WiFi
 

I have a question for the gurus about WiFi to cover a relatively large space. The home is about 2600 square feet, which includes a 300 sqft bonus room upstairs. 3-car garage, and a large lanai/pool deck area out back. I would like to have WiFi coverage everywhere, and suspect a single modem/router setup will not cut it. I also use a WiFi irrigation controller, and like to be able to check the various zones with my phone while out in the yard.

I have heard of Mesh systems, but really know nothing about them. Can someone provide a little info on these, and let me know if this is the way to go? Many thanks!

Look at the device that eero offers. I have great success with them. I have 2 and they cover my 2500 sq ft house and the attached 1000 sq ft lanai

So in your situation a single WiFi device will not cover your home optimally. You will probably have some dead spots depending on the construction of your walls which are probably block.

A mesh network is a group of WiFi connectivity devices that act as a single network, so there are multiple sources of connectivity around your house instead of just a single router. All points are wirelessly connected to each other. As long as they're within range, they can communicate with each other without the need for a router or switch. This allows for fast and efficient data routing all over your home.

If you can get Quantum Fiber, they will install a WiFi Mesh network in your home as part of the cost of the service. The system they use is very good and works well. They give you up to four nodes which will be plenty for your home. If you can't get Quantum Fiber then you will have to buy a Mesh WiFi system yourself from Amazon, Best Buy or a place of your choosing. The most expensive is Netgear Orbi which is one of the high-end devices available. But if you want something a little less expensive then I would go wit the Amazon Eero system. Try to purchase these devices with WiFi 6E or if you can afford it, WiFi 7 so whatever you buy it will last you many years. Although there are many Mesh systems available at differet price points, you want to get one of the better systems so you don't have to spend a lot of time playing with it to get it to work and so it will last the longest for you. Right now WiFi6E and WiFi7 are the latest. Also another reason for these types of systems is they both use 2.4, 5 and most importantly 6Ghz frequencies. The 6Ghz radio will give you the best speeds but for the shortest distence but in a 2600 sqft home that you have, it will cover most of the home from each node. I know this because I have the Orbi WiFi7 and the 6Ghz radio connects to each node throughout my home of the same size. I was going to run a wired ethernet cable from my TV in the livingroom to my router but with the Orbi I get 2.5Ghz wirelessly, which is the fasted speed I could generate to test with my computer, so there was no need to spend the money for the wire.

These systems come in packages with different number of nodes. For your size home I would get a 3 node package since you have two floors and you want to cover some of the outside areas including the Lanai.

I'm sure there will be lots of responses with suggestions that are cheaper but with this technology, you get what you pay for so I would invest in a better, faster system, install it and forget about it. Also, there will be many saying I got a cheap system and I have WiFi all over my home. Which is true but at what speed? Although you get a connection, it doesn't mean it will work well. With the better systems you will get close to the full speed you are paying for all over your home. If you need further help, please PM me since I've done many cable to fiber conversions for my friends and neighbors here in the Villages.

I have found that locating your primary Wi-Fi unit in a central location provides very good coverage. Our house (without the additional room) sounds similar to yours, and with the Wi-Fi located on top of a grandfather clock in the living room we have great coverage in the entire house, garage, lanai, and birdcage. This is for both 2.4 and 5 gig signals. If you cannot do the central location, I would look into reviews of these types of products as i have seen some good ones and some bad ones. Also, make sure you consider what you are using the Wi-Fi for as this may greatly effect the use of a mesh system.

I have been using the Eero 3 unit system for years. Out house in TN was 3 levels and it worked great. Here in FL we have 1 level and 2300 SF. I get WiFi all over including the birdcage, garage, driveway. There are other mesh systems like Google and Netgear. I had issues with Netgear. Be sure to make sure the system does dual band WiFi 2.4 and 5 gb or some thins may not work!

I did not know about Mesh until I got it at my Midwest home instead of a main router. We have two Google mesh setup one upstairs that communicates with the other plugged into the hard wire unit downstairs. Communicates well with all outdoor camera’s and garage openers, etc. We rented them at first then purchased them on our own so no monthly lease charge now. You can find them online.

Mesh WIFI
 

I have under 4000 in CYV and one EERO with one extender is excellent. I probably don't need the extender but it was a sale with router and 2 extenders. No idea what I might do with second.... yet .. oops .. that should be 1400. And I'm on Tmo. Never a problem.

Eero
 

As others have said, check out eero on Amazon. Watch for special deals or “refurbished” models to save some $$$. I’ve been using them for years and never had an issue.

Thanks to all for the responses...very helpful!

Someone suggested that having the WiFi in a central location will give you good coverage and I'm sure they are correct, but the way my house is configured that is not practical.
I install the eero and it is great and if for any reason after setting up the units you find there is a spot with a poor signal you can simply plug in another module.

The WiFi mesh/ extender systems now are not costly and are reliable overall. These kinds of systems are often sold as a kit of multiple devices. The link below is a good introduction video of the Eero mesh system and set up.

I recently added a single extender unit to my existing home WiFi system and it works even though the extender is a different make than my other routers.

Here is the Eero video:

https://youtu.be/B1pv8bMfEtA?si=eWP0UAwIY5wEHx0Q

If you have a coax connection in the kitchen, put the router on top of the cabinets. Being up high is one of the best ways to maximize coverage.

This is as good of a response you will find. I use the Netgear Orbi since I had Quantum fiber before they offered the mesh network. My friends that are new to Quantum fiber say it works great.

The actual answer to this is 'it depends'

1) are you going "gonzo"? meaning you want more than 80% signal everywhere and running at what speed?
2) most of the suppliers will give you crap equipment. so you need your own. Orbi is the best for this.
3) based on your build (block/frame) also determines what you need.

off the cuff based on what you posted probably 3 mesh units (could do 2) but this will depend on walls and locations. hard to say without seeing the house.

Jrref has some really good advice. Not all mesh networks are the same. Some of the mesh networks others are recommending in these posts are already old technology. If anybody is getting a new mesh network today, the bare minimum should have wifi 6e capability or wifi7. These provide much better performance. My WiFi 6e mesh network communicate with each other by a private high speed backhaul channel.

Even with a mesh network, location of the devices make a difference. I used a wired connection from the primary mesh router to the second and then it uses the backhaul to connect to the others. I can go anywhere in my house, lanai, or garage and get high speed which is close to 900Mbps.