# Ubiquti WiFi Mesh or WiFi 6 Mesh Network



## RDB85

I'm looking to upgrade my ASUS router. It's 802.11ac but the signal is quite poor around my home, so I'm looking at a Mesh Network to solve this issue. I've tried the TP Link Home Plugs to some success, but they seem
To fail after a while. I'm on the top Virgin Media Broadbands package. I've been reading online about WiFi 6 and although not many devices I'd any can support it just yet, maybe worth considering as to future proofing. Some I've seen:

ASUS ZenWiFi AX Whole-Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System(XT8), Coverage Up to 410 sq m or 4400 sq ft or 6+ Rooms, 6.6 Gbps WiFi, 3 SSIDs, Life-Time Free Network Security and Parental Controls, 2.5G Port https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082T48132/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_weuvFbG44HSTA


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## RDB85

Some others:

Tenda Nova MW6-3 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, 6000sq² Wi-Fi Coverage, Two Gigabit Ports, APP Control, Easy Set Up, Work with Amazon Alexa, Router and Wi-Fi Booster Replacement, Pack of 3 White https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077HTZ4TT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_efuvFbRFGDT1E

AmpliFi AFI-HD-UK HD Kit Home Mesh WiFi System https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07G78JWHJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zkuvFbPW0VX70

Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine All-in-One Router https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082QMR5ML/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RkuvFbTMX8ZV9

NETGEAR Nighthawk Whole Home Mesh WiFi 6 System MK63 - AX1800 Router with 2 Satellite Extender, Coverage Up to 3,250 sq ft and 25+ Devices https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MTYPZ1K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NluvFb709984H


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## garage_dweller

I wouldn’t go with the tenda nova system. I installed it last week and worked great until I turned the virgin tv box on. 2 nodes stopped receiving a signal and WiFi from first node dropped to about 1% of what it was before. Turned TV box off, all good, back on, all bad. It’s on its way back to amazon and TP-Link system ordered. 

I was talking to a mate about it and he said he had a similar issue with the same system so I’d avoid. 

Also tried various ways of contacting tenda with zero response


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## RDB85

garage_dweller said:


> I wouldn't go with the tenda nova system. I installed it last week and worked great until I turned the virgin tv box on. 2 nodes stopped receiving a signal and WiFi from first node dropped to about 1% of what it was before. Turned TV box off, all good, back on, all bad. It's on its way back to amazon and TP-Link system ordered.
> 
> I was talking to a mate about it and he said he had a similar issue with the same system so I'd avoid.
> 
> Also tried various ways of contacting tenda with zero response
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Okay I will leave that then. What TP-Link system were you looking at?


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## garage_dweller

I bought the Deco S4, should arrive today so I’ll update when I’ve set it up. 

I just don’t understand the issue with the tenda system as I can’t figure out how turning the tv box can affect it. Just hoping the same thing doesn’t happen with the to-link. 

To be fair I gave tenda lots of opportunities to offer me some technical assistance but all were ignored. That in itself is a reason not to use their products 


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## RDB85

garage_dweller said:


> I bought the Deco S4, should arrive today so I'll update when I've set it up.
> 
> I just don't understand the issue with the tenda system as I can't figure out how turning the tv box can affect it. Just hoping the same thing doesn't happen with the to-link.
> 
> To be fair I gave tenda lots of opportunities to offer me some technical assistance but all were ignored. That in itself is a reason not to use their products
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Let me know how you get on as the TP Link does seem to get good reviews. I'm still undecided for the price of the Ubiquiti Mesh system it's not far off the Wifi6 ASUS Mesh System. Which looking at Techflows video on Youtube seems rather good if a little steep in price. As I would rather buy quality.


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## garage_dweller

Deco S4 now installed and all working perfectly.

I did get a response from tenda 'it may be that the MW6 and the upper level route form a second level route' ah right makes sense  that's why it's boxed up and on its way back to amazon

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## RDB85

garage_dweller said:


> Deco S4 now installed and all working perfectly.
> 
> I did get a response from tenda 'it may be that the MW6 and the upper level route form a second level route' ah right makes sense  that's why it's boxed up and on its way back to amazon
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


What sort of speeds are you getting?


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## garage_dweller

Last check was 383mb downstairs on my phone, 235 upstairs 


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## shl-kelso

Don’t underestimate the competitive complexity when it comes to setting up Ubiquiti Unifi kit - it’s not plug and play like many of the other systems you’ve listed. However it offers far more customisation and control, providing you know something about how it works. 

Also note that it’s developed from a system that was designed using a wired ethernet backhaul and that the “controller” is used to make any changes to the system. The controller can simply be the software run on a PC or laptop (and it does not need to be left running once the system is configured), but if you want to use the app then you should budget for adding a Cloudkey or Dream Machine/Dream Machine Pro (which hosts the controller software directly). The advantage of this is that you also get stats/logs stored in real time which can be helpful when wanting to tweak or fault-find. 

Unifi can be great when you know what you are doing - I’m currently running 7 Unifi APs of various types across my home (both inside and outside, all fully wired, with a few more APs to come), with a Dream Machine Pro. My plan is to also move to Unifi network switches so that I have full control of my entire network/wifi/internet via the Unifi platform.

In my case, with solid walls between each room, and a concrete 1st floor too, 5GHz wifi performance drops dramatically with a wall in between the client device and AP. So I’m moving toward having an AP in every main room and using a channel plan and radio output/cell tuning to avoid cross channel interference between adjoins APs.


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## RDB85

shl-kelso said:


> Don't underestimate the competitive complexity when it comes to setting up Ubiquiti Unifi kit - it's not plug and play like many of the other systems you've listed. However it offers far more customisation and control, providing you know something about how it works.
> 
> Also note that it's developed from a system that was designed using a wired ethernet backhaul and that the "controller" is used to make any changes to the system. The controller can simply be the software run on a PC or laptop (and it does not need to be left running once the system is configured), but if you want to use the app then you should budget for adding a Cloudkey or Dream Machine/Dream Machine Pro (which hosts the controller software directly). The advantage of this is that you also get stats/logs stored in real time which can be helpful when wanting to tweak or fault-find.
> 
> Unifi can be great when you know what you are doing - I'm currently running 7 Unifi APs of various types across my home (both inside and outside, all fully wired, with a few more APs to come), with a Dream Machine Pro. My plan is to also move to Unifi network switches so that I have full control of my entire network/wifi/internet via the Unifi platform.
> 
> In my case, with solid walls between each room, and a concrete 1st floor too, 5GHz wifi performance drops dramatically with a wall in between the client device and AP. So I'm moving toward having an AP in every main room and using a channel plan and radio output/cell tuning to avoid cross channel interference between adjoins APs.


Thanks for that, I've a degree in Computer Science so I'm okay with networking. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to run a wired system in my house, as it's a finished house. I would probably be looking at more of a Wireless AP. The Dream Machine looks a great piece of kit. I'm just not sure what would be best to get in terms of their WAP. As I think they have a few to choose from.

Such as this:

Ubiquiti Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Access Point, UAP-FLEXHD https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082WKH8YM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dpOvFbJ22M95Z

But then for the price would I be better with this from ASUS

ASUS ZenWiFi AX Whole-Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System(XT8), Coverage Up to 410 sq m or 4400 sq ft or 6+ Rooms, 6.6 Gbps WiFi, 3 SSIDs, Life-Time Free Network Security and Parental Controls, 2.5G Port https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082T48132/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_atOvFb9X02SAD


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## garage_dweller

Just done another Speedtest, 385 downstairs where the first node is plugged into the router and this upstairs, the node is in the next room.










The other node is in the room beside the garage as I got zero WiFi in there before, now getting almost 200mb

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## RDB85

Was this the kit: TP-Link Deco S4(3-pack) AC1200 Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, Qualcomm CPU, 867Mbps at 5GHz+300Mbps at 2.4GHz, MU-MIMO, Beamforming, Works with Amazon Echo/Alexa [Amazon Exclusive] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0851D6MXY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kIQvFbDV4NY7V


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## shl-kelso

RDB85 said:


> Thanks for that, I've a degree in Computer Science so I'm okay with networking. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to run a wired system in my house, as it's a finished house. I would probably be looking at more of a Wireless AP. The Dream Machine looks a great piece of kit. I'm just not sure what would be best to get in terms of their WAP. As I think they have a few to choose from.
> 
> Such as this:
> 
> Ubiquiti Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Access Point, UAP-FLEXHD https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082WKH8YM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dpOvFbJ22M95Z
> 
> But then for the price would I be better with this from ASUS
> 
> ASUS ZenWiFi AX Whole-Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System(XT8), Coverage Up to 410 sq m or 4400 sq ft or 6+ Rooms, 6.6 Gbps WiFi, 3 SSIDs, Life-Time Free Network Security and Parental Controls, 2.5G Port https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082T48132/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_atOvFb9X02SAD


With Unifi there are a few different form factor's, with antenna setups optimised for their likely position ie ceiling mounted or wall mounted. Beyond that that you have different physical antennae setups 2x2 or 3x3 mimo etc in their current Wifi5 models. So if you want potentially the highest 5GHz performance you need to look at the HD or Pro models, but you will also need the APs to be much closer to each other (and with less building structure between them) to achieve the highest speed connections between modes. Unifi is also not tri-band ie does not use a separate radio system for the mesh connections should this be a potential issue for you.

Ubiquiti have released their next-gen wifi6 models with some having 4x4 5GHz antenna arrays which will offer a significant increase in theoretical speeds, but U.K. release dates and pricing are not yet available.

The other mesh systems are mostly aimed at general consumers so mostly do not offer much control over their features or operation modes etc beyond some very basic configuration options. For example, the BT While Home system does not allow you to separate the 2.4 & 5GHz SSIDs which can cause issues with some basic 2.4GHz-only equipment.

You should also check that specific features you want are actually included in the systems you are considering - the term "mesh" does not have any standard definition or meaning here, so don't assume any systems include all the features you might expect/want/need just because the marketing blurb calls them a mesh system!


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## PugIain

What you need is a 6 year old Zyxel router and ADSL


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## RDB85

shl-kelso said:


> With Unifi there are a few different form factor's, with antenna setups optimised for their likely position ie ceiling mounted or wall mounted. Beyond that that you have different physical antennae setups 2x2 or 3x3 mimo etc in their current Wifi5 models. So if you want potentially the highest 5GHz performance you need to look at the HD or Pro models, but you will also need the APs to be much closer to each other (and with less building structure between them) to achieve the highest speed connections between modes. Unifi is also not tri-band ie does not use a separate radio system for the mesh connections should this be a potential issue for you.
> 
> Ubiquiti have released their next-gen wifi6 models with some having 4x4 5GHz antenna arrays which will offer a significant increase in theoretical speeds, but U.K. release dates and pricing are not yet available.
> 
> The other mesh systems are mostly aimed at general consumers so mostly do not offer much control over their features or operation modes etc beyond some very basic configuration options. For example, the BT While Home system does not allow you to separate the 2.4 & 5GHz SSIDs which can cause issues with some basic 2.4GHz-only equipment.
> 
> You should also check that specific features you want are actually included in the systems you are considering - the term "mesh" does not have any standard definition or meaning here, so don't assume any systems include all the features you might expect/want/need just because the marketing blurb calls them a mesh system!


Thanks for that, I'm in two minds about Wifi6 as I don't currently have anything that can support it. But I'm looking at it as future proofing. If I went with the Dream Machine what Wireless AP would you recommend?


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## shl-kelso

I’ve got IW-HDs in most rooms (fitted over the top of existing single gang back boxes), the AC-Mesh wall-mounted at high level in concealed areas l in others, plus some AC-Lites ceiling-mounted in a couple of other locations too. All are POE-powered. All mine are current wifi5 models. 

Also note that you have to use POE with these, there is no option for a regular plug-top psu/transformer. So you would need to use POE injectors as local power supplies if you were to use them as a wireless mesh setup (some models include injectors in the box when bought as single units, other do not, nor do multipacks, so look out for this if you do go for Unifi).


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## garage_dweller

RDB85 said:


> Was this the kit: TP-Link Deco S4(3-pack) AC1200 Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, Qualcomm CPU, 867Mbps at 5GHz+300Mbps at 2.4GHz, MU-MIMO, Beamforming, Works with Amazon Echo/Alexa [Amazon Exclusive] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0851D6MXY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kIQvFbDV4NY7V


Yep that's it, £20 less than I paid on Friday though

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## RDB85

shl-kelso said:


> I've got IW-HDs in most rooms (fitted over the top of existing single gang back boxes), the AC-Mesh wall-mounted at high level in concealed areas l in others, plus some AC-Lites ceiling-mounted in a couple of other locations too. All are POE-powered. All mine are current wifi5 models.
> 
> Also note that you have to use POE with these, there is no option for a regular plug-top psu/transformer. So you would need to use POE injectors as local power supplies if you were to use them as a wireless mesh setup (some models include injectors in the box when bought as single units, other do not, nor do multipacks, so look out for this if you do go for Unifi).


I'm really in two minds what to do. The Unifi looks amazing and I would certainly be interested in the added security and the separate SSIDs for the different people in our house.

But I suppose the big thing is cost, okay you get what you pay for, however would the TP Link satisfy my needs in getting better WiFi coverage.


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## AnthonyUK

For home use I’d definitely recommend looking at the Ubiquiti ‘Dream Machine’. 
Great value as it is a wifi router, security gateway, managed switch, AP and management appliance in one.
There is also a pro which is rack mount and has space for a HDD for NVR duties.


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## RDB85

AnthonyUK said:


> For home use I'd definitely recommend looking at the Ubiquiti 'Dream Machine'.
> Great value as it is a wifi router, security gateway, managed switch, AP and management appliance in one.
> There is also a pro which is rack mount and has space for a HDD for NVR duties.


The Dream Machine looks excellent I must admit. I'm thinking I would need a few of these to build a Mesh Network:

Ubiquiti Wireless Dual-Band Gigabit Access Point, UAP-FLEXHD https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082WKH8YM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cu8vFbBW0B01Z


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## beatty599

I run three Linksys Velops in our house, and it's really helped with internet connectivity. Used to average 10mb/s downstairs only, it's up to 14-20mb/s everywhere now.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linksys-WH...96&hvtargid=pla-353864001359&psc=1&th=1&psc=1


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## Mikesphotaes

Thanks to this thread, I decided to update my network.

Bought Deco S4 from Amazon and now very happy!


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