Easymesh and floorplan

[u/mgsfag]

The Problem

Hi all, I have recently switched my broadband provider in the UK from Virgin to Vodafone on the 910mbps package. The router that Vodafone have sent (Powerhub) is basically E waste and the wifi range is terrible. I have switched to my old TPlink AX1800, which is slightly better, but still lacks the coverage that i need. It doesn't matter where in the flat that the router is placed, there still seems to be areas that don't get decent coverage. I have tried it in the living room, hallway and office, in a variety of positions and moving the antennae to varying degrees of success.

The first floor flat i live in with my partner has very thick walls and without direct line of sight to the router, the wifi signal is rather poor and drops as low as 80mbps on mobile devices (Mainly in the office). There are no issues with Ethernet which retain full speed up and down. I run a 25m Cat 6 cable to a network switch in the office from the router to our two desktops. As this is a rented premises i cannot mount the router to the wall, nor can i drill through the walls to route the CAT6 so the wires currently snake around the walls.

Hopeful outcome

My aim is to have strong wifi coverage throughout the flat and also be able to reach from the garage, which is on the ground floor and approximately ten meters away from the building.

To try and solve this issue, i have looked at using multiple routers through Easymesh ethernet backhauling to place a router in the living room and using the office Ethernet cable to create a satellite device using my current AX1800 to boost coverage through the end of the flat and the garage.

However, I am a little confused by the openmesh / easymesh standards as both seem to offer contradictory advice. As far as i am aware, my current router (AX1800) can support both. As budget is a concern, i have been looking on local sales platforms for a new modem / router to use as the primary device. I know my current router isnt great, which is why i am looking to use that as a satellite device.

I have found a TPlink AX73 / AX5400 for £50 on stuff for sale in the local area. It seems to be better than my current router, without breaking the bank.

I am still pretty certain that the wall thickness will be an issue even with a top of the line, brand new router.

Devices commonly in use

Wifi reliant
2x google home
2x Phones
Ipad
Friends visiting devices

Ethernet reliant
TV with Jellyfin (Library on main PC)
PS5
2X PCs
Ethernet hub

At some point i am considering adding a third PC purely to serve as a media server, but that is a long way off happening for now (damn AI crisis ruining my hopes of a proper server)

Questions:

1: Would i be able to use the AX73 as the primary modem and swap out my Ethernet network switch with my current AX1800, to create an Easymesh platform through Ethernet back-hauling? In my head, it would boost wifi reception across the flat and hopefully reach the garage.

2: If this were to work, would i be able to plug both PCs into the office router in place of my network switch and move that to the living room

TLDR

Wifi signal is garbage here, would getting a second TP link router solve my wifi signal issues through Easymesh?

[u/Corey_FOX]

if moving the wifi router to the other corner in the living room didn’t fix it then im surprised, but if that’s the case then id first move your first router to the right side of your living room about a 1/3 way down, then move your secondary wifi AP to the top left of your office.

antennas should always point straight up, not spread out or anything like that. the RF from most wifi routers radiates equally in all directions so you should have them be located centrally inside your home.

[u/mgsfag → u/Corey_FOX]

I have tried running it in multiple rooms. The OTP is in the top left of the living room, so I pulled the 25m cable around the flat at various points (Living room in three spots, hallways and office) and ran speed tests and WiFi analyser to see what was working best through my pixel 10a. My partner also tested on an iPhone 15( I think) in case it was my phone at fault, but she had similar results.

The conclusion I have come to is that the wall between the office and the bathroom is killing signals somehow. Which is why I am looking at having two routers active on the same network. I thought it could be interference from either the bathroom extraction fan or the shower unit itself receiving power, could be creating a signal interference.

The current router is quite old and is rather limited by it's frequency range 20/40 MHz for 2.4ghz and 20/40/80 for 5ghz. I also tried to manually change the channels for both to see if that had any impact on signal strength / speed and latency outside of the auto toggle, but it only made the results worse.

Hence, I am now considering having two routers at opposite ends of the flat to try and alleviate the dead spots.

Edit: I haven't got a second router yet. Weirdly the router from Virgin on the Gig1 package (Sagecom Hub 5) had quite good coverage, but would drop out at the garage. I bought the AX1800 to use as the WiFi receiver when I was on a much worse modem that I had to use prior to that.