Hi everyone! I need some advice on setting up my network. My situation is this: I live in a three-story house and use AT&T fiber optic internet. During installation, the technicians shoved the main router into a low-voltage panel in the closet on the top (third) floor. Naturally, the Wi-Fi is barely there on the first floor, and the signal is so-so on the second floor, too.
The good news is that from this panel, a twisted pair Cat6 cable is distributed throughout the house - the cable is routed to each bedroom and to the living room, right where the TVs will be hung.
What’s best to pair with an AT&T router to achieve seamless coverage throughout the house? A mesh system or individual access points? And how many do I need for three floors, given that there are Ethernet outlets everywhere?
You’re incredibly lucky that the builders installed Cat6 in every room. Forget about regular repeaters and wireless mesh; your choice is a mesh system with a wired backhaul (Ethernet Backhaul) or access points powered by PoE.
Since the router is on the third floor, you definitely need at least one access point on the second floor and one on the first floor. Connect them with a cable to the electrical panel, and you’ll get perfect speed without any loss.
@Ok-Cantaloupe-90 How do I know exactly how many units to buy? Two or three? I don’t want to overpay for extra devices if they’ll be too close and interfere with each other. And where is it best to put them?
To avoid guesswork, I’d recommend modeling your network first. There’s a great program called NetSpot, which has a planning mode. Using your house plan, taking into account wall thickness and building materials, you can virtually place access points on the map. The program will automatically calculate how the signal will propagate. This way, you’ll immediately see whether two access points are enough to cover the entire building or whether you’ll need to buy a third. This will save you a ton of money on equipment.
I completely agree. Also, after you buy and set everything up, get a survey done in NetSpot. Since you’ll have multiple Wi-Fi sources, you’ll need to configure them so they don’t interfere with each other. The program will show signal overlap zones and the level of interference (channel overlap). You can fine-tune the signal strength for each point: for example, on the third floor, turn down the signal in the electrical panel, and on the first floor, crank it up to maximum to reach the backyard.