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Looking for a mesh solution to pair with Huawei B818-263

bsieber

Casual Member
Having recently signed up to Three 4G Broadband and finding their standard hub speeds a little disappointing, with the help of this forum I have more than doubled them just by switching to the B818, however, I now have to tackle the new problem of providing excellent WiFI coverage for a 3-storey house with an office outbuilding in the garden.

The house is a new build and the newer materials appear to work in my favour, as (2.4Ghz) WiFi signal from the B818 does carry all the way to the top floor, however, once you leave the same room the download bandwidth seems to halve and connection stability is patchy at best.

Another benefit in the new house is for reasons unknown, someone saw fit to install ethernet throughout the main property which can be routed via the utility room cupboard. I‘m using an unmanned 8-port switch to manage the traffic and I also have a 2nd 5-port unmanned switch for the plethora of living room electronics.

The B818 is in the middle of the living room on the back wall of the house where it somehow gets better signal than from the window. From there it can be connected to the Ethernet network within the house, and is a straight ~16m shot through 2 sets of glass doors into the outbuilding office.

I’m considering a pair of Asus XT8s which will both have an ethernet connection, as I assume the backhaul can be connected via a switch to the main unit. I plan to have one in the living room and one in a top floor room on the opposite side of the house. The B818 will be connected via ethernet in bridge, if this is possible, with the entire network both wired and wireless being managed by the mesh devices.

I am concerned as I’ve read that many people have issues with the XT8s with a wired backhaul that seem to be down to bad firmware so I am open to ideas, I am also looking at a set of 3 Netgear Orbi RBK753 AX4200 which means a 3rd unit could go somewhere.

The total internal space of the house is 1632 SQ FT, but the outbuilding must also have a reliable and strong wireless connection as it is being used as an office.

Suggestions and ideas most welcome!
 
since you are able to cable then if it were me I’d go for good quality Access Points with PoE. It would allow for better coverage with fewer units

Do you need or able to utilise the WIFI 6?
 
If WiFi signal doesn't travel well in the property, I feel anything using a WiFi backhaul would be a non-starter.

If mains power runs to the outbuilding, personally, I would try Devolo powerline adapters (other brands are available but I've never tested those) with WiFi AP.
 
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Thanks for the replies.

I only have a few WiFi 6 devices, but I suppose future proofing is a consideration.

I hadn’t considered access points as my knowledge on them is a bit out of date. I believe they are capable of repeating the same network in the same way a mesh would? I also wasn’t sure if PoE would carry over the internal cabling within the property, which would be a requirement?

On power line adaptors, I don’t think it is achievable as the the power to the outbuilding is routed via the shed on a secondary RCD. Will the adaptors work over that?
 
Thanks for the replies.

I only have a few WiFi 6 devices, but I suppose future proofing is a consideration.

I hadn’t considered access points as my knowledge on them is a bit out of date. I believe they are capable of repeating the same network in the same way a mesh would? I also wasn’t sure if PoE would carry over the internal cabling within the property, which would be a requirement?

On power line adaptors, I don’t think it is achievable as the the power to the outbuilding is routed via the shed on a secondary RCD. Will the adaptors work over that?
Below report apparently ok through multiple RCDs, your mileage may vary.

Devolo Magic-2 WiFi 6 is impressive but pricey. I think the Magic-2 triple recently around £60 was a good price. Good prices can be had if willing to wait. Can be returned if performance is bad.

 
Below report apparently ok through multiple RCDs, your mileage may vary.

Devolo Magic-2 WiFi 6 is impressive but pricey. I think the Magic-2 triple recently around £60 was a good price. Good prices can be had if willing to wait. Can be returned if performance is bad.

This looks interesting - can you connect the Ethernet ports on the units to unmanaged switches to extend the wired network?
 
This looks interesting - can you connect the Ethernet ports on the units to unmanaged switches to extend the wired network?
Yes, the powerline network is a single L2 segment bridging all powerline adapter ports and also connected WiFi interfaces.
 
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The issue with power line (regardless of speed vintage) is having a clean circuit between the two points (on same ring). Suggest you source kit from supplier with good returns. You can use cheap older ones to prove the concept (50%) knowing later ones can only improve speed.

Whilst a direct route to the outhouse is logical the other suggestion is to cable to the loft for the upper floor AP and at the same time provide an additional cable from switch to eaves on the outside above the outhouse. An external AP or a point to point WIFI could then be used to the outhouse. Resultant speed dependant on spend.

Alternatively, to reduce cost, is to see if a AP (use an old Router in AP mode) on the other side of the external wall (near router) provides sufficient coverage inside the outhouse by using a temporary ethernet cable and extension lead through a door or window. Then make permanent with an external AP.

The difference between Mesh and APs is really only the connection between them. Functionality of these unit types vary but a lot of them now come with centralised control apps if you keep to one model range. Note that some mesh units use the same WIFI channel for their mesh as they do for the hotspot.

No opportunity for a cable to the outhouse?
 
(on same ring)
Minor, this has not been required at the two properties where I've gone with Devolo. Unlikely to be a hard requirement more generally and this wide-spread opinion may be causing some people to miss out on testing something viable in their particular use case.
 
Just jumping in here - have a look at the ASUS XP4 It can use powerline, Ethernet or WiFi for backhal.
Powerline is decent as it used the newer AV2 MIMO standard

3 of them - 2 in the hosue and 1 in the outbuilding you'll be sorted. Easy to setup, fairly inexpensive compared to other sollutions that I'd recommend
 
Agreed. OP said new build so assumed latest consumer unit that may more circuit specific RCDs etc. I have also used them across rings but with variable results, so don't tend to recommend them unless the concept is tested first (can become costly and often end up in tip).

Also seen them looking a bit burnt behind furniture. Taken some old ones apart and did not like what I saw. But that goes for any consumer kit plugged directly into a mains socket 24/7 without adequate breathing and forgotten about.

Hence my preference for cable and PoE, then WIFI (but not overkill) and then Powerline. But all options are valid along with the practicality of solving an issue.
 
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Thank you all for your contributions so far.

I have purchased a pair of Devolo Magic 2 Lan only units which are giving me about 30-40% of the potential Bandwidth in the office (30-50mb/s) out of approx 130mb/s.

I have found someone selling a Netgear Orbi RBK753 AX4200 set of 3 and having read up on all the units recommended and some others I wonder if these might even outperform the powerline adaptors so I am tempted to give them a try.

I can return the powerline adaptors but would have to sell on the mesh, so a slight gamble..
 
Thank you all for your contributions so far.

I have purchased a pair of Devolo Magic 2 Lan only units which are giving me about 30-40% of the potential Bandwidth in the office (30-50mb/s) out of approx 130mb/s.

I have found someone selling a Netgear Orbi RBK753 AX4200 set of 3 and having read up on all the units recommended and some others I wonder if these might even outperform the powerline adaptors so I am tempted to give them a try.

I can return the powerline adaptors but would have to sell on the mesh, so a slight gamble..
Does the Devolo app show what the link speed out there is?

From memory, I think iperf managed about 920 Mbps/1200 Mbps = 76.6% and the highest 5G NSA burst I've seen is 500 Mbps / 1200 Mbps = 41.6%. I've used these devices for over a decade and feel that 30% out of the box is pretty respectable. iperf would show the potential if trying multiple solutions. I think single-LAN Magic-2 link at around 700 Mbps whereas the Magic-2 WiFi 6 link around 1200 Mbps which does the best for me with a Samsung Tab 8 and beats a wired Surface Go laptop connection for measured throughput.
 
Does the Devolo app show what the link speed out there is?

From memory, I think iperf managed about 920 Mbps/1200 Mbps = 76.6% and the highest 5G NSA burst I've seen is 500 Mbps / 1200 Mbps = 41.6%. I've used these devices for over a decade and feel that 30% out of the box is pretty respectable. iperf would show the potential if trying multiple solutions. I think single-LAN Magic-2 link at around 700 Mbps whereas the Magic-2 WiFi 6 link around 1200 Mbps which does the best for me with a Samsung Tab 8 and beats a wired Surface Go laptop connection for measured throughput.
Hello, I am not sure what you are referring to as link speed?

Connections - 1000 Mbps full duplex, transmit 200 Mbps, Receive 311 Mbps, so is that 311 Mbps / 1000 Mbps?
 
Hello, I am not sure what you are referring to as link speed?

Connections - 1000 Mbps full duplex, transmit 200 Mbps, Receive 311 Mbps, so is that 311 Mbps / 1000 Mbps?
The Devolo app should produce a graphic showing the up and down link speeds, which is the maximum achievable: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devolo.dlan2

If you get 30 Mbps measured throughput out of a physical link speed of 700 Mbps achievable by your wiring, it suggests more can be achieved. If the link speed is very low (e.g sub-100 Mbps), it suggests the wiring or distance could be limiting what can be achieved, therefore a dedicated Ethernet cable might be better.

Potentially you've checked already and the apps says physical link speed of 200 Mbps up from office, and 311 Mbps down to the office? You could try putting the router in the office, or the router on the top floor to try for better. The powerline route could also be made as short as possible for debugging, e.g. kitchen to office.

None of these ideas might help in your case, but if you already have the hardware, it might be useful information to have and help others to save time (e.g. not to bother).
 
The Devolo app should produce a graphic showing the up and down link speeds, which is the maximum achievable: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devolo.dlan2

If you get 30 Mbps measured throughput out of a physical link speed of 700 Mbps achievable by your wiring, it suggests more can be achieved. If the link speed is very low (e.g sub-100 Mbps), it suggests the wiring or distance could be limiting what can be achieved, therefore a dedicated Ethernet cable might be better.

Potentially you've checked already and the apps says physical link speed of 200 Mbps up from office, and 311 Mbps down to the office? You could try putting the router in the office, or the router on the top floor to try for better. The powerline route could also be made as short as possible for debugging, e.g. kitchen to office.

None of these ideas might help in your case, but if you already have the hardware, it might be useful information to have and help others to save time (e.g. not to bother).
Thank you, this is really helpful. The power going to the home office is routed via a secondary RCD located in the shed. The primary RCD in the house is located in a cupboard with the ethernet ports and main switch, with a mains socket, so I plugged it in there. Speeds are now up to a more respectable 76 Mbps.

I decided to go for the Netgear Orbi Mesh so I will try running it both with and without a wired back haul to see if this translates to performance gains or losses and come back with an update!
 
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OK, so I have the mesh solution but I find myself unable to set up “bridge mode” correctly.

I was expecting there to be a ”bridge mode” setting on my router, but this was not the case, and I instead read that I could achieve the same result by disabling DHCP on my B818 to allow the Orbi mesh to assign IP addresses through DHCP. As soon as I disable DHCP it breaks the connection between the B818 and the Orbi router and so is unusable.

I am not sure what I am missing, are there some settings / parameters that I need to enter?
 
OK, so I have the mesh solution but I find myself unable to set up “bridge mode” correctly.

I was expecting there to be a ”bridge mode” setting on my router, but this was not the case, and I instead read that I could achieve the same result by disabling DHCP on my B818 to allow the Orbi mesh to assign IP addresses through DHCP. As soon as I disable DHCP it breaks the connection between the B818 and the Orbi router and so is unusable.

I am not sure what I am missing, are there some settings / parameters that I need to enter?
From a quick look at the manual and absent bridge mode on the upstream router, your best options are either 1. double-NAT using Orbi WAN; or 2. bridge the LANs with a single DHCP service.

1. is probably nearer what the manufacturer intended.

 
From a quick look at the manual and absent bridge mode on the upstream router, your best options are either 1. double-NAT using Orbi WAN; or 2. bridge the LANs with a single DHCP service.

1. is probably nearer what the manufacturer intended.

Thank you, do you know how I would go about achieving option 2?
 
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