Google Wifi extenders

[johnpkaiser]

I am looking to extend my WIFI out the pool being built. In doing so, I found a really good deal at Costco.

Normally a (3) pack of the Google Wifi extenders are $259.00. Costco had a deal over the weekend for a (4) pack for $299.00 with a $30 instant rebate making it $269.00 for the (4) pack.
Not sure how long the price will last.

 

[jtpipkin]

I think the system you're looking at is mesh wifi rather than extenders. I tried Google's system, wasn't impressed. Went to the Orbi Mesh System, still not really impressed. Love the router, and it's powerful, but either I'm not really understanding how the system works - or it just doesn't work that well. I do have an extender in the pool house that pulls 2.4 so I can run the TV inside, but the outdoor TV picks up 5 from the main house. I also used my old router as an access point in the garage, again though, not impressed. Maybe my house just isn't conducive to a large wifi footprint. Best of luck to you.

 

[wilafur]

I have the Google Wifi pucks and purchased the same 4-puck deal at Costco earlier this year. Depending on the construction type (and layout) of your home, they will need to be set up a bit differently to work well. I'll try and explain why below.

My single level, L-shaped, ranch home was built in the 50's so the interior walls are chicken wire mesh covered in cement/plaster, essentially making data transmission tough (quasi faraday cages). When I originally set the four pucks up as a pure wireless mesh, the signal would drop precipitously so to get the system to transmit throughout my home properly, I had to ethernet backhaul all the satellite pucks. This solved the signal problem but added more set up work/time than running a pure wireless mesh. All the smart devices in our home works well, including garage door openers and a couple of outdoor tvs.

My friend also set up Google wifi in his home, which is a standard two-story tract home built in the early 2000's. Standard wood studs and drywall construction and his system runs very well using only the wireless mesh set up.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the system as it was very easy to set up.

 

[johnpkaiser]

I called them extenders but they are in fact a mesh network. So far, I am pleased with the performance and reach ability out to the farthest point of my pool, which before was not very good.

 

[jimim]

i still think dedicated access points are the way to go. i'm just not a fan of mesh. i would much rather select a different access point for the area of my home i'm in. once the passwords are stored in the device they will log on and off as they get closer to other access points. that way no issues with slow down in speed.

 

[Rollercoastr]

i still think dedicated access points are the way to go. i'm just not a fan of mesh. i would much rather select a different access point for the area of my home i'm in. once the passwords are stored in the device they will log on and off as they get closer to other access points. that way no issues with slow down in speed.

It sounds like you're describing two different approaches. Mesh describes how the AP's relate and communicate to each other. When you mentioned passwords I wonder if you're also using different SSID's on each AP? They aren't mutually exclusive - you could have extended or wired AP's with unique or matching SSID's.

My house is also a challenge for WiFi. Aside from the pool in the center of it, it has finished ceilings and no attic. (previous owners ran coax along the ground surrounding the house) If I had the option, I'd have wired them together, but now I don't worry about it.

My first approach was to use cheap extenders. I don't know what I was thinking. Their throughput was pathetic and they were constantly overlapping frequencies, locking up etc.

I tossed them out and was about to go with Eero when a friend of mine suggested Google instead. I read all the reviews and was hesitant about a lack of features and simplistic app etc. I've had them for about a year and a half now, and I don't even recall what the app looks like! WiFi just works - everywhere and all the time and the performance is impressive. My neighborhood is subject to frequent power "blips". What had been a nightmare of resetting and re-resetting is now a non-issue. I have 1 UPS, but all other smart devices and clients are subject to the power failures. Everything always comes back online by itself.

Other systems were rated higher than Google when I bought mine and that's still the case. So far so good though. My only complaint is the size of the pucks. They're huge. I have no choice but to use a 3rd-party outlet hanger to get coverage to the garage. It sticks out far enough that about 3x a week, my German Shepherd's tail knocks it off the wall and sends it flying across the tile floor. Come to think of it, the Google pucks are large, but they're durable!

 

[jimim]

I keep it simple. All different ssid’s. So u pick the access point closest to you if signal isn’t that good. Many of my accesS points reach throughout my house but at times it’s spotty so I have access points on each floor of my house. 1 in my garage for front yard and driveway when washing trucks and 1 in my pool house to light up that area.

That way no bog downs that you can get with mesh networks.

 

[ajw22]

I run multiple Ubiquity Unifi access points on one SSID in my house. Seamless switching as you move around.

Access Point U6 Plus - Ubiquiti Store

Compact, ceiling-mounted WiFi 6 AP with 4 spatial streams that improves upon the U6 Lite with higher performance and dual-band WiFi 6 support. Ideal for small and medium-sized businesses.

www.ui.com

 

[jimim]

I run multiple Ubiquity Unifi access points on one SSID in my house. Seamless switching as you move around.

Access Point U6 Plus - Ubiquiti Store

Compact, ceiling-mounted WiFi 6 AP with 4 spatial streams that improves upon the U6 Lite with higher performance and dual-band WiFi 6 support. Ideal for small and medium-sized businesses.

www.ui.com

I love thier access points. My whole house is using the them also now. Bit different ssid’s

 

[Katodude]

I put an Orbi mesh system in last year that I got from Costco when it was $100 bucks off and have not looked back. I had some existing Ethernet wire in the house so one of the access points has a hard wired backhaul. The thing has been rock solid for a year.

 

[johnpkaiser]

The google mesh is working great.
I have my screenlogic plugged directly into one of them because it's pretty far from my original Wifi router. it works great.