Many property owners find that they don’t get good coverage (signal) throughout their properties or wish to have the same internet service provided in other areas of their buildings or in sleep-outs or external office buildings.
There are several options to choose from, as recommended before don’t just go out and buy a device or trust a hardware supplier to sell you what they say is the best as it always depends upon your situation. Here at Island Tech we can come and survey your situation to ensure that you don’t waste money on time and incorrect devices. Through our IT Support on Waiheke Island we often encounter people who have purchased a device which doesn’t work as expected; always ask us first as we don’t make money on selling you a device so we will always recommend the best option and we carry test equipment with us to determine your best fit.
This first part of “To mesh or not to mesh” is an introduction to the various options available; later articles will explain each one in more detail so that you have an understanding of what can and can’t be done and should help you in your decision on how to improve.
Please note our previous caveat around accuracy, these articles are for non-techy people so won’t necessarily be completely accurate, but where they are inaccurate they are definitely inaccurate!
So what are the various options?
Basic Extenders
This type of solution provides a “master” unit that connects directly to your existing router / modem provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) by an “Ethernet” cable (see previous articles on media) https://www.islandtech.nz/post/suffering-from-poor-internet-access https://www.islandtech.nz/post/suffering-from-poor-internet-access-part-2-isps and use one of several means to talk to a “slave” unit closer to where you need the Internet to be extended.
Pros:
· Cheap
· Easy to setup
· Can work well if you don’t need to roam from one part of your property to another.
Cons:
· They are a separate Wi-Fi network from the main router, which means that to use the extender you have to change to the SSID and password that the slave device issues. This is automatic, usually, but if you still have a connexion to the main router, even though it is very poor, it will likely be kept meaning that you will need to manually connect to the slave unit when you take your device into the area with the slave extender unit.
Advanced Mesh Extensions
These are relatively new devices and replace the ISP supplied router / modem that you use. These devices provide true roaming throughout your property using a single SSID and work similar to mobile networks in that you generally jump onto the strongest mesh unit for the best performance.
Pros:
· A single Wi-Fi roaming experience throughout which means that you never need to jump between SSIDs when moving around the property.
· Generally come with advanced security.
· Often offer remote monitoring and alerting to ensure that you can manage and monitor your network.
· Offer software that allows you to see who goes where and how much data they are using.
· Provide quality of service options whereby you can prioritise certain devices to always have the best connectivity.
· Provide some parental controls allowing certain devices to be blocked from certain content or even accessing the internet at certain times.
· Some types are available for free from your ISP, if you sign up to an extended contract.
Cons:
· More expensive than the basic extenders.
· Need expert configuration to be setup correctly.
So those are the general devices, but there are yet more connexion options within each of these archetypes in how they connect to each other and how they provide the extension of the Internet throughout your Island properties.
Wi-Fi based Extensions
This type of connexion technology uses a Wi-Fi signal to connect to each other and therefore can suffer form the same connectivity issues that your devices suffer from as they are using the same media (see previous articles on media).
Pros:
· Cheaper than other options.
Cons:
· As they use a Wi-Fi connection to extend the range of you Internet access they will suffer from the same restrictions from which your devices suffer; i.e. if your device has poor connectivity then they will also.
· Walls, fridges and other devices and infrastructure further reduce their efficiency.
Power Line based extensions
These devices are quite innovative and are often the best solution for small to medium sized properties. They use the internal electricity Earth lines to transfer their data between the master and slave units and do not rely upon Wi-Fi connectivity to extend your coverage.
Pros:
· Great where the areas to be covered utilise the same fuse box.
· Cheaper than other wired solutions.
· Don’t suffer from wall or device interference as Wi-Fi linked units do.
Cons:
· They only work where the Earth lines of each unit are linked through a common fuse box.
· Suffer from degradation of signal (strength of connexion and Internet speed) when going through multiple breaks, such as power cord extenders, multi boxes, distance.
Ethernet Wired Solutions
These are the best options and are recommended for any property that needs good, reliable and secure Internet access. Any property that has multiple rentals should use this technology. They connect to each other like a corporate network using Ethernet cables and thus provide the fastest and most secure option.
Pros:
· Fastest
· Most secure
· Can offer dedicated Wi-Fi networks in specific areas of a property, such as Guest, Staff, Room 1, Room 2 and so on.
· Can offer all of the advantages of the previous options in each type, e.g. parental controls and remote management.
Cons:
· Most expensive
· Require professional setup
· Require ethernet cables to be installed or utilised, adding to the cost.
The next few articles will give examples of each of the combinations of how these work and what might be best for you:
Basic Extender – Wi-Fi
Basic Extender – Powerline
Mesh Extenders – Wi-Fi
Mesh Extenders – Powerline
Mesh Extenders – Ethernet
Remember, for IT, Computer, Network, Wi-Fi, Internet support on the Island please talk to us, we are always happy to chat to you and talking to your local computer chaps can save you a heap of money and heartache.
We can be reached on Support: support@islandtech.nz
Call: 09 870 5698 28 Belgium Street across from the R.S.A
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