Mesh routers

[RSteve]

My house was designed and built by someone who should have not designed it, me. It's on a small city lot, 50 X 150. Four levels and four sets of stairs. In 1983, when I built it, WiFi reach was not a consideration. Now, I have the router (Almond Securifi) and two Almond range extenders. The range extenders provide a strong signal, but at a fraction of the speed of the router. I've been told to convert to a mesh system.
Last week, Amazon had a special on their Eero mesh system, regularly $279.00 for $179.00. I have the Amazon credit card which accrues dollar credits. I used my available credits and bought the system, router and two satellites for $94.00 out of pocket, including sales tax. If I attempt to connect it myself, I know I'll get frustrated and probably throw it against a wall. The Almond Securifi had a touch screen that walked me through the set-up.
This set up is based on accessing the Eero app on your phone and moving on from there. My older daughter says she's put the app on her phone and viewed a couple of YouTube videos that instruct the installation. My younger daughter's husband works as a tech in computer services, but is not familiar with mesh installation. I'm debating whether to hire a pro.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Not familiar with Mesh, and I wouldn't say I'm the most tech savvy you'll meet. But I wouldn't hesitate to watch youtube tutorials and try it myself. Necessity is the mother of invention, and in this case, the motivation to pay attention and have patience. I bet it will turn out easier than you expect. I do have a rule about setting up new tech things though: always start in the morning. If you have problems, you can call for help, go to forums when they're most active, etc. I can never understand why people start projects that are potentially beyond their knowledge at night. There's no one to turn to at 9PM, and losing a night of sleep from frustration seems self-defeating and avoidable to me.

 

[Dochowl]

I've got a mesh setup in my house. It's TP-Link Deco, so not the same but likely similar. Unless you are trying to do something out of the ordinary, these are pretty easy to install. For mine at least, it was just a matter of downloading the app, creating a network name, connecting the main unit to my router (from the cable company) and clicking OK through some prompts to create the network. Then clicked a (+) button to add the additional satellites. Again, nothing to do there but to put a description of where they would be located. The challenge comes in if your satellites are located too far from the main unit. It may take some moving around to find the best locations to get the coverage you want.

Best of luck.

 

[RSteve]

With the range extenders, besides the network name, each has its own name. At least I know where my computer is trying to connect. Depending on the time of day, my computer(s) will connect to any of the three, even though the default is to the router. I'm not going to attempt the changeover. Either my daughter or son-in-law can nurse me along.

 

[ftrplt]

I just wish I knew what the hell y'all are talking about!!! FTRPLT

 

[Ranger107]

Omg. I feel lucky if I get netflix to work, lol.

 

[kxg]

@RSteve, I would guess that you could handle this with no problem. I was an early adopter with eero back when they did their Kickstarter or some version of that. The installation was pretty much plug-and-play, following the instructions on the phone app. My three eero units do a great job of covering the house (one story with basement) including the patio. I don't know if they've become more complicated but it was pretty simple if I was able to pull it off!

 

[RSteve]

My daughter says she'll install it. I'm pretty confident that I'd make a mess of things.