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Virgin Media Hub on the 300 mbit deal
Tenda Mesh MW6 3 unit setup.
The Tenda's are topping out at below 100 mbits according to Speedtest.net even though I'm getting 300 mbits plus from the native virgin router (different network names).
1. Should turning off the router wifi and using in modem only mode with the Tenda providing the only wifi signal increase the network speed the Tenda system?
2. Should I be looking at a different mesh setup?
3. What else should I consider
The real ball ache in this is that the router is at one end of the house and the room we want the highest use in as at the other end. Due to some weird extension work, running a cable isn't really an option and a powerline extender is proving to be shit!
Help!
You shouldn't be running the WiFi on the router regardless.
Can you connect something to the router via ethernet and run the speed test again?
It may not be the WiFi at fault.
You shouldn’t be running the WiFi on the router regardless. I think this is the question I should be asking, why is it a bad idea?
Can you connect something to the router via ethernet and run the speed test again?
It may not be the WiFi at fault. You mean ethernet cable between laptop and one of the mesh nodes to test the speed? Even if that does show an improvement, in speed, it's irrelevant if that can't be achieved over wifi isn't it?
I'm not trying to argue, just learn. Ta.
I think this is the question I should be asking, why is it a bad idea?
Both wifi networks will be allocating addresses to the machines on the networks. It causes no end of problems if the DHCP servers use addresses in the 192.168.n.1/254 range where n is the same on both the routers.
The Virgin router should be run as a modem that way you can use your own specified (on the MESH side) DNS server be it Google or Cloudfare or something more anonymous.
Mw6 is gigabit so you should have one plugged into the router (with virgin WiFi off) then position the others where needed.
Sounds like you're currently set up like a WiFi extender rather than mesh.
Just trying it with the hub in modem mode. 🤞
Even if that does show an improvement, in speed, it’s irrelevant if that can’t be achieved over wifi isn’t it?
It shows you what your absolute best speed is.
If the mesh is rated at a higher speed {than your wired connection} but isn't achieving it, then there may be an issue with the mesh.
Take your wireless speed test next to the first unit in your mesh system.
Well, I'm not convinced much has been improved. May need to look at an alternative Mesh setup 🤔
Happy to take your tenda system off your hands if you want rid of it
Apparently a setting called "Capacity Oriented Mode" in the Tenda system can lead to slower than expected speeds. If you can find it, try turning it off.
WiFi mesh speeds are complicated. It depends on many things: number of hops, strength between hops, channel, frequency, number of antennas in the nodes, number of antennas in the client device.
If it were me I'd start from the beginning. Set the VM router to modem only and have 1 mesh node wired in. Check the speeds at various distances on 2 and 5Ghz. Then add a 2nd node and repeat. Relocating that node if necessary. Repeat.
As above, start with one node and check the speed with that - both wired and wireless.
Also, check that the Tenda doesn't have a setting that controls / throttles bandwidth usage.
A single MW6 tops out at 200mbit, and this halves every time there is a hop.
That's tested with iperf, so no chance of the internet affecting results.
Is the current system topping out at 100Mbps actually a problem for you? If that's the lowest speed you get then unless you're doing a lot of multi-GB internal data transfers I'd be more than happy with that. Yes you could likely improve that figure by getting something like a Netgear Orbi system with a dedicated backhaul but you'd be spending £300-500 and might well end up with a system you can only tell is faster through speed tests.
The Tenda MW6 is a pretty low-end mesh system. People on here rave about them but that's because even a low end mesh is so much better than a single WAP. Upgrading to a tri-band system should improve things a lot. As low-ish cost option you could buy a couple of powerline adapters and see if using them create a wired backhaul improves things.
Top end speed isn't a problem, but my temporary office is at the other end of the house to the router and the speed there (here) is making slack/meet/team calls a challenge.
I'll try the step by step troubleshooting approach - thanks.
Upgrading to a tri-band system should improve things a lot.
Any recommendations?
I'm beginning to think that running a cable outside might be the simplest and most robust option. 🤔
As you want to specifically improve connection to your home office, have your tried a Powerline solution?
I've got a mesh system, but still use Powerline adapters for a lot of the static devices (home office and and the stuff sitting underneath the TV). If nothing else it reduces the number of wirelessly connected devices so the mesh system can concentrate on those which have to be wireless.
I'd heartily recommend the Plume mesh system, but it does have an annual subscription component which I know most people will hate.
I've got a powerline adapter at the moment which is used to hard wire the xbox, but that isn't great either. The room was built above the garage as an extension. My guess is that the electrics are on different loops, or whatever the technical term is, which makes the powerline connection poor. I am tempted to try a higher capacity one though to see if it improves things.
1: Yes ideally you should have the wifi turned off on the broadband router.
2: Rough rule of thumb have one wall (or floor) between mesh units, so might be worthwhile looking at where they are currently sited. Noting that with wifi in general its best to have the APs/Wifi router/Mesh higher up that way you have more chance of direct line of sight between the AP/router/mesh and the end device
3: Whilst 1 above will help, what is the wifi like in the area, for example are your next door neighbours using wifi on the same 2.4ghz and 5ghz channels?
4: Not all mesh systems are equal. I cant tell from the Tenda MW6 specs, but I'm guessing that they are using the same wifi frequency bands for the backhaul between the mesh as they are for access to the mesh, so there's some time sharing going on, resulting in lower bandwidth.
5: What speed is the Ethernet cable between your router and the main mesh unit? ideally it should be 1Gb full duplex, if it's 100Mb full or half duplex there's your problem!
6: If you want to upgrade your mesh, consider something that supports wifi 6 (802.11ax) and that also uses a dedicated 5.8Ghz band for the backhaul around the mesh, leaving the 2.4/5ghz just for the access.
Might be a gamble before Black Friday, but eBay pinged up a 20% discount offer today and eBuyer are in it, so there are some mesh systems at a reasonable price on it.
I finished installing the cat 6 cable today. We’ve now got 100 mbits download and 30 mbits upload in the problem space. I seem to have setup one of the Tenda mesh units in bridge mode, which means everything is still on the same network. £40 on materials and 3hrs work well spent.