Mesh system step by step: setup, placement and mistakes

Before you mount anything

A mesh system only improves your network if the nodes are placed well. Set up without a plan, a mesh can end up worse than the router alone, because you are adding nodes that get in each other’s way and create interference.

Before you open the box, measure. You need to know which areas have a poor signal with the router in its current position. The method is described in how to measure your home WiFi signal.

How many nodes

Most homes between 90 and 120 m² are solved with two nodes. Adding more nodes than necessary makes the result worse, because each one is an access point that interferes.

Where to place each node

The rule is simple: each node goes where the signal is poor, not next to the main router.

1. Main node. On the router you already had, or in the room where the fibre comes in. If your ISP gave you a mediocre router, you can turn it into a mesh node or simply stop using it.
2. Additional nodes. Halfway between the good area and the poor area. Not in the poor area itself, because it needs a good connection to the rest of the network in order to redistribute well.
3. One per floor. If you have two floors, put a node on each and the main one on the ground floor.
4. Away from walls. Don’t put them inside built-in cupboards, behind the TV or next to the microwave.

The placement test is simple: before fixing the nodes in place, connect by Ethernet to the router and measure the signal that reaches the target room. If you get around -65 dBm or better there (say, -55), the node will have a good line of sight.

Step-by-step setup

1. Plug the main router into the ONT or your own router, as you have been doing. The main node takes the internet connection over Ethernet.
2. Leave the main router (ONT or own router) in AP or bridge mode: let it distribute the connection over Ethernet and not compete with the mesh for network management. The WiFi is transmitted by the mesh’s main node, not by the router. If the ISP router stays switched on, disable only its WiFi broadcast so you don’t end up with two different networks.
3. Plug in the first node near the main router and wait for it to boot.
4. Create the mesh network with the manufacturer’s app or over WPS. The usual method is to press WPS on the main router and on the node for a few seconds.
5. Repeat with each node, one at a time. Wait until each one has synced before adding the next.
6. Place the nodes where you had planned.
7. Update the firmware on all nodes before you measure any results.

Settings worth changing

Keeping a single network name and medium power is also what CISA recommends to stop your signal leaking out of the house: home network security.

One detail that is often confused: in a mesh all nodes transmit on the same channel on each band, because they present a single network and the client switches node without appearing to disconnect. Different channels are not what makes a mesh fast. Where the channel does matter is a repeater with the same network name that isn’t coordinated, which loses performance by splitting the band: that’s why the repeater vs mesh article treats them as two different things.

Common mistakes

• Placing the nodes far from the area they need to serve. A node in the study doesn’t fix the problem in the bedroom.
• Adding more nodes than necessary. Four nodes in a 90 m² flat get in each other’s way.
• Leaving the WiFi of the ISP router switched on. You end up with three different networks if the ISP router keeps broadcasting.
• Not updating the node firmware. Factory firmwares have known roaming bugs that get fixed later.
• Fixing the 5 GHz band on a DFS channel. If a node detects radar it changes channel and the network stops during that time. Use 36-48 if you can.
• Migrating every device at once. If something fails, you don’t know what you changed. Move them across one at a time.

Checking that it works

After the setup, measure again. You should see three things:

1. Signal the same or better in the areas that used to fail.
2. Speed around the house similar to what you got over Ethernet next to the router.
3. Speed over Ethernet the same or better than before, because the internet connection itself hasn’t changed.

If Ethernet is just as fast and WiFi is still bad, the problem isn’t the mesh: you need to look at the router. In that case start with slow WiFi at home.

When a mesh isn’t the solution

There are cases where a mesh solves nothing, and it’s worth saying so:

• The bottleneck is at the internet connection, not at coverage.
• Only one room has a problem and the rest is fine: a repeater or a powerline adapter is cheaper and solves it.
• The problems are with DNS or DHCP, not with coverage.
• The dropouts come from 2.4 GHz interference: the channel needs changing.

In those cases, the money is better spent on fixing your channels and firmware or on the article about signal, channels and interference.

Quick checklist

1. You measured the problem areas before setting anything up.
2. One node per area, no more.
3. Nodes halfway, not in the failing area.
4. A network with a single name.
5. Different channels per node on 2.4 GHz.
6. Firmware updated everywhere.
7. ISP router switched off if it isn’t used.
8. Devices migrated one at a time.

Sources and next step

If the setup doesn’t solve it, look at WiFi repeater or mesh system to see whether another solution suits you better. To understand how the bands behave, read about 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. And if the problem is dropouts, go to WiFi keeps disconnecting.

External sources

• CISA: home network security — archived document; it recommends reviewing placement, power and making sure the nodes share a network name.
• Wi-Fi Alliance: Wi-Fi generations and capabilities