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wifi router/extender questions and help

Just bought a new Surfboard modem and a Google Nest mesh wifi system with one additional point.

I get nearly full speed (90 MBPS+ from my 100 MBPS service) via wifi anywhere in my 1900 SF ranch style house.
 
I have a decent sized house with a huge addition so It's spread out corner to corner.

After buying several cheap "boosters" I installed a Linksys Envelop system a few years ago and have been happy with it. Great coverage inside and even on the patio. Another nice feature is it is easy to add on if you don't buy enough towers the first time.

https://www.linksys.com/us/p/P-WHW0101/
 
enisthemenace said:
I had to unplug my Deco Mesh system this morning because my work’s network wasn’t recognizing it. Any ideas why?
Click to expand...

So are you connected direct off your modem? Are you using a VPN to connect to your business network?

In my Deco App there are multiple "AntiVirus" settings: You could try toggling those on/off and see if that allows you to connect to your business network. There was an update at the beginning of April - did you install that?
 
ScottyP said:
I updated my firmware on my router, but still can't get my DST adapter to connect to my router.

How much does the google wifi system cost? I already have a google home and 2 google home mini devices so it might work better for those.
Click to expand...


I'm a "get it at Best Buy, plug it in, and forget it" guy. Do I really need to "update my firmware?" If so, how? I didn't even know I had "firmware."

Snarky replies welcome too, as long as they are funny.
 
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3GenClone said:
So are you connected direct off your modem? Are you using a VPN to connect to your business network?

In my Deco App there are multiple "AntiVirus" settings: You could try toggling those on/off and see if that allows you to connect to your business network. There was an update at the beginning of April - did you install that?
Click to expand...

Yeah. VPN connect. Says the firmware is all up to date, but I haven’t tried the antivirus settings. I’ll give that a shot this evening.
 
cyclone618 said:
In January I replaced my Mediacom modem/router with a Netgear CM1000 modem (Best Buy) and Netgear Orbi (Costco) mesh with 2 satellites and have been very happy with this system.
Click to expand...
After several years of being a Mediacom customer, I became convinced that 90% of their problems were caused by the ****** equipment they provided. Like you, once I got rid of their modem and replaced with my own, all problems ceased.

Now I live in Comcast world. A lot of people don't like them but I've had nothing but positive experiences, again, with my own equipment.
 
Update: So i purchased another DST adapter on ebay for about $11. The adapter I purchased had the same issue as the one I already had. I called Netgear support and they wanted to charge me $89 to attempt to fix the issue. I declined the support contract.

Regarding the google wifi system, should I invest in the original Google Wifi with 3 points (1 as router and 2 additional points) or get the Google Nest Wifi with 2 points (1 as a router and the other as additional point)? They are about the same price.
 
ScottyP said:
Update: So i purchased another DST adapter on ebay for about $11. The adapter I purchased had the same issue as the one I already had. I called Netgear support and they wanted to charge me $89 to attempt to fix the issue. I declined the support contract.

Regarding the google wifi system, should I invest in the original Google Wifi with 3 points (1 as router and 2 additional points) or get the Google Nest Wifi with 2 points (1 as a router and the other as additional point)? They are about the same price.
Click to expand...

It looks like the Google Nest Wifi is newer, 2nd gen version with higher possible speeds and range.
 
If you are replacing a router -> get a mesh, it's where it's at. If you don't need crazy distance, the google ones are good. If you need extended range, i suggest the netgear orbi extended range one. It's what i have and it coverage my entire 3+ acre lot (get great coverage out in the country)
 
risiusj said:
It looks like the Google Nest Wifi is newer, 2nd gen version with higher possible speeds and range.
Click to expand...

ISC said:
If you are replacing a router -> get a mesh, it's where it's at. If you don't need crazy distance, the google ones are good. If you need extended range, i suggest the netgear orbi extended range one. It's what i have and it coverage my entire 3+ acre lot (get great coverage out in the country)
Click to expand...

My router crapped out over the weekend which was sweet timing... It was slim picking as far as routers go but fortunately I was able to secure the last Google Wifi mesh 3 point system in the DSM metro. My old unit was only a couple of years old but I have been blown away by the google wifi mesh setup. I'm hitting speeds in the farthest corners of my house that I was previously pulling in the same room as my older router.
 
Last edited:
Cycsk said:
I'm a "get it at Best Buy, plug it in, and forget it" guy. Do I really need to "update my firmware?" If so, how? I didn't even know I had "firmware."

Snarky replies welcome too, as long as they are funny.
Click to expand...
Go to the router's manufacturer's website and lookup firmware updates. It should have instructions.
 
ISC said:
If you are replacing a router -> get a mesh, it's where it's at. If you don't need crazy distance, the google ones are good. If you need extended range, i suggest the netgear orbi extended range one. It's what i have and it coverage my entire 3+ acre lot (get great coverage out in the country)
Click to expand...
Did you have to add the outdoor extender to get your whole property covered?
 
Any possible boosts available (besides paying them a fortune) for those of us in the middle of nowhere using HughesNet?
 
1100011CS said:
Go to the router's manufacturer's website and lookup firmware updates. It should have instructions.
Click to expand...

I'll preface this by saying that firmware upgrades are worthwhile because they often fix security vulnerabilities and performance issues.
They are not a beginner's thing to do, but with a little research to boost confidence they're not a big deal. The potential is there for something to go wrong and then need to factory reset the router and then set it up again. The most likely cause of this would be if the device loses power during the actual process of writing the new firmware image to memory. This is not something that happens very often at all.

Some routers let you check for and upgrade directly from the web interface after logging in to it. Otherwise, yes, a trip to the manufacturer's site to search for support downloads of a firmware image would be next on the list to do. Either way, you'll almost certainly need to be able to log in to that web interface.
To do that you'll need to find your router's IP address. A fast way to do that, assuming a Windows machine is used, is to open command prompt (click Start, start typing "command prompt" and you should see it), in the black window that opens type "ipconfig" without the quotes and press enter, look for the "Default Gateway" value.
Most home routers will have a value such as 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, but it could be lots of other potential addresses.

Open your web browser of choice and type in your default gateway in the address bar.
Usually you'll see a login prompt of some sort right away. You can guess admin and admin or admin and password (very common credentials to log in to home routers), check the back of your router for the login info, or Google your router info and "default password" to hopefully find what you need to successfully login.
Note - this is for the situation where you have your internet provider's device handing off the connection to your own router. Some folks will be in the situation where the ISP's device is the router as well and you will not have access without a support call to your ISP.

Once you're in the web interface you'll just have to click around to find where to check for or upgrade the firmware. It is sometimes in "Advanced" settings, "System", or somewhere seemingly random.
 
risiusj said:
I'll preface this by saying that firmware upgrades are worthwhile because they often fix security vulnerabilities and performance issues.
They are not a beginner's thing to do, but with a little research to boost confidence they're not a big deal. The potential is there for something to go wrong and then need to factory reset the router and then set it up again. The most likely cause of this would be if the device loses power during the actual process of writing the new firmware image to memory. This is not something that happens very often at all.

Some routers let you check for and upgrade directly from the web interface after logging in to it. Otherwise, yes, a trip to the manufacturer's site to search for support downloads of a firmware image would be next on the list to do. Either way, you'll almost certainly need to be able to log in to that web interface.
To do that you'll need to find your router's IP address. A fast way to do that, assuming a Windows machine is used, is to open command prompt (click Start, start typing "command prompt" and you should see it), in the black window that opens type "ipconfig" without the quotes and press enter, look for the "Default Gateway" value.
Most home routers will have a value such as 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, but it could be lots of other potential addresses.

Open your web browser of choice and type in your default gateway in the address bar.
Usually you'll see a login prompt of some sort right away. You can guess admin and admin or admin and password (very common credentials to log in to home routers), check the back of your router for the login info, or Google your router info and "default password" to hopefully find what you need to successfully login.
Note - this is for the situation where you have your internet provider's device handing off the connection to your own router. Some folks will be in the situation where the ISP's device is the router as well and you will not have access without a support call to your ISP.

Once you're in the web interface you'll just have to click around to find where to check for or upgrade the firmware. It is sometimes in "Advanced" settings, "System", or somewhere seemingly random.
Click to expand...
tl/dr - go to manufacturer's site and follow directions
 
Im in the market to replace my home wifi router so would love to get some recommendations of mesh systems people have. Dont need the top of the line, just something practical and affordable for a 3 level home. Sounds like Google WiFi is a good one but just want to get more suggestions to research
 
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