Need help with wifi coverage

[sahil_889]

Hi folks,

I'm facing Wi-Fi coverage issues in my home network and would appreciate some advice.

Current setup​

• Airtel Xstream Fibre with the default ZTE router.
• TP-Link AX10 connected to the ZTE router in bridge mode via LAN.
• Both routers are placed very close to each other on a table in an open area on the first floor.
• Connection speed in 200mbps

Issue​

I'm facing inconsistent Wi-Fi performance in a room that's about 10–15 meters away from the TP-Link router. The TV in that room sometimes struggles to get the expected speed. Although I've enabled Smart Connect on the AX10 so it can automatically switch between the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the TV's speed fluctuates between 9 Mbps and 30 Mbps.

I also have a Netgear EX6110 Wi-Fi repeater connected to the TP-Link router. It's placed on the ground floor, directly below the TP-Link router, to improve coverage there. Unfortunately, it also suffers from frequent interruptions and inconsistent connectivity.

Questions​

1. Should I relocate the TP-Link AX10 to a better position and use a longer Ethernet cable from the ZTE router? If so, what's the best way to identify the optimal placement?
2. Would it be better to switch to a mesh Wi-Fi setup (for example, by adding another TP-Link EasyMesh-compatible device), or can I improve the coverage using my existing equipment?
3. Is there anything else in my current setup that I should check or change before investing in new hardware?

Please let me know if you need any additional information about my home layout or network setup.

Also, a big thanks to this community—it previously helped me set up the bridge connection, and it has been working great.

 

[jehunix]

@sahil_889 Honestly, skip mesh. Just run wires if you can.

Relocating the AX10 will help some but if a room 10-15m out with the TV swinging between 9 and 30 Mbps means the signal just isn't getting there properly. Pull a Cat6 run from the ZTE toward that room and stick a proper AP nearby instead.

On mesh vs wired, I'm biased, my own APs are PoE and I just run Cat6 to each one and forget about it. Mesh usually backhauls over Wi-Fi, so the extender is sharing the same radio between talking to your devices and talking back to the main router. Tri-band helps a bit but it's still not a wire.

If running cable is even remotely doable in your place, grab a couple of real APs (Ubiquiti, Omada, doesn't matter much which) and wire them in. And get rid of that Netgear repeater while you're at it, those single-band relays are usually worse than mesh, weirdly.

Also worth a quick check before buying anything: is Smart Connect actually doing its job? Older smart TVs love parking themselves on 2.4GHz even when 5GHz is right there, that alone could explain the whole 9-30 swing. Split the SSIDs for a day and watch which one the TV picks.

But yeah. Run the cable really. That's the actual fix here I think personally...

 

[sahil_889]

Hi @jehunix , thanks for the advice, actually regarding cables are concern I can place a router/repeater outside the room where my tv is present via Lan cable and another one in the open area of the ground floor. But one thing I like to know first is do I run the cable from my airtel ZTE stock router or through the TP-Link AX10 which I'm using through a bridge mode connection?.

Also as far tv's are concerns I use fire tv stick. Although the stick can connect to both 2.5Ghz or 5Ghz. But it generally connects to 2.5Ghz might be because of signal loss


Ubiquiti is out of my budget, what I see on Amazon they cost somewhere around 12-15k. Can u recommend any good AP around 4-5K or anything around this price range which I can use.

 

[jehunix]

You can get multiple Asus routers maybe and connect them via LAN. Have one main router and use others as APs. I've noticed they tend to have better WiFi performance than TP-Link. But I wouldn't recommend wireless mesh personally. Its too much performance degradation. I'd run a cable.

@sahil_889

 

[_rajat]

Invest in a better router, it's a one time cost but worth it if you expect good wifi performance. TP-Link is not very reliable and seems to be the culprit here, speaking from personal experience. I had the exact same router and it started to act up after 2 years of usage.
I would suggest Asus since it's widely available on Amazon and flipkart and has better firmware support in the long run.
Asus wireless mesh works great BTW, a friend of mine has been using it for a couple of months and didn't notice any speed drops or range issues.
If you are tight on budget just get the RT-AX53U, costs around 4-5k well within your budget. Get 2 of them and you are good to go.
Whatever model you choose just make sure to get the AX series as it's WiFi6.
I personally have been using Asus router for over 1.5 years now and the performance is great. Can't even think of going back to TP Link or ISP provided routers.

 

[sahil_889]

Hi @_rajat and @jehunix thanks for the advice.

As of now I have moved my TP-Link router to a different location at a certain height and now the speeds are consistent around 120-150mbps on my 200mbps router across the whole floor.
Both of u are recommending to go with Asus router but I purchased this tpLink router 20 days back through Amazon because of that I can't return it and stuck with it for the time being. As for the groundfloor as @jehunix suggested to go with a wire setup. I'm also inclined with that but I'm a few questions

Can I create a wire mesh, like router connected through Lan cable but automatically switching between the router without I changing the ssisdn when I move across different floors?
Also for that do I have to go again with a tp-link router or here I can use Asus?

 

[_rajat]

Can I create a wire mesh, like router connected through Lan cable but automatically switching between the router

Yes you can do that, it should work without any major issues. You can also use ZTE ONT as your primary router and TP-Link as secondary, this setup would be way more reliable than a wireless repeater. Make sure to get a good quality Cat6 cable.

 

[sahil_889]

Currently I'm using ZTE ONT in bridge mode so no wifi device is being connected to the ZTE because I keep on facing no-internet issue when connected to ZTE but yeh Let me check if I'm get any good access point/router for the ground floor and connect it with my TP-Link AX10 which is a primary router now.

 

[Chip]

If you want a permanent solution, just install CAT5E/6 cables in your home at every location/room where you want WIFI coverage. Buy and install a mesh system connected through LAN cable. You're good. I have a router and 3 APs no matter where I move in my multi level flat (these are tough for WiFi APs/routers) I get seamless coverage without drops. My phones are always on wifi and use WiFi calling so no issues with call drops no matter where I am even when walking around from room to room.