Google wifi
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Have had our place set up with Google Home for a while now, mainly controlling a few lights, and power for the pool pump. Google keep sending me free Nest Minis 🤷♂️
Anyway, I've been toying with the idea of Google Wifi as the replacement when my existing unit dies. Wondering if anyone here had experience with Google Wifi or mesh networks in general.
My current WiFi is handled through a now end of life Netgear dual band unit, mounted on the ceiling. Sometimes it is a bit flaky but has been working solid for the last 6 years with few issues
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Not google mesh but I have some tp-link mesh units set up and what a gamechanger.
You won’t regret going mesh, just carefully think out your placement, it may not be as linear as you think to get the best results.
For example our house is slightly L shaped and instead of a central unit I have placed ones in clear sight of each other across the gap. No interference from other appliances that way and 100% coverage at high speed.
Just so much better than range extenders and no need to decide what network to be on if you move around with a device. -
Thanks gents. I am always mindful of course that my broadband connection sucks, so sticking a you-beaut internal system is sometimes like towing a trailer with a Ferrari...
Seems like my router (Fritz!Box 7490) can participate in a Mesh network as Master or Repeater, so I might look at non-Google options (particularly in terms of the price). Can also extend the telephony it seems.
For now, the ceiling wifi is OK but the seamless network transfer would be a superior option.
@Crucial questions:
- Which model TP-Link did you get? I see they've got a couple of options
- Did you already have a TP-link modem capable of mesh? Or was it another brand?
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I have simply cabled one of them into the crappy isp provided modem/router.
I think with the method you are looking at you will need another compatible station to be the slave. I looked at that method years ago and if you are happy administrating and troubleshooting it will probably fine. It’s the way large buildings have been done for ages and you can probably pick up a unit second hand.
The advantage with an off the shelf setup is that you can easily control from an app if you need to and you can add extra mesh units (like the small disc ones) into the system if required.
Then one day you might even get decent broadband to make use of it. -
@NTA said in Google wifi:
Wondering if anyone here had experience with Google Wifi or mesh networks in general.
I use UniFi at home and it's fantastic.
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@antipodean said in Google wifi:
@NTA said in Google wifi:
Wondering if anyone here had experience with Google Wifi or mesh networks in general.
I use UniFi at home and it's fantastic.
That looks great. Looks like overkill for a domestic situation but, hey, overkill is a good thing.
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@NTA said in Google wifi:
@Crucial said in Google wifi:
Then one day you might even get decent broadband to make use of it.
That ship has sailed. Though if that lottery win comes in, I'll get fibre pulled through for the whole street
One day Australia will wake up and realise that poor decisions have led to being left behind in the world. Different tech should then enable a re-think.
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@Crucial said in Google wifi:
@NTA said in Google wifi:
@Crucial said in Google wifi:
Then one day you might even get decent broadband to make use of it.
That ship has sailed. Though if that lottery win comes in, I'll get fibre pulled through for the whole street
One day Australia will wake up and realise that poor decisions have led to being left behind in the world. Different tech should then enable a re-think.
That would probably require voting in a government that isn't LNP and I don't see that happening in the current circumstances.
I'm waiting for Elon Musk's satellites to save me (this is about as valid as the nation waking up).
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@Crucial said in Google wifi:
Not to wind you up, but to show how good the mesh system is, I am on a 100 plan and can pull through 90+ consistently throughout the house on wifi
Nice. The brother in law is living in a place that also has VDSL about 5km from me, and he regularly gets 90mbps at the modem. So it isn't all bad, just that I lost Node Lotto
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@NTA said in Google wifi:
@Crucial said in Google wifi:
@NTA said in Google wifi:
@Crucial said in Google wifi:
Then one day you might even get decent broadband to make use of it.
That ship has sailed. Though if that lottery win comes in, I'll get fibre pulled through for the whole street
One day Australia will wake up and realise that poor decisions have led to being left behind in the world. Different tech should then enable a re-think.
That would probably require voting in a government that isn't LNP and I don't see that happening in the current circumstances.
I'm waiting for Elon Musk's satellites to save me (this is about as valid as the nation waking up).
Even 4G wireless will get you 28ish although the lag is a bit shit and upload even worse
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@Crucial cost is fucking outrageous for the data you get. I need unlimited because the fucking boy and his fucking playstation.
Oh and I live in an area where 4G is kind of shit - recently one tower went down and pop! That was it for mobile reception.
Infrastructure plan and spend is not a strength of any of these shunts.
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@voodoo said in Google wifi:
I pay for 25/5 on our new NBN and typically get 18/3. Never seen it get above 20. That's metro Sydney, good old Toby Abbott's hood.
I pay for 50/20 because our provider doesn't offer 25/5 any more - just so I have the privilege of getting 26/7
Less than 10 year old neighbourhood with fibre 100/40 estates within 300m.
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@NTA said in Google wifi:
@voodoo said in Google wifi:
I pay for 25/5 on our new NBN and typically get 18/3. Never seen it get above 20. That's metro Sydney, good old Toby Abbott's hood.
I pay for 50/20 because our provider doesn't offer 25/5 any more - just so I have the privilege of getting 26/7
Less than 10 year old neighbourhood with fibre 100/40 estates within 300m.
26 is nowhere near as bad as you make out. Quite ample for most things just don’t expect to be hammering it throughout the house
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@Crucial said in Google wifi:
@NTA said in Google wifi:
@voodoo said in Google wifi:
I pay for 25/5 on our new NBN and typically get 18/3. Never seen it get above 20. That's metro Sydney, good old Toby Abbott's hood.
I pay for 50/20 because our provider doesn't offer 25/5 any more - just so I have the privilege of getting 26/7
Less than 10 year old neighbourhood with fibre 100/40 estates within 300m.
26 is nowhere near as bad as you make out. Quite ample for most things just don’t expect to be hammering it throughout the house
Beats the shit out of the 7/3 I got on ADSL2 at the same location.
For me it is fine working from home.
For a family of 4 trying to work/school from home it takes a bit of juggling if everyone is trying to videocon (Zoom x 2 + Teams + Hangouts) and work in the cloud.
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Boast time...
Got really lucky when my wife and I moved home 3 and 1/2 years ago. We moved from Wahroonga in Sydney's upper north shore where the ADSL2+ was usually in the 8-9 Mbps range.
We moved into a newly built apartment in North Sydney. We have Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), it literally terminates in the spare bedroom wardrobe. Even better, when we moved, the local Telstra shop offered a boost to the highest speed for free, so the 100/40 and unlimited data.
We also got the base Foxtel package and IQ3 included for the low price of $100/month. The package we are on isn't even offered any more.
Swooped on that offer, immediately went out and purchased a 4K TV and have been loving life ever since.
I've done a number of tests over the years and our speed rarely gets below 95 Mbps, and quite often reached speeds over 100 Mbps.
Even with what seems like 90% of the Australian workforce now WFH, the speed hasn't been noticeably affected, even in peak hours. Very impressed. Averaging around 60 - 80 Mbps in peak.
The sad thing I know is that our experience with the NBN (and Telstra for that matter) is very rare and we are lucky. Most people rightly complain about it and have bad experiences. I've friends who have pulled their hair out and gone completely mad trying to deal with the NBN. Worse, a good mate had Telstra Cable, loved it and was getting amazing speeds. When NBN moved into his neighbourhood, he was forced to move and now gets only 20 Mbps or less. He's so pissed!
