Google mesh wifi

[Michael Weber]

I purchased this https://tinyurl.com/ye4ktc28 from Amazon due to poor upstairs reception. My internet service is 250mbps and I typically see closer to 300mbps speed in the room with the mesh router point and the previous router. Upstairs though I see 60 to 100mbps. Wondering if that’s normal. I was surprised, though reception upstairs seems okay.

[Steve Demuth]

You had poor wifi reception upstairs to start with, which means the mesh access point there, which connects via wifi to the hub router, is probably operating on a degraded signal. Mesh routers have somewhat more power and somewhat better antennas than, say, a cell phone or laptop, but the laws of physics still apply. Degraded signals mean degraded speed.

You say the reception upstairs appears okay. Are you referring to reception between the upstairs access point and your devices, or the reception between the upstairs access point and the mesh hub? You can test the latter using the "test mesh" function on the Google Home app. My guess is you'll see a moderately challenged signal. If so, then repositioning the upstairs access point might help minimize the signal drop, depending on what exactly is degrading the signal. If it's purely a distance and mass problem, probably not, but often there are low signal spots caused by things that can be avoided with careful positioning - a significant run of copper building wire that is on the line of sight between the two routers, e.g., or one people often don't think of, a large, well filled bookshelf.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Michael, the mesh AP’s typically use another radio on a different frequency for the back haul channel, this channel connects each of the nodes in the mesh and Carries the traffic from device to device. Since a radio is used for the back haul, it’s subject to the same signal attenuation as your previous non meshed AP. The best way to connect the meshed devices is with a wired Ethernet connection, most mesh devices support an Ethernet back haul.

Yes it would be normal to see high signal strength upstairs, since you would connected to the node upstairs, as that device would be preferred over the node on the first floor.

[Michael Weber]

Okay, ignorance is bliss except when it’s not. Thanks for the fact mesh communicates by a radio back channel. I was testing my Wi-Fi speed with an app I’ve always used but I’m guessing that does not work with a mesh system and I was just measuring the wrong signal. I found the speed test in the Google Home app and it reports 285mbps everywhere in the house including a far corner upstairs that never got any wifi coverage. I could stream 2 separate videos simultaneously to that corner even though the former speed app would not connect. Further experimenting showed using just the base and one remote provided the same “Outstanding coverage” in all areas. Clearly I misunderstood how mesh networks work. Thanks for helping me remedy that.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Michael, your speed test application should work fine for your mesh network, it will measure the download/upload speed of the connected node.

Mesh networks have a Master node/router and one or more satellite(s) nodes. I am guessing the the Google home ‘speed test’ is connecting to the the master node and reporting your 285 Mb results, I could be wrong, but if operates anything like my Netgear Orbi, I doubt it. Something like fast.com or the like, will more than likely not report such a rosey result for the second floor node, since the back haul will not be as fast as the master node direct connect (wired) to your internet provider.

[Jim Becker]

Keep in mind that unless you have the recent generation devices that use WiFi, they may never get more than 300 mbps on a good day, regardless of what your access point equipment is capable of or your Internet connection is capable of.

The better mesh systems, if they need to communicate between nodes use a third radio for private backhaul which tends to provide better performance, but the nature of the structure can still affect performance. The ideal installation for a mesh network is hard-wired between the nodes which provides full bandwidth capability for the mesh leaving the only limiting factor being the devices you are using on the wireless network.

[Michael Weber]

Michael, your speed test application should work fine for your mesh network, it will measure the download/upload speed of the connected node.

Mesh networks have a Master node/router and one or more satellite(s) nodes. I am guessing the the Google home ‘speed test’ is connecting to the the master node and reporting your 285 Mb results, I could be wrong, but if operates anything like my Netgear Orbi, I doubt it. Something like fast.com or the like, will more than likely not report such a rosey result for the second floor node, since the back haul will not be as fast as the master node direct connect (wired) to your internet provider.

Thanks Robert, you are correct. Im going to stop thinking about it and just accept it as magic. Kind of misleading for Google to not be clear about what it’s actually measuring. Sure confused me. I hope that when my daughters family comes this year they won’t complain about slow internet in the upstairs bedrooms.

[Clifford McGuire]

Here is a Google Support community thread that goes on for pages and pages. People report slow speeds at the points. Rebooting the system clears the problem for a day or two. A Google support person acknowledges the problem and promised a fix that never materialized.

I have the reported problem and it's very frustrating. I used to have a hub and a single point in a small two story house. I added a few more points we moved into a ranch style house. That's when I really noticed the problem. I tried to get my money back, but it was past the warranty date.

[Michael Weber]

Thanks for that link Clifford. I read through most of it and tried the factory reset solution. Speed upstairs increased quite a bit, about 80% of the modems measured output. Did the Google home speed test and sure enough upstairs speed dropped immediately. Very strange but in line with what others experienced. Think I’m going to return these to Amazon since this has been a known issue for years google hasn’t resolved. Lots of unhappy folks.

[Brian Gouldman]

I have the google mesh setup at home and also get the random slow speeds about once a month. I use the app to do a system reboot and it’s usually good to go for another month. A reboot should be all you need to do, not a factory reset. It’s not the ideal solution, but it’s simple enough to initiate without me even getting up out of my seat and otherwise I’ve been completely happy with it for the last several years I’ve had it. Were I to reinvest again in the future there is no doubt I’d go with Ubiquiti hardware. It’s top shelf, commercial grade.

[Curt Harms]

Keep in mind that unless you have the recent generation devices that use WiFi, they may never get more than 300 mbps on a good day, regardless of what your access point equipment is capable of or your Internet connection is capable of.

The better mesh systems, if they need to communicate between nodes use a third radio for private backhaul which tends to provide better performance, but the nature of the structure can still affect performance. The ideal installation for a mesh network is hard-wired between the nodes which provides full bandwidth capability for the mesh leaving the only limiting factor being the devices you are using on the wireless network.

Nice use for MoCA if you have recent (RG6) cable to the cable TV outlets. Ethernet without pulling cables, you just have to make sure any splitters are up to spec.

[Brian Elfert]

I think you'll be happier if you can get a cable to the upstairs AP. I was having issues with one of my Unifi mesh APs and finally ran a temporary cable to it and it works good now. I am working on a permanent cable for it. I have a mesh AP in my garage that is radio backhaul only to an AP in the house. I will probably run a physical wire or fiber to my new garage when it gets built.

[Jim Becker]

Nice use for MoCA if you have recent (RG6) cable to the cable TV outlets. Ethernet without pulling cables, you just have to make sure any splitters are up to spec.

True, if someone has decent coax and is willing to pay for the MOCA bridges. But unless they use the latest version of MOCA, the speed can be very limited. There's a lot of MOCA gear floating around that's on the older specifications.

[Curt Harms]

True, if someone has decent coax and is willing to pay for the MOCA bridges. But unless they use the latest version of MOCA, the speed can be very limited. There's a lot of MOCA gear floating around that's on the older specifications.

Very true. Our adapters (Motorola, about $60 per) are MoCA 2.0 bonded rated at 1 gb. I checked with iPerf3 and got 700 mb/sec TCP/IP and 1.05 gb./sec UDP between floors. Another thing to check is if the coax is home run or daisy chained. I've read that daisy chained doesn't work as well though no experience with daisy chained.

[Jim Becker]

Curt, daisy chaining cable in MOCA brings the splitters into play and there are a lot of really bad splitters out there in folks' homes.