Currently running the 3 Pack unit at our house and it's awesome, need to expand to carport & outdoors so buying another 3 Pack. I bought this about a year ago at $350.
You can PRICE MATCH via Noel Leeming currently at $399 https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers-tablets/accesso… + $6 shipping so about $285, but you save on CC Fees, works out roughly the same, I am going to support PB Tech.
Was about to buy and now it's out of stock :/
@OP - Interested in your experience in these. Looking to upgrade to get better coverage around the house (currently running a Linksys WRT3200 router). Will start digging into reviews etc, but always interested in a real-world user experience.
I’ve been using these for the last two years, it’s getting better and better as they keep updating the app and firmware, it’s very stable and the coverage is great for our double storey house including both front & backyard. I bought these from Amazon US back then as it was way cheaper.
Thanks for this. And (as a novice to this tech), I assume all 3 act as one access point? thus seamless switching to the closest unit (and no having to reconnect and select appropriate device)? Cheers
We have the tenda Nova mw6 kit and that is what they do. Occasionally it holds on to the access point from the other room but does move eventually.
Technical people will tell you you should get a good router and multiple good access points, but the reality is for most people these systems are easy to install, simple to use and most importantly tend to just work with no messing about or configuration needed beyond a step by step guide the app goes through.
The tendas are pretty good for the money if you want cheaper ones. They don't work too well as a router on fibre but stick it in bridge mode off your ISPs router and we've had a good experience for half the price of the competition when we got it.
https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/shop/networking/routers/mes…
That's the whole point of having Mesh network, otherwise it's called Wifi extender. It switches automatically and you don't notice anything.
Also, worth looking into is Google Nest routers. They are pretty decent and easy to setup. Might not be cheapest unless you can score a deal. New ones I think have voice assistant as well which might come handy if you are going down that path of having some kind of automation going on later on.
@ace310: I haven't checked the latest nest mesh thoroughly , but i know the old version had to be used behind a router(wasnt fibre compatible, or at least vlan tagable) which leads to potential double NAT issues if that is up your alley, and I know the new nests have a main and sats.
I have had multiple clients opt for the deco units, x60s, m5, and m9, none have reported having any issues that I know of. all work and function as they should
I totally agree, the App & Firmware is always improving.
Things I use on Deco App:
- Use "Guest" network and turn off "5ghz" for those pesky devices/IOT that only work on "2.4ghz
- Use "Optimize Network" regularly helps you remove any channel contention.
- Use HUE you can plug it straight into a node and control lights via Deco App
- Added "Connection Alerts" (drops/connects) for devices I care about
- Baked in Antivirus & Intrusion Prevention (but can't vouch of how effective it is)
Been using Netgear Orbi and can't complain. Only got 2 (main router + satellite). I think I bought it for around $325 from HN last year after PM. It is very solid. I love the ethernet port on the satellite which I use to connect a server. Got a 2 storey long layout house and get a pretty good coverage throughout and outside as well.
You might wanna to do some comparison. TP-Link Deco are great as well.
I have an awesome mesh network made from 3 Fritzbox 7490. Since they are generally ex-ISP modems, there are plenty of them around. You generally get them for around $50 each.
Stuff fibre now send out asus routers that can do mesh too so won't be long until they flood the market.
Anyone is using the one from Kogan? What would be the difference?
https://www.dicksmith.co.nz/dn/buy/kogan-wifi-ac1200-whole-h…
I have been researching the Kogan ac1200, Lots of bad reviews say about buffering on streaming media. The price is great but I think I may find them frustrating if the reviews are correct. At this price I suspect they are using very cheap out of date components that would be great if you dont stream video or game over them.
I understand the Kogan mesh network is a rebranded Tenda MW3 system, should that help with finding and reading reviews. The main issue I see (which is entirely use case dependent) is that the Ethernet ports are 100/100 so if you're on a gigabit fibre connection - or anything faster than 100/100 - then you'll be hampering the speeds of your network by using this system.
Like dealman said these are rebranded tenda MW3 units. They are ok but you'll never reach the advertised speed with only a 100mb ethernet port on the things. When most providers base offering on fibre is 100mb and that will only increase I'd really recommend making sure anything you buy has a gigabit port on it to allow for those faster plans when they become the norm.
The tenda routers are ok but they also won't work with most providers so you'll end up running them off your main router. We have the MW6 which is a model better and I run them in bridge mode which means I lose things like guest WiFi mode. For the price of them I think they work really well, but I've gone to the effort of connecting them together with wires to remove them needing to use WiFi to talk to each other and maximise the speed for my devices. They are $179 if you are interested in a. Good upgrade over the Kogan ones.
https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/shop/networking/routers/mes…
Whatever anyone buys I'd do a bit of homework on basic networking before buying and to get the most out of them. Simple things like moving devices to be wired where possible really go a long way to improving WiFi, it's amazing how many people use WiFi to connect their TV to the router behind their TV. Similarly with mesh networks most cheap offerings only have 1300mbps to go around, so that includes from your phone to the node and then from that node on to the other node to reach the internet connection. Expensive ones have an extra dedicated channel to stop this sharing and speed reduction and if you have cables in to rooms a bit of thought to use those can significantly improve performance on cheaper units and mean you can spread the nodes out slightly further with less overlap needed for them to talk to each other. For a lot of people mesh is overkill when a well placed router and decongesting their WiFi would actually solve a lot of their problems.
I use the Google mesh system. Both old and new which is unusual for these greedy corporate companies they actually work with the older model. Both Google mesh systems came as a kit and were recondition units from Dick Smith the old one was $284 3 units (3 years ago) and the new one was $300 3 units. The beauty of the old one is that you can and that's why I kept it, plug it into a LAN cable upstairs if you have a wired point and strengthen the signal to another mesh point. The new models have a stronger signal but unfortunately no wired connection capability, but do you have Google nest which can be quite handy.
I purchased these couple of days ago and set them up. Extremely easy to setup and good coverage. I have them connected by Ethernet to each other. The one thing that I think would be a good tip to someone that is not technical is that the manual says to connect the main unit to modem but you can connect it straight to fibre ont and setup as per ISPs instructions. It does support VLAN as well so should work for most or all ISPs.
PB Tech is showing $352 for me and Noel Leeming $399?
Down to 279 at pbtech
$278 at Extreme PC with free shipping :)
https://www.extremepc.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&…