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So for my entire life whenever I’ve needed a WAC I’ve just run a length of Cat5e and stuck an airport express on the end of it. 2 minutes later and the WiFi coverage has been extended and seamlessly integrated so that it has the same username and password - in fact when I look at my WiFi list on my phone I only get a single Apple network despite being within (poor) range of others.

My issue is they no longer make them so what’s a good alternative, which will integrate with the old Apple system and do the same as the above? Also the airport utility app is pretty good so I’d like something which has similar functionality.

I've never used the Apple stuff, but we need to have a main wireless router plus some extensions around the house for everywhere to get decent signal. I've been looking at the Synology stuff. Just got to do the wiring for them first, but I reckon that's where my money is going.

clicky

I may try one of those, my Extreme only gets around 250mb download on WiFi whereas I’ve had 500mb download in some hotels so maybe it will get me closer to gigabit speeds.

Mesh home networks are now less than £100

Nathan wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:53 am Mesh home networks are now less than £100

Link?

Mesh won’t work on extended outdoor areas though which is what I really want this for.
Really I just want a massive antenna which will cover 500 metres.

Beany wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:57 am

Nathan wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:53 am Mesh home networks are now less than £100

Link?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Deco-E ... B07RXLF5XZ

Nathan wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 12:36 pm

Beany wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:57 am

Nathan wrote: ↑Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:53 am Mesh home networks are now less than £100

Link?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Deco-E ... B07RXLF5XZ

S'not bad, actually, for what it is. I'd avoid 'new' TPLink stuff, but I think mesh stuff is mature enough now that even they can't fuck it up (I'd not have used TPLink Mesh stuff a couple of years ago).

Probably not the highest performing, and might have some edge case issues but under a ton for a 3AP mesh ain't bad at all.

There are also some Linksys around at a similar price.

Some D-Link 3x kits were down to £70 during Black Friday week

BT Whole Home is surprisingly good. We've got four discs around the house now and wifi coverage is excellent in every room, garage and outside shed.

They're pretty much plug and play.

Eero wifi is supposedly great but I don't think they have a uk shop yet.

Ascender wrote: ↑Thu Dec 19, 2019 9:53 am BT Whole Home is surprisingly good. We've got four discs around the house now and wifi coverage is excellent in every room, garage and outside shed.

They're pretty much plug and play.

Eero wifi is supposedly great but I don't think they have a uk shop yet.

We use the same and I’m an IT dumbass and got it working nicely.

Dave!

I love the Apple airport stuff, why have they stopped making it?!

Standards have moved on, Apple haven't caught up/generic Broadcom chipsets aren't available yet/etc.

Apple's network gear had tended to be on the stable, rather than bleeding edge, of things.

So far I’ve got around things by telling my dad to order a BT smart hub 2 which I fitted earlier. It has sufficient range to remove an Express from above the bedroom which I can now use for the gate to fit a Ring doorbell. Also getting solid 2mpbs more across all routers now which for the countryside is a good result

In all seriousness, give it another year and wiiiide ranging mesh APs will be the defacto standard, as Wifi6 gets accepted as a 'perfect is the enemy of absolutely good enough' standard.

Prices will drop, range vs speed will improve as beam-forming, proper meshing, and that sort of fancy tat starts being just a normal part of generic wifi parts (the same way that AC wifi is now available on literally any cheap APs).

Smart Hub 2 is a good example of that; it's still proper plenty good enough for 90% of people who don't have proper edge-case requirements.

Yeah it’s just a bit of a pain since everything is so spread out here with thick walls in the main buildings so mesh has never been a viable option. As you say I reckon if it lasts a few years there should be much better alternatives or maybe something completely different such as satellite broadband.