Ethernet + wifi to make one network

Question

I have a brick house that was previously wired with ethernet cables. For wifi, are these any use? I want a single wifi network for the whole house. It seems I can get it with a network of mesh extenders. But these bypass the ethernet, which I would have thought would offer something faster and more reliable.

Answer 1

Don't use "extenders". Buy a WiFi mesh system such as Eero. If the cables in your house are at least Cat5, connect the mesh nodes to one another with the cables for even better performance.

If it happens to help, you can use one cable to connect your modem to your main router node, so that you're not forced to place one node next to the modem. Often the modem is in a corner of the building that isn't an ideal node location.

If you have one device that is very sensitive to network performance you can use one of the cables for that. A high end game console or a video editor's file server would be examples.

Answer 2

You can think of this as being one of three potential ways to set up - Extenders, Access Points or Mesh… so, as simply & non-technically as I can explain it…

The difference between an Extender and an Access Point is Ethernet.
Extenders don't use Ethernet, they use half their own bandwidth to pass data between themselves. Simple, but slow.
OK, so that's extenders right out the window. You have Ethernet. Use it.

So, Access Point vs Mesh…
Mesh can use Ethernet, though some don't. They use another part of the wireless spectrum to share data - this is known as a backhaul. The backhaul does not 'use up' any of the potential data speed of the Mesh network, unlike Extenders. They require one 'base station' that all the other points connect back to. This base station is always Ethernet hard-wired.

Access Points always use Ethernet. Each connects physically back to your existing router over your existing wired network. You don't need a new base station.

Mesh is very simple to set up. Each device will talk back to usually a mobile iOS/Android app that will help you set it up. A few clicks & you're up & running. This is their big selling point; convenience.

Modern Access Points can also usually be accessed & configured via an app, phone or computer. They generally must be configured manually, one at a time. This is slightly more fiddly but not too difficult. [I haven't used very modern ones; perhaps this is now closer to being automatic'.] Once configured, a network of Access Points generally 'wins' in data handling over a Mesh structure.

Once running, Mesh & a network of Access Points are otherwise quite similar in how your network is structured.
So, it comes down to price vs convenience. Your call.

As others have mentioned - you can leave your static devices, TV, desktop computers etc, on wired Ethernet.

Answer 3

The existing Ethernet cables are definitely of use to Wi-Fi, if you add Wi-Fi access points at the end of the cable.

Wi-fi-capable routers can be set to act as non-routing "Wi-Fi access points", which can plug into the Ethernet network and provide Wi-Fi at the end of wherever the Ethernet cables go. Then the different zones of Wi-Fi provide network access within the main Ethernet network.

This router-to-access-point conversion is called "bridging". Consult a router's instruction manual on how to "bridge" the router to an existing Ethernet network.

(Of course there are dedicated Wi-Fi access point devices that you can buy that are already set up to "bridge", but I've heard that they may be more expensive.)

Here is how I have converted Dlink, Linksys, and DDWRT routers to be access points: (Follow the router's instructions on doing this if such are provided.)

1. Connect the router to a standalone PC or laptop using a single network cable, not connected through the Ethernet network. Set the PC/laptop's Ethernet port to use DHCP-served dynamic IP address, if it was not already.

2. The PC should get an IP address from the new router, and should be able to access the router's web configuration page.

3. Find the following settings:

• router mode > bridge mode
• router DHCP server > off
• router IP address > set to static IP address, an unused address within the Ethernet network's IP address range and netmask.

4. Reboot the router and unplug it from the PC.

5. Set your PC to a static IP address in the same range and netmask as the IP address you picked for the router's IP address and netmask. (This should now also be the same IP range and netmask as the Ethernet network.)

6. Plug the router and PC back together again.

7. You should be able to access the router's web page again, at the router's static IP address.

8. Set up the Wi-Fi SSID and authentication.

9. Unplug the router from the PC. Set the PC back to dynamic again if it was so before. Plug the router into the Ethernet network.

10. Connect a Wi-Fi device to the router's chosen SSID. If everything has gone well, the device should be on the Ethernet network.

There are a few schemes for naming the SSID and setting the 2.4Ghz channel (there's probably enough 5Ghz channels that special setup for 5Ghz may not be necessary):

If your neighbors are far enough away that you have fairly unused 2.4Ghz bandwidth at your house, you could put the main Wi-Fi router at channel 1 and a Wi-Fi access point on channel 11. A third access point can go on channel 6. Careful positioning of the "bubbles" of Wi-Fi can ensure that if you must add a fourth access point your channels won't overlap much. USA-centric channel numbering here. If your country allows up to channel 13, channels 1, 5, 9, 13 can be used, add a 4th access point, then you have complete freedom in avoiding channel interference (credit for four-channel info https://www.extremenetworks.com/extreme-networks-blog/2-4-ghz-channel-planning/)

If you use the same SSID and authentication in the main router and all of the access points, a Wi-Fi device can bounce from point to point seamlessly. You could also label the SSIDs differently, if you have upstairs and downstairs access points almost on top of each other, so the family knows which access point they're connecting to.

I have set up bridged-router access points at my old workplace and in my home successfully. The workmates and kids are happy...

Answer 4

My house is set up this way:

This is what I have:

[Cable Modem] -> 12 port switch connected to ethernet cables.

Some of the ethernet cables go straight to hardware. Some go to EERO mesh networks. One goes to an EERO that then has a 6 way switch coming off of it.

One or two EEROS operate as extenders.

The advantage of this is that devices that can take advantage of the hardwired ethernet do, and don't take up spectrum in the house. It also allows me to run a guest network, and separately have a firewalled network.

I also have top-notch coverage of the house.

Answer 5

If your house is both huge and sprawling, the Ethernet can be used to build a professional-grade network. At my work, I built such a thing using

1. A gateway device
2. A cloud management device
3. A power-over-Ethernet switch (PoE)
4. Multiple wired access points

Now, you can avoid some of that equipment. A local computer can act as your management device, but you'd probably want a gateway (AKA "a router"). The access points are also sold with individual PoE injectors, removing the need for a PoE switch.

The catch here is cost: the access points are $100-200 each. The gateway device is another $250. The cloud management device is another $250. That makes this really expensive for a home network, especially when you can buy a full-on mesh system for far less. So why would you even consider it? If you want an esoteric setup (say an external AP or a WiFi bridge to a distant out-building), this affords you that ability easily.

Answer 6

I'm using a mesh network configuration (TP-Link Deco). I have 7 mesh points. All but one is wired. This offers the best of both worlds. I get more stability/reliability for sure. My house has two layers of stucco and one mesh cage for each. The Ethernet makes it possible for me to spread out the mesh points farther covering interior and exterior more effectively.

Answer 7

Something to note regarding extenders or mesh networks, is that WiFi is half-duplex, meaning it has to either transmit or receive, whereas ethernet does both simultaneously.

Obviously the user device (tablet, phone) can only transmit or receive since it's on WiFi, but when your extenders or mesh are talking to each other or the base station, they're also on half-duplex links. So the WiFi link between each mesh unit can be a bottleneck. Never mind that only one device can transmit or receive on a WiFi connection at a time, so multiple devices on a single link are already sharing that bandwidth.

With an access point (connected using Ethernet), the only half-duplex part of the network is (generally) the end point at the user. With APs, the only bottleneck is the WiFi link between the AP and the user device. Plus, you can plug static devices (desktop computer, smart TV) into ethernet if they're in range of a port, and avoid any bandwidth issues.

Since you already have the ethernet installed, I would use that with multiple access points (routers). It's how I have my own home set up (although I had to run the ethernet myself). I have the router where my service comes in, and I have two other routers connected to that one by ethernet. Each router has its own IP (192.168.1.1 for base, .2 and .3 for the APs), and the APs have DNS and DHCP disabled, using the base router for those functions. The WiFi SSID on each router is the same, so user devices can hand off between APs. Hopefully your ethernet is properly labeled, so you know how it's all connected!

APs don't need to be expensive. You don't need to buy brand new—a used WiFi router makes a fine AP. I just bought a used Netgear R7000 Nighthawk off Craigslist for $20.

Answer 8

It depends on how much want to splurge. The extenders work fine, they are cheap, often free from your ISP, but are limited in setup and slightly slower. If coming from the ISP, then they tend to want to be the DHCP server, thus stopping your existing network. I had a real battle to convert my freebie to not be the DHCP server.

But they work fine and they have a reasonable range. I have used it in my holiday home, but I am using something more upmarket at home. The reliability will be the same.