Which internet Wi-Fi mesh system?

If my dubious knowledge doesn’t deceive me, terminology is being mixed up here. “Mesh” is just the standard that allows me to move through the house with my Wi-Fi capable device and go from one access point to the next WITHOUT my device having to switch the Wi-Fi network. Mesh doesn’t care whether the access points are connected to the network wirelessly or with network cables.

And whether you want to have the access points on the ceiling with LAN cabling (a cost issue) or just put 2-3 old Fritzboxes behind the cabinet also depends on what you really need.

Considering that I’m too lazy (or unwilling to cut LAN cable slots) and I had those devices lying around anyway, I provisionally built my mesh with 4 Fritzboxes: Fritz with DSL access is at the server, one Fritz in the office (OK, here I unfortunately already notice that a Wi-Fi connection is stupid), one in the garage for the entire driveway, one on the ground floor, one in the garden ... works too.

Mesh and Access Points do differ, even if it seems the same to the end user at first. With Mesh, you basically send each data packet twice wirelessly, once to the mesh device near you,

Now it’s getting creepy.. my mesh box is directly connected to the network. No double data packets. And anyone using dlan shouldn’t be surprised about 30mbit/s.

Here’s a measurement, my connection unfortunately doesn’t provide more bandwidth. I think that’s enough for me. I am satisfied with my Fritzbox and the 2 access points.

Fritz in the office (OK, here I already notice that a Wi-Fi connection is unfortunately stupid)

Office always wired, no ifs or buts. Just asking around: What do you do with tablets, phones, laptops, or other devices for which a simple 2GHz Wi-Fi wouldn’t be enough? What do you do where reconnecting to another access point would be disadvantageous? (Video) calls while walking through the house? I’m a bit out of ideas there.

plain 2Ghz WLAN

If you use current devices (802.11ax), WLAN on 2.4 GHz is almost always the best option. The data rate is in the GBit range and therefore more than sufficient for any application (even if all four children watch Netflix simultaneously). At the same time, the range (wall penetration) is better than at 5 or 6 GHz. Only if a dozen neighbors in the high-rise are also transmitting should you look for a free frequency band.

reconnecting to another AccessPoint disadvantageous

The switch between two APs is so fast that you should only notice it in exceptional cases.

You are wrong there. The client decides when it switches from one access point to another. In mesh, the WiFi is extended to another access point via radio. With poor ones, it costs half the bandwidth, which is already lower than LAN. If multiple devices are logged into the WiFi, the effect is even stronger. Better/good mesh APs have an additional radio channel for this. It wasn’t just about maxing out the internet connection. There are also tasks within the LAN.

Which access point has gigabit in the 2.4 GHz range? And that’s not duplex. And these data rates are only theoretical for the devices. In LAN, 1 denotes duplex at every port... For Netflix & Co, 20 Mbps is enough. But if 10 devices (TVs, a few Hannes, and tablets ...) are connected to one access point, it can get tight quickly. I also work a lot on my NAS. Also with larger files. There, the data throughput in the LAN is important. So everything stationary to the LAN. Install enough APs. Then the stable and fast network will work.

Video streaming is a simple application. The data rates are not very high and there is considerable buffering over time. If the network goes down briefly, you don't notice it. A video meeting with Zoom and others like it is much more demanding. You notice immediately if a home office participant only has Wi-Fi.