Wi-Fi extender recommendations

[legosnowqueen]

Looking for recommendations for an extender or mesh to extend Wi-Fi signal reliably in a 4 story Victorian terrace. Router is on second floor, Wi-Fi is fine on that floor & the floor below but poor on the 2 higher floors. I need to move my office to the top floor so need reliable Wi-Fi there. We are not tech savvy so need something that is simple to set up & budget for this is under or around £100. Wi-Fi is Virgin broadband.

I followed the advice from a thread here, I’m sorry I can’t remember specifically. However it meant turning our virgin hub into modem only mode, then we have a Deco mesh system. I managed to do it all and I’m not the most tec savvy person.
I really like deco as you can assign devices to children and out limits and bedtimes on them.
we’re over three stories and it works great, I wfh in top story and it’s great for that.
Deco Mesh WiFi System(Deco M5) –Up to 5,500 sq. ft. Whole Home Coverage and 100+ Devices,WiFi Router/Extender Replacement, Anitivirus, 3-pack www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06WVCB862/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1F2KEHM2ZDEH75B0BF0X

Thanks @Hawaymanyoushite does the change to modem only affect tv & phone (assume not but best to check)?

I've used power line kit in my house. Cheap, easy, but I suspect not as effective as a proper mesh system.

This sort of thing (mines older)

Deal: TP-Link AV1000 Gigabit Passthrough Powerline ac Wi-Fi Kit, Dual Band Speed Up to 1200 Mbps, Wi-Fi Extender/ Booster, Extra Power Socket, No Configuration Required (TL-WPA7617 KIT) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QSK84JL/ref=cmswwrcppapiiidlG7PMM7PKRQY6HMQZVXFG??encoding=UTF8&psc=1

If your not familiar with it you need to plug one unit in close to , and with a cable running into, your modem/router then other units can plug in wherever you want the boost. Has to go into original wall socket, not an extension bar.

No it didn’t make a difference to the tv or phone (got rid of both now though), here’s a link to what I did community.virginmedia.com/t5/Networking-and-WiFi/Hub-3-modem-mode/td-p/4464077

Orbi has been a game changer for our house.

I've a deco mesh system too and it covers the whole house and extends into the garden. I've BT and didn't need to turn it into modem only and just plugged into a free Ethernet port on the router. I've therefore both wi-fi from the BT hub and wi-fi from the Deco units.

Thanks all, very helpful

The HomePlug (power line) kits are fairly cheap and can be great, but they are susceptible to interference and weren't that reliable when I had them. I had a HomePlug setup that worked well across much of the house, but the one in our living room has a poor connection.
I swapped from HomePlug to a mesh system. First I had a BT Mesh, which was great to start with but an update caused huge reliability issues. I replaced that with a TP-Link Deco M5 trio, which has been fairly reliable. It did have to be completely reset after a recent power cut when it lost all its settings. I find it's important to run the "optimise network" function every so often. I think changes to neighbours wifi systems cause interference and it doesn't automatically adjust.

Really useful to see people's experience. We ended up buying a Tends Nova Mesh MW6 system. Very easy to set up even for 2 technophobes & so far it's been great...kicking ourselves for not getting one before now!

We live in 3 storey Victorian terrace and are with virgin. We upgraded to their latest ( I think) router - tall tower thing with a light around the top. We get much better Wi-Fi through out but we do have a net gear extender on the first floor.

The router has much better bandwidth control and we get pretty good speeds - think about 500mbps and 47 upload. We have 3 teens in the house and are pretty heavy users.

@Hawaymanyoushite @Jonny1265 @CruelAndUnusualParenting
Based on your experience with the Deco mesh system, for a standard 2 story, 3 bed house, do you need 2 or 3 units?
I'm looking at the Deco m5.
Thanks

For a 2 story 3 bed house, 2 units would probably be adequate. I have 3 units for 3 stories and 5 beds.