What’s your network like? We’ve got a lot going on, especially at home. We’ve got mining rigs, streaming devices like Apple TV, several computers and a handful of cellphones. Boosting our WiFi signal to our mining rigs became a priority when did our first how to build a GPU mining rig guide a couple of years ago. We came up with a simple investment in our home network that made all the difference: a mesh network and simple router.
Internet Speed vs WiFi Speed
Just because your Internet speed is fast, doesn’t mean it reaches everywhere you need it to. For our home, and most homes and businesses, that comes down to your WiFi (wireless) router. When getting our first rigs running years ago, we noticed that our WiFi signal degraded the further you got from our old wireless router. In fact, when we had to move several mining rigs into a corner of our garage the WiFi was spotty at best.
At that time, mesh networks were a new thing, and they sounded to good to be true: incredible range and almost no speed degradation. We did try more than one mesh network and landed on one that has done a great job for years, an eero whole-home mesh network. Our Internet modem is on the second floor of a two story house. Our mining rigs are on the first floor as far as you could possibly get from the router.
Boosting the WiFi Signal
First of all, setting up an eero mesh network is ridiculously easy. The entire experience is done with an app on your mobile phone, and it’s exceptionally well done. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, here’s our entire setup:
- Internet cablemodem from our ISP (no change)
- 1 router, 2 extender eero whole-home setup (they also offer a newer, even faster eero pro whole-home model (2x faster) which is also WiFi 6)
We’ve recommended this to so many people who have challenges with their WiFi network, whether it is dead spots, intermittent drop outs, or buffering when watching video. We always get the same response after they’ve given it a shot: why did I wait so long to do this!?
Setting up the WiFi Mesh Network
Once you’ve got your eero network and are ready to go you’ll want to first setup the main eero router. Go to the App Store for your mobile phone and download the eero App. The App walks you through the entire process. You’ll first connected the eero router to your cablemodem with the ethernet cable that comes with the whole-home setup kit. Next, you plug the power cord in and plug it into the wall.
Using the App you’ll setup the name of your network and specify a password. Then, you’ll add your eero extenders to broaden the coverage of your new eero mesh network. We put one as far as we could get, and on a different floor, from the main eero. We placed the third eero at as close as we could find to a midpoint in our home.
Comparing eero 6 and eero 6 pro
| eero 6 | eero 6 pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage Area | 5,000 sq. ft. | 6,000 sq. ft. |
| WiFi Standard | WiFi 6 (802.11ax) | WiFi 6 (802.11ax) |
| Speed | Up-to 500 Mbps | Gigabit |
| Bands | 2 (Dual-band) | 3 (Tri-band) |
| Ethernet Ports | 2 (Router Only) | 6 (2 on Each Unit) |
| Availability | Check | Check |
Achievement Unlocked: Boosting WiFi Signal
We couldn’t believe the improvement we got moving to a mesh network, and of all the options out there, eero has really made it simple. We get a good, strong WiFi signal not only throughout our home, but in the backyard, and even out in the street. The difference is incredible.
Questions?
We’re happy to offer any advice we can about extending your network. Add a comment below or contact us if you have a question and we’ll do our best to help!
