Tips On Home Mesh Network Setup

Recently decided to upgrade my wifi setup. In addition to getting a high-end router in the form of a TP-Link Tri-Band BE19000, featuring the performant Wifi 7 standard, I got several mesh-capable wifi extenders.

The process wasn't as straightforward as I would've liked, which is usually what I get for not planning ahead and importantly, reading the instructions and taking notes, otherwise known as being lazy. However, being meticulous and refining my steps helped things turn out nicely.

Here are some tips for your wifi upgrade journey.

• Advise anybody at home that the network will be down for a bit.
  
  
• Bookmark support pages for the router and range extenders.
  
  
• Install the manufacturer's app or, if you prefer, note the default IP address, admin username, and password for all the devices.
  
  
• If you like, download the latest firmware for each and keep handy in a folder or on a USB stick, in case upgrading through the device interface automagically isn't an option.
  
  
  
• Set up your new router, install its latest firmware, back up settings.
  
  
• Whether swapping an old router for a new drop-in replacement, make sure you give it a static IP address via the app or web interface.
  
  
• Give your backup configuration files descriptive names. Instead of just "config.bin", try "manufacturer MODEL123 - location.bin". For example, "TPLink AX5400 - Basement.bin". 
  
  
• Ensure other settings like WPA security, date / time, DHCP server, QoS, and others are configured to your needs. 
  
  
• Of course, enable the router's mesh capability if you haven't already.
  
  
  
• Set up each range extender individually, in close proximity to the router.
  
  
• WPS can simplify extender setup, but for that you need to have the router and extender physically close, say a meter or so apart.
  
  
• In case WPS doesn't work out for whatever reason (connectivity issues, or yours is a use case a bit more complicated than just plug and play), connect the extender to one of your router LAN ports with an ethernet cable. 
  
  
• Going even further down the use case rabbit hole, consider assigning a static IP address to each extender. If you do, be sure to exclude the extenders' addresses from your DHCP server range to avoid IP conflicts.
  
  
• Especially if using identical extenders, use a Sharpie to label each unit. It could be a code you devise, the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, etc.), directionality (e.g. "N" for an extender at the north side of your home). 
  
  
  
• Enable each extender's mesh capability to leverage Wifi 6+ technology.
  
  
• Prior to Wifi 6, some use cases made sense for each extender to have its own SSID, but with the newer standards, you can use the same SSID across your entire network. 
  
  
• To verify your extenders are part of the mesh once physically moved to their new homes, open the router's mesh configuration and verify your extenders appear in the list and are healthy and enabled. 
  
  
• If you like, double check to ensure each extender's MAC address, as listed, corresponds to the notes you've jotted down.
  
  
• No notes? Create a text file, Word document, Excel sheet, etc., and to it list each extender with make, model, IP address, MAC address, descriptive name, and anything else you deem important to recall later.
  
  
• One thing about wifi range extenders, most I've worked with will have two separate MAC addresses, one for its onboard ethernet port, the other for its wifi interface. This can be a bit confusing if you're tired and it's late and your trusty Advanced IP Scanner displays MAC addresses for which the last number is off by one from what you expect. 
  
  
  
• Once all is said and done, be sure to download and save backup firmware.
  
  
• Should something go haywire, you can lean on your backup configurations in case you made a change and must revert it, especially in cases where tired you has made many changes to many devices and are maybe losing touch with reality.
  
  
• While I haven't tried it, I'm reasonably certain that if you happen to replace one of your units with another identical model, you may be able to upload your previous unit's config file to the new one. Keep in mind, however, that subtle variations between models, like the hardware version, may differ from one model's revision to the next.

That about sums up my less inelegant, more refined process in this latest instance of moving up and onward with faster, better, seamless mesh wifi networking. ⚡