WiFi Extender vs. Mesh

There are 36 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 6,938 times. The latest Post (May 28, 2026 at 8:48 PM) was by aficionado.

    SOLVED!

    Since my TP Link range extender was bought in Italy, due to EU regulation it could work only at lower channels and the Telecentro 5G network is set by default on a higher channel. Accessing the router (192.168.0.1. password is found on the label at the bottom of your device) and changing the 5G channel made the 5G Telecentro network discoverable and I was able to extend that as well.

    I am leaving below the page showing my router settings that worked and the link to the TP Link FAQ page where I found the critical information on EU devices.


    I think we're geared up for super-duper *G something. However, I have it on good authority such a thing doesn't even exist here. To be honest, as long as I can post this I don't give a hoot.

    I am testing TeleCentro 300 Mbps after the router replacement of last Friday's.

    The TP Link RE455 is connected as a range extender (it can also work as an access point) and I am using SSID cloning.

    SSID cloning means that the extended network has the same name as the router's network. This should allows for a "seamless" switch between the extended and the original network within the same band (2.4 GHz or 5GHz).

    It could also be possible to create the extended network separately with a different SSID, but this means that the device has to switch between networks and I would have 4 networks overall:

    1 - Telecentro's 2.4 GHz

    2 - Telecentro's 2.4 GHz_EXT

    3 - Telecentro's 5 GHz

    4 - Telecentro's 5 GHz_EXT

    My computer is upstairs and the 5GHz 300 Mbps become 120 Mbps.

    The 2.4GHz becomes 3 Mbps.

    As per tech specs, the TP Link RE455 range extender supports 5GHz = 1300 Mpbs and 2.4GHz =450 Mpbs


    I am more than happy with the 5GHz speed, and my only remark is that to be able to print I have to switch to the 2.4 GHz network as the printer doesn't work on 5GHz. I have looked into buying a new printer but I was unable to confirm with the seller that it would work on 5GHz (they didn't understand the question and said it'd work on Wifi - yeah thanks!)

    My second remark is that the devices switch between the 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks as they please (depending on the strongest signal at the moment), and sometimes they get confused and don't work at all. This is especially true with the 2.4 GHz network. Manually switching to the 5 Ghz one solves the issue, and I am just bummed that the device(s) go back to 2.4 Ghz on their own as the 5 Ghz signal strength fluctuates. So, one minute I am going on with my business on my phone, and as I walk downstairs the connection stops working because my phone has switched from 5 GHz to 2.4 Ghz and somehow it got jammed.



    I am looking into mesh devices and TP Link's are cheaper here than in Europe (!!). The model that I am interested into is Deco X20. It is my understanding that the mesh is done by connecting by cable a master device to the router. Then you add "satellite" devices as necessary to get full coverage.

    My question is if I should buy 1 unit or a 2 units.

    1 unit 17k ARS, 2 units 34 k ARS.


    But first, I will try to connect the printer via RJ-45 to the TP Link RE455 range extender so that I can use 5Ghz only. Perhaps this would solve the issues.

    Absolutely MESH is the only way. Extenders are very old technology that the new MESH multiple router packages have solved. They only thing I have used for 6-7 years at least.

    Quote from serafina

    I brought over 3 eero's pieces last year. It works better than the extender but no WOW factor at my place.

    No WOW factor might be the idea of MESH. Plain and simple setup to just work without needing to tweak or think, or require expert knowledge.

    I have Asus mesh devices. They have many different models that are compatible with each other. Years ago I had only one, then later a second to create the real mesh. Then last year I modernized with ASUS ZenWiFi BD4 (2-pack from Amazon)while keeping the old ones for a total of four in the network. Overkill, but it helps to keep the smart devices working in the outdoor garden and patio. Still deciding to get one of their weatherproof routers to reach farther. When there is some next step forward in technology I can buy one new Asus router to use as the primary, move others around and retire the oldest.