Practical tips, how-to guides, and field notes on Wi-Fi, mesh networks, and home network security — from someone who has spent 20+ years in IT.
Wi-Fi 6 routers have been mainstream for a few years now. Wi-Fi 6E added the 6 GHz band. Wi-Fi 7 is starting to arrive. If you’re still running a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) router you bought in…
Read article →Most people put their router wherever the cable is. That’s usually a corner of the living room, next to the TV, on the floor behind furniture, or in the front room of a house where it…
Read article →Upgrading to a mesh system sounds like a straightforward task until you’re standing in front of your equipment at 9pm wondering why half your smart home devices have gone offline. The transition doesn’t have to go…
Read article →Speed tests are easy to run. Fast.com or Speedtest.net, click a button, wait a few seconds, get a number. What that number means — and whether it’s actually good or bad for your situation — takes…
Read article →When you look at mesh Wi-Fi system specs, you’ll often see a mention of backhaul — sometimes wireless, sometimes wired, and with tri-band systems, a dedicated wireless backhaul band. It sounds technical, and the marketing tends…
Read article →You set up a smart plug. It works great for a week, then one morning your phone says it’s offline. You unplug it, plug it back in, it reconnects. Two weeks later: same thing. Or it’s…
Read article →Mesh system packaging loves big numbers. Covers up to 5,500 square feet! Three nodes! Six nodes! Some boxes show a giant house with signal waves flooding every room including the attic and the garden shed. Then…
Read article →If you’ve set up a router in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed it broadcasts two networks — something like HomeNetwork and HomeNetwork_5G. Maybe you picked one at random. Maybe you connected everything to the…
Read article →A reliable Wi-Fi signal on the patio or garden makes outdoor working, streaming, and smart device control genuinely useful. But getting mesh coverage outside safely — without damaging hardware or creating a security gap — takes…
Read article →A basement home office is one of the most challenging environments for Wi-Fi. Below-grade construction, concrete floors, thick walls, and metal ductwork all conspire to kill signal. But with a mesh system and smart node placement,…
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