If possible, it is always better to connect WiFi access points using Ethernet cables. At one time I was using a WiFI extender which received its signal from the main router. In order to get reliable operation of the extender, I put it on a smart plug that turned the power off every morning and then turned it back on a minute later. That caused the WiFi extender to reboot daily. That was the only way I could guarantee that it would work.
The other problem with WiFI extenders and mesh networks is that the bandwidth gets reduced significantly due to the system overhead. An access point connected to the main router via Ethernet cable has minimal overhead.
It does. 3-radio systems are supposed to compensate for that by using one radio for wireless backhaul and two radios for client connections. But I am sure mine would be faster with 1gb ethernet backhaul. Meet Mr Lath and Mr Plaster, gatekeepers of modernization. Not impossible, but definitely not easy. Many times running horizontal wiring means pulling off baseboards, routing out a conduit, and putting them back on. That's 130 year old patina. I do not disrupt it before exhausting other options lest I disturb the spirit of Commodore Babbitt.
Only if there isn’t a dedicated radio used for backhaul.
In the absence of a dedicated backhaul, since a given radio can either be in a state of receiving or sending at any particular moment, there is 50% loss of bandwidth.
Most modern mesh networks have a dedicated backhaul radio to avoid this problem.
I still notice on my Linksys Velop (gen 1) system, with wireless backhaul, that I never get. more than about 250mb/s even if connected to an ethernet port on the node. I also tried Eero - was no different.
But in any case I have eliminated the LAN as an issue in my Echo App problem. It happens even when I am hard-wired to the ONT's switch.
I prob have the wrong velop model cited since o chose it at the time specifically because it had dedicated backhaul. Or I misread the whole thing and dont remember at all. But I am pretty sure it was the brand new Eero 6 pro I tested.
This spring I am installing a new electrical sub panel on the third floor. When I run that cable I will run some Ethernet, prob cat 8 to minimize electrical interference and because labor, not materials, will be my largest expense.
