I’ve had the by whole home disc setup for 4-5 years now and until recently it’s been superb.
Got to bite the bullet and replace it. I’ve currently got a 5 disc setup, which finally gives really good coverage.
BT don’t make the Wi-Fi extender range anymore - which would have been my go to as it’s been super reliable, quick google and there’s loads of alternatives, mesh systems that range hugely in price, tp link, netgear, Ubiquiti, etc.
What do the legion of tech wizards recommend here at STW?
I have a TP link deco ... The bottom of it say ac1200
It works. I got a 3 pack but only put two out for a 3 bed detached and a shed I work in (near the kitchen)
What's actually happened to your existing setup? Are you sure it is faulty or could there be something interfering with the coverage that would also affect any new system?
We recently stayed in an AirBnB and using the microwave literally caused the TV streaming to stop. I know that that can happen in theory but have never seen it happen with such obvious effect.
I would find a good troubleshooting guide that you can use with your existing system and endpoints and run through it to check for issues before splashing out.
A guy at work has recently bought a Netgear Orbi Wifi 7 mesh system which he is very happy with. His day job is a networking and security engineer working mainly with Cisco and Palo Alto kit so that is a useful recommendation.
This thread will be long but the correct answer will be TPLink Deco.
i went from BT disk to this setup and it’s been flawless
Deco's here. Total of 6 including the outbuilding where I'm typing this. Occasionally had a few random issues where they feel the urge to disconnect/reconnect but it's infrequent. All connected by the wifi backhaul apart from this cabled one. Couple of models which come close to topping out on our 1 gig internet fibre pipe.
Currently have the security software as well as it was on offer, but may not renew as not sure it offers much above my firewall / virus checkers.
No issues with my BT setup, but I suppose it won't work if I migrate to another provider. Have they gone wonkey OP ?
We went from BT to the EE pro mesh which was abismal. We had a router and 3 mesh nodes in each case. Now got two Eero Pro 7’s (one as a router one as a mesh) and they’re brilliant. Way better.
What's actually happened to your existing setup? Are you sure it is faulty or could there be something interfering with the coverage that would also affect any new system?
We recently stayed in an AirBnB and using the microwave literally caused the TV streaming to stop. I know that that can happen in theory but have never seen it happen with such obvious effect.
I would find a good troubleshooting guide that you can use with your existing system and endpoints and run through it to check for issues before splashing out.
A guy at work has recently bought a Netgear Orbi Wifi 7 mesh system which he is very happy with. His day job is a networking and security engineer working mainly with Cisco and Palo Alto kit so that is a useful recommendation.
work in technology, know my way round networks, have troubleshot ( or is it shooted?) the problem and the disc was on its way out, then it died, replaced it and then had to buy another disc, as for reasons beyond me one room in our house just never got any reliable Wi-Fi, had to be my daughters room, so naturally it was an epic disaster. I’ve solved the problem and it’s ok for now. But this system isn’t manufactured anymore, so when it fails eventually I’m going to be buggered.
so rather than wait for that moment, I’m going to replace and upgrade now. I do rely on it for work.
just to be super clear, I’m a big fan of the BT whole home disc setup, it’s been unexpectedly robust and reliable.
so all I’m hearing is TP deco as the STW default?
I’m surprised it’s not Ubiquiti tbh
Tenda nova mw5 has been performing well at my house for the past 5 years. Probably a newer version available now.
I had a Tenda MW12 mesh and it was diabolically bad, I returned it.
just to be super clear, I’m a big fan of the BT whole home disc setup, it’s been unexpectedly robust and reliable.
It doesn't sound like it from your description.
TP link Deco here as well, not perfect but generally OK. I did cable my 3 units. Probably 50 plus things attached to the network.
Eero 6+ here. Why? Cos they were cheap in an Amazon sale.
My isp Zen (I think) use eero's for their mesh everyroom setup, which likely means they're ok.
I had a Tenda MW12 mesh and it was diabolically bad, I returned it.
just to be super clear, I’m a big fan of the BT whole home disc setup, it’s been unexpectedly robust and reliable.
It doesn't sound like it from your description.
no I really am. One disc failing in 5+ years of constant use is really good, even better that it got the 3 disc set in a fire sale from EE for £110. They rarely drop out, easy to rectify if they do.
not sure why BT stopped selling them tbh.
If you would like better control and view of your network id start to build a unifi network.
I agree, BT disk is really, really good. I only swapped out as it was a hassle getting them to work on my now non-BT network.
i also would have had to pay BT to keep them once I ended contract.
If you would like better control and view of your network id start to build a unifi network.
These ? https://ui.com/uk/en/wifi
how does unify differ from TP link etc
We moved froma Tenda MW6 to a Deco AX5400. The Deco is faster and more reliable but you have to pay extra for parental control despite it being a described (not optional) feature. This was and is irritating.
Its a managed network so you have better control over the system, better firewall and also the ability to set up vlans.
So for example my sonos era100 sometimes stops, so i just find it on the client list and reconnect it.
You can also see the signal strength of each client.
Its more of a professional system rather than consumer, you have lots of control over the configuration.
You tube has lots of content on it, i’m running full network and cctv on mine and have zero issues.
Lots of content on reddit also.
TP Link have a have based management system for routers, switches, wireless etc. It is probably not as polished as the Ubiquiti system but works ok and is good value for money.
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/support/faq/4172/
I went from Tenda MW6 (which was fine until it wasnt) to Ubiquiti Unifi. Unifi is night and day better. whereas with the cheap mesh systems you are expected to just deploy devices around the house and hope for the best, with Unifi you can use the planning tool to design an implementation then once youve deployed it you can use the signal strength tool to actually survey the signal strength around the house.
our house is 3500 square feet, 6 beds, with a solid wall down its spine and 14 tons of steel in its construction so a Wifi nightmare - im running an AP in the loft and one on the ceiling in the living room and that gives solid performance for 6 of us, 2 working from home and 4 teens with all the devices that entails. the power of the APs is configured so that they dont interfere with each other or my neighbours and having used the WiFi signal strength tool, I know I have better than -40dBm everywhere it counts and I know where it drops to -70dBm in the front porch, I know I can solve that with an inexpensive AP there if I ever want to use a doorbell camera etc. I expected to need at least twice as many APs
how big is your house to need as many discs as you currently have? could it be that theyre actually conflicting with each other?
Similar position to the OP. got 4 BT white discs (the black ones are very different and not as good). I run them through virgins router and have done for 5 years. They work. I cant get more than 4 discs working though for some reason.
I looked at upgrading and unless spending a considerable amount for wifi7 i cant see anything that will better them for reasonable outlay.
here's an example of the Ubiquiti signal strength survey - thats a quick wander round upstairs with an iPhone - it uses the camera to draw in walls so you get a really clear image of any problem areas. this is all served by a single U6Pro in the loft fairly centrally. I know ive got an amber zone in the north west bedroom (that wall is a former external wall) but my son has never complained about WiFi quality. if I wanted to improve it I could move the attic AP and re-test or I could add one of the small in-wall APs in that bedroom. the main point is, you can fix issues based on actual evidence rather than just flooding the zone with more devices. 
I went from BT Wholehome (4 discs) to TP Link Omada (managed network). Both were run on a wired ethernet backbone.
The Omada stuff is excellent but a learning curve. In my case, I wanted to keep all the smarthome devices from spying on the network so I landed up with a bunch of VNETs keeping management vs end-user vs smart devices all separate. This just gets configured as a bunch of WiFi networks (SSIDs), all broadcast from every access point on the same radio channels. If a smart device is on the devices' SSID, it doesn't even know the other networks exist. That particular rabbithole then needs you to get into managed switches and routing so the wireless solution is just the begnning.
Everything Omada is a learning curve compared to consumer-grade options. You get capability but you also take responsibility for it working. FWIW, I had BT WholeHome from fairly early on in its lifecycle and if you used some of the advertised functions (e.g. network pausing) it would cr@p out and need a total reset and firmware updates were a roll of the dice every time. Omada has been more feature rich and more generally reliable.
Looking at my 3 Cisco WAP121APs and wondering about replacing. Unifi seems to default answer but which models?
the house is narrow 5m but tall with some steel in it. Currently have 1x AP in the basement, 1 on the ground floor and one on the 3rds. My APs are wall mounted at the moment (with PoE to them) so I'm using as individual points not mesh.
Not having looked at wireless for over a decade what the deal with all the new bands and standards?
The 'consumer' spec units seem to the U6+ and U7Lite (and corresponding U6 and U7 in wall for a bit more money). I'm assuming the wifi 7 stuff is the newest standard but it's the same price as the 6 - is there any reason NOT to go for the 7 stuff? It looks like you can mount the ceiling mount stuff on the wall as well (just not quite as neat). There are charts showing transmission patterns but I can't really make sense eorf them
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005212927-AP-Antenna-Radiation-Patterns
(though given my wired connection is only about 70mb and my current wifi seems to deliver 50-60 reliably in different bits of the house theres probably no point changing until I upgrade the house connection)
TP link Deco here as well, not perfect but generally OK. I did cable my 3 units. Probably 50 plus things attached to the network.
This is pretty much my experience too. It is quite simplistic as a system - the app is very limited - but when it works it is just really reliable. I have 6, most of them hardwired in, and they're pretty solid. And if you're tech-savvy you may well be running a more full-featured router (for firewall etc) and the Decos in access point mode, which also works well.
Looking at my 3 Cisco WAP121APs and wondering about replacing. Unifi seems to default answer but which models?
the house is narrow 5m but tall with some steel in it. Currently have 1x AP in the basement, 1 on the ground floor and one on the 3rds. My APs are wall mounted at the moment (with PoE to them) so I'm using as individual points not mesh.
Not having looked at wireless for over a decade what the deal with all the new bands and standards?
The 'consumer' spec units seem to the U6+ and U7Lite (and corresponding U6 and U7 in wall for a bit more money). I'm assuming the wifi 7 stuff is the newest standard but it's the same price as the 6 - is there any reason NOT to go for the 7 stuff? It looks like you can mount the ceiling mount stuff on the wall as well (just not quite as neat). There are charts showing transmission patterns but I can't really make sense eorf them
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005212927-AP-Antenna-Radiation-Patterns
(though given my wired connection is only about 70mb and my current wifi seems to deliver 50-60 reliably in different bits of the house theres probably no point changing until I upgrade the house connection)
no reason not to use WiFi7 for future proofing but I've found no reason to upgrade. our WAN connection (virgin) is a very stable 940Mbps download and even with 4 teens in the house + all their pals (our house is where they all congregate cos the WiFi is the best!) peak utilisation is less than 10%
I suppose if you had a monster high performance NAS in your network and you wanted to move huge files in and out of it wirelessly all day then WiFi7 might be useful but outside of YouTube content creators I cant think of a domestic need for that much bandwidth
(though given my wired connection is only about 70mb and my current wifi seems to deliver 50-60 reliably in different bits of the house theres probably no point changing until I upgrade the house connection)
no reason not to use WiFi7 for future proofing but I've found no reason to upgrade. our WAN connection (virgin) is a very stable 940Mbps download and even with 4 teens in the house + all their pals (our house is where they all congregate cos the WiFi is the best!) peak utilisation is less than 10%
I suppose if you had a monster high performance NAS in your network and you wanted to move huge files in and out of it wirelessly all day then WiFi7 might be useful but outside of YouTube content creators I cant think of a domestic need for that much bandwidth
I keep looking at the FTTP flyers that come through the door and thinking 'must upgrade', then realise that if we can happily stream HD video, and even 4k Netflix is only 8-15mbs and realising theres pretty much zero benefit for anything we do.
yeah, our virgin connection is massively over the top but I think we pay £23 per month for it so its a trivial amount for the peace of mind that even with 2 of us working from home, the kids all have their devices downloading games, streaming etc and we never ever have to worry about bandwidth. same with the network its self, I'm probably into Ubiquti kit to the tune of £500 which is spicy compared to the old TendaNova stuff, but im never the guy on the teams call apologising for his wifi dropping out and I never have to field complaints from the kids that their devices aren't connecting - worth every penny
Thanks, looks like Ubiquiti Unifi Wi-Fi 7 is my best future proof “don’t need to look at this again for a good few years” option.
if anyone has experience of the optimal cost vs performance kit for this combo ?
The BT discs are all working now, but with 6 discs, as someone mentioned above, I’ve had to keep throwing more discs at it to solve coverage problems, not ideal, not too expensive but I’m 100% sure I do not actually need 6 discs.