Hardware Review Eero 2nd Generation Review: Now Twice As Powerful! On Top Of The Connectivity Revolution (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Caveat, if the TV is directly in front of the router when you’re watching it, that’s not ideal for that specific case. If that might be a limiter, you can easily test by moving the router off to the side and see if it matters for when you’re watching TV.

Well, it's good to hear your opinion that the node, being out in the open, might not be affected by everything going on around it.

However, I am definitely going to mount the new Eeros I eventually purchase higher up and away from those sources

 

[John Dirk]

Scott and Dave have already provided excellent guidance. I too see no serious problem with your current placement. High-positioned is usually better but, as in our theater rooms, compromises are always part of the game.

The PoE extender [or any powered switch] will repeat the Ethernet signal, effectively resetting the range limitation.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,

This is potentially great advice. I have more questions.

My backhaul cable that I spoke of is buried beneath the ground running from one end of the house to the other.

I believe it runs under 300 feet. The research I did at the time said that signal starts to decrease at 295 feet.

Now, suppose I take that incoming cat 6 cable and plug it into a powered switch then run an extension...

What are my chances of signal deterioration running that extension another, say, 50 feet?

Does the Ethernet switch provide power to boost that signal or is there such a device that acts as a booster?

And getting back to my original question...

How bad is my current location given all the speakers and TV?

Your Cat6 cable is rated to transmit a signal for 100 meters (328 feet) without any significant signal deterioration. When I was working, the 100 meter limit is what we always used for the installation of station cabling, whether Cat5, Cat6, Cat6E, etc. On rare occasions, we would push it by a few meters if necessary due to logistical considerations. The cable installer would always test and certify each station cable for us, and provide printouts of the certification. Never once did we have an issue with the thousands (probably tens of thousands) of station cables, and we were running clinical diagnostic imaging on many of those cables.

An ethernet switch basically regenerates the ethernet signal, so connecting your backhaul cable to this and then installing another cable does not "make your cable longer". You can run any cable off that switch another 100 meters.

As for your current location, it's probably not too bad. The only way to know for certain is to move the router around to different areas to see if coverage improves. For all our buildings, we would have wireless surveys performed to determine the optimal locations for the wireless access points. Those locations were almost always on the ceiling in central locations within the floors (i.e. not on exterior walls). Of course, it's simpler to place the APs in the proper spot when the cost is not coming out of your own, personal pocket, plus you are probably more concerns with the aesthetics. As homeowners, we usually have to compromise on these things, and slightly less wireless performance is generally not critical in the home.

 

[DaveF]

Well, it's good to hear your opinion that the node, being out in the open, might not be affected by everything going on around it.

However, I am definitely going to mount the new Eeros I eventually purchase higher up and away from those sources

If you can mount in more optimal locations, do so. Ideally, we’d all have Ethernet run for ceiling beacons. But we do the best we can otherwise.