Could Someone Give me Advice on Optimizing Home Network Setup with Aquiss Broadband?

[Padrickk]

Hello there,

I have recently signed up for Aquiss broadband; and so far; the experience has been pretty good. Although; I am looking to optimize my home network to get the most out of the service. I have a few questions and would appreciate any insights or tips you can share based on your experiences.

I am using the router provided by Aquiss, but I have read that customizing the settings can help improve performance. Are there specific configurations or tweaks I should consider to enhance speed; stability; or security? Also; would upgrading to a third-party router make a noticeable difference?

My house is relatively large, and I have noticed some dead spots where the Wi-Fi signal is weak or unstable. I have heard about mesh networks and Wi-Fi extenders; but I am not sure which option would be more effective. Does anyone have recommendations on which solution works best with Aquiss broadband?

At certain times of the day; particularly in the evening; I have noticed that speeds can drop slightly. I understand that this could be due to peak usage periods; but is there anything I can do on my end to maintain more consistent speeds?

Also, I have gone through this post; https://community.aquiss.net/viewtopic.php?tableau=11&start=10 which definitely helped me out a lot.

Are there any additional security measures I should take beyond the default settings provided by the router? I want to ensure my network remains secure; especially with several devices connected at any given time.

Thanks in advance for any help and assistance.

[PhilHornby]

I am using the router provided by Aquiss,

You will need to supply a fibre/cable router that connects to the ONT via an Ethernet cable

Uh When did this change

My house is relatively large, and I have noticed some dead spots where the Wi-Fi signal is weak or unstable. I have heard about mesh networks and Wi-Fi extenders; but I am not sure which option would be more effective.

I'm not sure there are any solutions that are truly "mesh" (i.e. 802.11s), but it's been a while since I looked. Most seem to be more akin to 'config-less WDS bridges'. The diagrams show multiple connections - which implies multiple radio transceivers per AP - yet most contain nothing of the sort...

The "best" answer, is always: "Use a wired connection"

Failing that, run cables to as many places as possible and use multiple Access Points around the building (rather than some centralised high-power device). I deal with some odd balls - like my Wiser C/H controller and wi-fi controlled outside light - using an ancient TP-Link 702 'Travel AP' and a long length of cable back to the Router. Comparatively slow, but it doesn't matter for that application. The rest of the (2500 sq ft) new-ish house, is covered successfully by a pair of Draytek Vigor AP802's.

When configuring WiFi, watch out for sources of interference (neighbours, Zigbee devices etc) and if using 2.4GHz, ensure the channel-width is set to 40MHz. For 5GHz you want 80MHz mode, but watch out for Radar interference if you have to move channels to achieve this. (Even if not present, the AP will go off-line periodically to re-check, if you use such a channel).

For ultimate speed over Wifi, you'll presumably need WiFi 6 (a topic I know nothing about).

If you don't fancy cabling, the Devolo range of power line adapters is worth looking at. The may not give the ultimate speed, but they seem robust. (I helped my brother-in-line get his working, in a 3500+ sq ft. Edwardian Villa sucessfully. They're not cheap though).

Are there any additional security measures I should take beyond the default settings provided by the router? I want to ensure my network remains secure; especially with several devices connected at any given time.

Make sure any I.O.T. devices are on their own VLAN (or at least use the 'Guest' Wifi network). That way, a compromised Chinese device doesn't become a gateway in to your home network! This approach can 'degrade the user experience', because - by default, all access to the device will then be via the Internet (even if the client is in the house). There are ways round this (using firewall rules), but in any case, what price security ?

[Martin]

I am using the router provided by Aquiss

We have never provided routers to customers

If you can advise what exact router you have, this may help others narrow down exact known features/improvements for it?