Optimizing WiFi Coverage in a Multi-Story Old House with Solid Walls and Central Chimney

If you are willing to invest a bit of money to address the WiFi coverage issues in your old house, I would recommend using an Eero or a similar mesh WiFi system. Properly configured, these systems can provide comprehensive coverage across all three stories of your home, even with solid walls and a central chimney/fireplace.

The Eero Mesh System

The Eero mesh system is designed to work seamlessly and provide optimal WiFi coverage. The key to its success lies in the correct placement of the nodes. Ensure that each node is positioned within earshot of each other, and avoid overdoing it, as this could lead to nodes interfering with each other. Eero devices utilize multiple radios and are multi-radio devices, which means that on a non-crowded network, you can achieve nearly full internet speeds without the bandwidth loss that comes with using a repeater. A repeater typically halves the bandwidth by re-transmitting received packets on the same radio, which can be inefficient.

Advantages of Eero

Latency and Speed

While a mesh system like Eero may introduce some latency, this is generally a negligible factor for most everyday activities such as streaming movies, web surfing, and even video calls over platforms like Facetime or Skype. The latency issue is more pronounced in real-time activities such as multiplayer gaming or video conferencing with high demands on speed. However, for typical home users, this trade-off is often worth it for the superior WiFi coverage and ease of use.

Auto-Handoff and Seamless Connectivity

One of the significant advantages of a mesh system like Eero is that it provides a seamless hand-off between nodes as you move around your home. This means that if your phone or laptop is handed off from one node to the next, you won’t notice any changes in network performance. This feature is especially useful in a multi-story home where you may be moving between different floors.

Alternative Mesh Options and Extenders

Alternative mesh options, such as the Google WiFi or Orbi systems, might also be worth considering. However, it's important to note that the effectiveness of these solutions can be hindered by the materials used in your home, such as solid walls and a central chimney. In such cases, traditional access points or range extenders can be a more practical solution.

Connecting Access Points via Ethernet

Given that the Ethernet and coaxial cabling do not extend to each floor as per your description, your best option may be to connect an access point to your Nighthawk router via the Ethernet cabling. If the Ethernet cabling is present and the equipment is compatible, this setup can provide robust WiFi coverage to all floors. Additionally, you could try using a router with detachable antennas and couple an antenna port to an amplifier, which may be more effective if you are having trouble reaching outdoor cameras.

Other Mesh Range Extenders

Other mesh range extenders, such as Velop or Orbi, may perform similarly given the attenuation caused by the materials in your house. While Orbi offers a slightly higher transmit power on 2.4 GHz (967 mW compared to 783 mW for Velop), Eero's performance is slightly less on 5 GHz. The Qualcomm IPQ4019 chip, which is used in Velop, ZyXEL WSQ50, Orbi, Eero, TP-Link Deco, ASUS Lyra, and Google WiFi, is a testament to the flexibility and effectiveness of this hardware for various mesh and extenders.

Conclusion

In summary, for a three-story old house with solid walls and a central chimney/fireplace, investing in a mesh WiFi system like Eero can provide comprehensive coverage and seamless connectivity. However, if your existing infrastructure includes Ethernet cabling, you might also consider using access points connected to your Nighthawk router or exploring other mesh options that offer strong performance given your specific architectural challenges.

Final Recommendations

1. Use an Eero mesh system or a similar solution for robust and seamless WiFi coverage.
2. Avoid overusing nodes as this can lead to interference.
3. Use Etherent connections where available for access points or mesh nodes.
4. Evaluate different mesh options based on the specific materials and setup of your home.