Strong signals between nodes are critical for high speeds and wide coverage in mesh WiFi. Placement of your child nodes, therefore, will be important. Generally, it’s best to keep nodes within two rooms or one floor of each other and limit walls and obstacles between nodes. Make sure the node is out in the open. Avoid placing it in a cabinet or behind a TV. Try to keep it away from large panes of glass and large metal objects like refrigerators, fish tanks, or microwaves. The good news is the Linksys app guides you through the process so you can be confident your nodes are placed in good spots.

Scenario:

I want to add nodes to my existing Linksys mesh WiFi system to expand coverage throughout my home.

Solution: 

Before you begin, ensure that any child node you want to add to a mesh system for the first time is in its factory defaults. If you have used the node with another mesh system or someone gave you a used node, factory reset it.

Make sure your child node is within range of another working node (a parent node or child node with a solid blue light). We’ll help you determine “in range” during the process but remember to be within two rooms or one floor of a working node and limit walls and obstacles between them.

Adding a child node

Scenario: 

I’m having trouble with established child nodes disconnecting from my Linksys mesh WiFi system.

Solution:

If established child nodes in your mesh WiFi become disconnected, consider what has changed in your home or within your mesh WiFi. Have you moved your modem, parent node, or any other child nodes?  Did you get new furniture, change your home’s layout, or get a major electronic appliance?  All of these can affect how your nodes communicate.

A good way to tell how well the nodes in your mesh WiFi are talking to each other is a measurement called RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). RSSI is recorded in dBm or decibels per milliwatt. The RSSI scale begins at 0 dBm (excellent signal) and is expressed in negative numbers from there, with -70 dBm and below being a poor signal. Your parent node will not have an RSSI because it is wired to your modem.

To check a node’s RSSI, follow the steps below:

Things to consider: 

 

• Make sure the node is out in the open. Avoid placing it in a cabinet or behind a TV. Try to keep it away from large panes of glass and large metal objects like refrigerators, fish tanks, or microwaves.
• Child nodes are only as good as the nodes they are connected to. So, if you’re not connecting to the parent node, use the node detail screen to make sure that the node you’re connecting to has a good RSSI (0 dBm to -50 dBm is excellent; -70 dBm or below is poor). 
• The firmware of your mesh network could be out of date. Check for updates in the Linksys app (Network Administration) or at LinksysSmartWiFi.com (Connectivity / Basic). A firmware update will also restart your mesh network, often fixing small connectivity issues.

 

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Scenario:
 
My phone was working fine on my mesh WiFi network but suddenly stopped connecting to any node.

Solution:
 
There are many reasons a device might not be able to connect to your WiFi. Here are some common ways to try to fix the problem:
 

• Make sure your mesh WiFi is working and restart the device

 

• Use the correct WiFi name and password

 

• Get closer to a working node

• Some less common, but possible issues if your devices are losing connection

• Your mesh network might have recently updated to a new firmware that doesn’t work with your older devices. Make sure the device has the most current operating system (phones and tablets) and current drivers for wireless adapters (computers). It’s possible that an old device might not work anymore.

 

• Someone might have turned ON the MAC address filter on your network and not given the device access to WiFi. Talk to whoever controls settings in your network to see whether that could be the problem. To know more about MAC address filtering, click on the links below:

 

• The firmware of your mesh network could be out of date. Check for updates in the Linksys app (Network Administration) or at LinksysSmartWiFi.com (Connectivity / Basic). A firmware update will also restart your mesh network, often fixing small connectivity issues.

For more information about common factors that affect your router's WiFi performance and discover solutions by checking our detailed guide.
 

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Scenario:

While roaming around my house, my phone maintains a connection to a node even when I am closer to a different node.

Solution:

Linksys intelligent mesh allows wireless devices to switch among mesh nodes as a user roams among them, but the devices decide when to make the change. A device’s roaming aggressiveness can result in a device remaining connected to a node even when there is one closer with a better signal.

Roaming aggressiveness is based on something called RSSI or Received Signal Strength Indicator. RSSI is measured in decibels per milliwatt, with 0 dBm being the strongest and lesser signals in negative numbers. For some devices, if RSSI falls below -70 dBm, it will look for another access point with a stronger signal. If the RSSI never falls below -70 dBm, those devices might very well stay connected to a node even though there could be a better option.

The way to counter a device that is hanging on to a connection with a low RSSI is to turn OFF the WiFi on your device and turn it back ON. The device likely will choose a node with a better (closer to 0 dBm) RSSI.
 
QUICK TIP: The Google Play™ Store and App Store® offer several apps that allow your device to read and analyze RSSI levels in your WiFi. Search for WiFi Analyzer in the App Store or Google Play Store.