Managing a 4,000 square foot, multi-story home with over 50 connected devices taught me that most off-the-shelf WiFi advice simply doesn’t cut it. In this guide, I walk through how I set up three Netgear Nighthawk X4S access points across our home — covering everything from spectrum planning and channel selection in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, to the exact router settings I use for security, guest networks, and QoS. Whether you’re dealing with coverage dead zones or trying to lock down your network against threats like KRACK attacks, these are the real-world best practices I’ve landed on after plenty of trial and error. Continue reading How To: Optimizing Your Multiple Access Point, Wireless-AC WiFi Network (Part 2)

Mesh-network based, multi-unit WiFi access point solutions from Google, Eero, Luma, and other vendors are popular now. Compared to typical networking gear, they look unobtrusive, so you won’t mind placing the access points out in the open for maximum wireless reception. Mesh WiFi systems connect multiple units (nodes) to move data from the client to the router. If your goal is to fill in wireless dead zones with the minimal amount of installation effort (meaning no wire pulling), then this approach will give you the largest coverage but at the expense of throughput. Continue reading How To: Optimizing Your Multiple Access Point, Wireless-AC WiFi Network (Part 1)