In a Dublin home, a Wi-Fi extender is a short term patch, mesh Wi-Fi is a decent fix where you cannot run cables, and wired access points are the long term answer. Which one suits you depends mostly on your walls, your floors and whether you are about to do building work.
Weak Wi-Fi in the back bedroom or the kitchen extension is one of the most common reasons people call our Dublin office. Usually they have already tried something: a plug in booster from the broadband provider, a mesh kit from an electrical shop, or both. Here is how the three options actually differ, what tends to go wrong with each in Dublin houses, and how to choose.
Three ways to spread Wi-Fi around a house
Wi-Fi extenders
An extender picks up the router's signal and sends it on. It is cheap and quick, but it can only pass on what it receives, so if it sits where the signal is already weak, the extra coverage is weak too. Many extenders create a second network name, and phones cling to whichever one they joined first.
Mesh Wi-Fi
A mesh kit is a set of two or more units from the same family that act as one network with one name. The units pass traffic between each other, mostly by radio, and hand your devices from one unit to the next as you move through the house. It is a real step up from an extender, but each wireless link between units still uses airtime, so the furthest room gets less speed than the room beside the router.
Wired access points
Each access point has a data cable back to a network switch, which also powers it. Nothing is relayed by radio between units, so every access point delivers its full capacity to its own part of the house. The whole system is managed from one controller and appears as one network.
The communications regulator puts the underlying point simply. In its guide to getting the most out of your broadband, ComReg says "A wired ethernet connection will always be more reliable and will generally be faster." It also notes that the signal weakens as more obstructions such as walls come between your device and the router.
Mesh Wi-Fi against the other options in Dublin homes
| Type of Dublin home | What usually goes wrong | What we normally suggest |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian or Edwardian red brick, Ranelagh, Rathgar, Sandymount | Solid brick walls and several floors block the links between mesh units | Wired access points, using existing routes or the floors during a renovation |
| 1930s to 1950s semi, Clontarf, Castleknock | Router in the hall, kitchen extension at the back with steel and glazing | Mesh Wi-Fi with one wired unit, or an access point in the extension |
| Large detached house, Foxrock, Killiney, Dalkey | Long distances, many rooms, garden buildings | A designed network of ceiling access points |
| Apartment | Concrete floors and walls, crowded channels from neighbours | Often one or two well placed access points; mesh where cabling is not allowed |
| Home office in a garden room | Out of reach of the house Wi-Fi | A ducted cable or a wireless bridge to its own access point |
Why extensions cause so much trouble
A typical Dublin extension puts the kitchen, dining and family room at the back of the house, often behind the original rear wall, with a steel beam above and large glazed doors. The router usually stays at the front, where the broadband comes in. Between the two are the old external wall and sometimes a stairwell. That is often enough to leave the room where the family spends most of its time with the weakest signal.
If the extension is still being built, this is the moment to run a cable for an access point in its ceiling. It takes minutes at that stage and saves years of frustration. Our guide to smart home wiring for a Dublin renovation lists the other cables worth adding while the walls are open.
How to choose for your house
- Renting, or no building work planned: a good mesh Wi-Fi kit, placed with the units within clear reach of each other, is usually the best you can do without cables.
- One cable is possible: connect the furthest mesh unit by cable, or fit a single access point there. Either removes the weakest wireless link.
- Renovating or extending: run data cables to the ceilings now and fit wired access points.
- Working from home or running a smart home: plan a wired network, because lighting control, cameras, audio and video calls all lean on it every day.
For how many access points each size of home needs, see our earlier guide, how many Wi-Fi access points a home needs. Building from scratch? Our free Wi-Fi design for self builders marks access point positions on your plans.
What we install in Dublin
We do not push a single brand. As our Wi-Fi and networks page explains, we offer good, better and best options, using routers from DrayTek, Ubiquiti, Cisco and Netgear and access points from Ruckus, Cisco, Ubiquiti UniFi and Netgear, matched to the house and the budget. Every system gets one network name, sensible security, labelled cabling back to a tidy cabinet, and documentation.
A survey or call out is €440 plus VAT covering up to four hours, as on our smart home cost page. After handover, 1Install Care keeps the network monitored and updated, and most issues can be dealt with remotely. We cover every part of Co. Dublin and into Wicklow, Kildare and Meath, and the network can sit at the heart of a wider smart home.
Questions we are often asked
Should I throw away my extenders?
Once you have mesh Wi-Fi or access points, yes. Extenders left plugged in create extra networks and confuse phones and smart devices.
Is mesh Wi-Fi enough for a three bedroom semi?
Often it is, especially if one unit can be wired. Where the kitchen extension is behind thick walls, an access point in its ceiling is the better fix.
Can you use the cables already in my house?
Sometimes. We test existing data cables during the survey, and if they are sound we reuse them for access points.
Will new Wi-Fi make my broadband faster?
It will not raise the speed of the line itself, but it means you get that speed in every room instead of only near the router.
Do you work in apartments?
Yes. We plan around concrete walls and management company rules, and use wireless links where new cables are not allowed.
Tired of a Wi-Fi signal that gives up halfway through the house? We will survey your Dublin home and recommend the simplest setup that reaches every room.
Book a consultation or call our Dublin office on 01 906 9326.
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