Ok. You can, of course, buy E3200.
Two meshed access point is kind of missing the point. Any way, you can do that.
You are right about gigabit speeds. Change the coax link to ethernet between your ONT and router. Category 5e cable is enough for 1000Mbps.
Hi Cang,
Thank you for the confirmation.
But could you please explain to me what I'm missing about the mesh access points? Will it not work better than two separate wifi networks that have identical SSIDs and passwords?
Anyone else able to explain it to me also?
Thanks!
It's complicated. When setting up a mesh system between E3200 and G3100, it may require you to turn on SON. Once SON is turned on, older wireless devices will glitch 70% of the time.
E3200's mesh behavior is unknown, at least to me. I am not sure whether E3200 backhauls to G3100 via MoCA when in mesh mode (G3100 acts like an AP controller). Or it operates just like WCB3000N, creating two networks with the same SSIDs, when hardwired. This miss the point of buying it. If it meshes via WiFi, then what's point of a wired extender?
When you say that older wireless devices will glitch 70% of the time with SON turned on, do you mean other routers/access points will glitch 70% of the time? Because I won't be using them; I would just have the G3100 and the E3200. Or, do you mean that an older, e.g., ipad would glitch 70% of the time? If that's what you mean, then that seems like a major flaw that Verizon and other companies would have already taken care of.
Also, it can use ethernet, coax, or wifi forbackhaul to the G3100.
According to:
i) paragraph section 2.0 of the manual: "Note: Using a wired backhaul, the Fios Home Wi-Fi Extender can be placed at a location distant from the Fios Home Router, and positioned for optimum coverage. Using Wi-Fi backhaul, performance can be slower and the distance from the router will be determined by the reach of Wi-Fi from the Fios Home Router, the materials in the home, and neighboring Wi-Fi traffic. Wi-Fi backhaul is an effective and convientient in home Wi-Fi configuration, but based on Wi-Fi interference charastics, does not perform as well as a wired connection.
ii) paragraph/section 4.7 the manual: "You can view a summary of the BHM (backhaul modes: Ethernet, coax and Wi-Fi) status of your Fios Home Wi-Fi Extender".
I feel like either I'm not understanding something about the technology or I'm not understanding something that you are saying.
Based on the facts that: i) I would only need G3100 and E3200, ii) it could be a MoCa 2.5 coax backhaul, and iii) it would operate as a mesh - are there any other concerns you/I should have (other than the fact that its a $200 item)?
Thanks again for all your help with this.
@Oopey wrote:When you say that older wireless devices will glitch 70% of the time with SON turned on, do you mean other routers/access points will glitch 70% of the time? Because I won't be using them; I would just have the G3100 and the E3200. Or, do you mean that an older, e.g., ipad would glitch 70% of the time? If that's what you mean, then that seems like a major flaw that Verizon and other companies would have already taken care of.
I mean an older wireless endpoint device, that is including but not limited to laptops, desktops, portable devices, and printers. When you search the forum, even some modern printers do not support SON with G3100/1100.
You said your devices is not smart enough to choose one stronger signal over a weaker one, then are they smart enough to choose a stronger signaled mesh node than a weaker one? The endpoint device needs to decide which mesh node to send the frames.
From Verizon User Guide and product description for E3200 and G3100, it is unclear the exact mesh behavior for E3200.
You could buy E3200. If you pivot your decision based on the fact it supports SON and meshed WiFi, and, after purchasing, you need to turn off SON to connect with older devices, then you miss the point of spending $200.
Ah, ok.
I hadn't realized that not a lot of devices would be happy with the SON. I thought it might have been Verizon's way of saying "mesh", but apparently not. So instead, I may just look for a mesh wifi system that uses either an ethernet or a coax/MoCa 2.0 or bonded2.0 or 2.5 backhaul.
Anyone have any recommendations?
Thank you both for this thread. I am deciding on something similar and this has been super helpful. I have gigabit with a 3100 centrally located in a single floor large apartment 2000 sf. I think the interference on 2.4ghz is the problem. Also the layout is kind of zigzagged with less clear line of sight without going through exterior walls. Still conflicted between using hard wired moca 2.5 for only the devices I really need (mainly my laptop in the 2 areas I work on each of the far ends of the apartment) or doing a mesh with moca backhaul. Interested in the answer to the last question as well!
The mesh extender compatible with G3100 is E3200, costing $200. It supports MoCA 2.5 backhaul or ethernet backhaul.
Otherwise, you can look into third-party meshed system and disable the wireless radio on the G3100 altogether. This is more costly if you only need two access points in total. Buying third-party meshable access points is only economic when you need two or more extenders, along with G3100, a total of 3 access points.
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