Wi-Fi answers
Best mesh for a Victorian house
Which mesh works in a Victorian terrace?
The short answer
Victorian houses are long, narrow, and full of solid internal walls. One box per floor placed near the stairs works better than two boxes at the far ends, and a cable up the stairs beats another node.
Built for exactly this kind of house.
| Kit | Tier | Boxes | Takes a network cable | Rough price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP-Link Deco X50 (3 pack) | DIY | 3 | Yes | around £180–£220 |
| Amazon eero 6+ (3 pack) | DIY | 3 | Yes | around £170–£230 |
| Netgear Orbi RBK763 (3 pack) | DIY | 3 | Yes | around £400–£550 |
| TP-Link Omada ceiling access points | BEST | 3 | Yes | around £90–£140 per point, plus cabling |
| Ubiquiti UniFi U6 access points | BEST | 3 | Yes | around £110–£180 per point, plus cabling |
The short answer
- Victorian houses are long, narrow, and full of solid internal walls. One box per floor placed near the stairs works better than two boxes at the far ends, and a cable up the stairs beats another node.
Try these free fixes first
- Move the router out into the open
- Use one Wi-Fi name for both bands
- Test wired next to the router, then in the difficult room
If you do need kit
- Deco X50 (3 pack) (DIY) — The most forgiving mesh for a normal brick house. One Wi-Fi name, and it takes a network cable if you can run one.
- eero 6+ (3 pack) (DIY) — Easiest set-up of the lot and very stable, but you manage it entirely through the phone app.
- Orbi RBK763 (3 pack) (DIY) — Keeps a private radio link between the boxes, so it holds up better than most when you can't run a cable.
- Omada ceiling access points (BEST) — Proper ceiling-mounted Wi-Fi points fed by network cable — what offices and hotels use, at a home price.
- UniFi U6 access points (BEST) — Very strong, very stable, and shows you exactly what every device is doing — but it needs someone who enjoys settings.
How we choose
- No shop or manufacturer pays to be listed
- A paid link, if we ever add one, will be labelled and kept away from the scores
People also ask
- Do I need to buy anything at all?
- How many boxes will I need?
- Is a wired link really that important?
If you do end up spending money
Only after the free fixes. Nobody pays to appear here, and no shop link changes anything we say.
- TP-Link Deco X50 (3 pack) — around £180–£220 (unsponsored shop link)
- Amazon eero 6+ (3 pack) — around £170–£230 (unsponsored shop link)
- Netgear Orbi RBK763 (3 pack) — around £400–£550 (unsponsored shop link)
- TP-Link Omada ceiling access points — around £90–£140 per point, plus cabling (unsponsored shop link)
- Ubiquiti UniFi U6 access points — around £110–£180 per point, plus cabling (unsponsored shop link)