Why My Old Router Had to Go: Upgrading to Mesh WiFi with Network-Wide Ad Blocking
When I chose to set up my homelab, I encountered a huge road block: my computer had to remain in my bedroom, where I could only get 250-300 Mbps speeds. My before method used my PC as a WiFi peer-to-peer connection to share internet with my homelab equipment that was connected via Ethernet, however this configuration was locked into using that specific PC. I knew I needed to find a technique to increase both my upload and download speeds throughout the entire setup.
First Attempt: Powerline Adapters
My initial solution was to try powerline adapters, but this quickly proved unsuccessful due to the way my house was wired. The electrical circuits weren't configured in a way that allowed for reliable data transmission between rooms. Your powerlines need to be connected on the same circuit of your house to work and will still vary in speeding due to interference.
The Solution: WiFi Mesh Network
After the powerline failure, I turned to a WiFi mesh system—and spoiler alert: it worked far better than I expected.
What is a WiFi Mesh Network?
A WiFi mesh network consists of multiple interconnected nodes that work together to provide seamless wireless coverage throughout your home. Unlike traditional WiFi extenders that can create dead zones and speed drops, mesh systems maintain consistent performance by intelligently routing traffic through the best available path.
My Setup Configuration
My mesh network spans three key locations:
- Basement (primary node)
- Living room (secondary node)
- Bedroom (final node where my homelab resides)
The mesh system completely replaced my existing router functionality, effectively turning my Xfinity provided modem/router into just a modem.
Additional Benefits: Custom DNS with Pi-hole
Beyond speed improvements, switching from Xfinity's router to the mesh system gave me another crucial advantage: the ability to use custom DNS settings. Xfinity's equipment doesn't allow you to change DNS servers, but my mesh router lets me point all network traffic through my Pi-hole machine.
What is Pi-hole?
Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker that can run on any computer, including my home lab. It functions as a DNS sinkhole, blocking advertisements, trackers, and dangerous domains before they reach your devices. Instead of banning advertisements on individual devices, Pi-hole secures your entire network by filtering DNS requests at the router level.
Results
The improvement was dramatic—I now consistently get over 600 Mbps download speeds and 40 Mbps upload speeds in my bedroom, more than doubling my original performance. Additionally, my entire home network now benefits from network-wide ad blocking and enhanced privacy through my Pi-hole setup.
This upgrade not only solved my immediate homelab connectivity issues but also improved the overall network experience throughout my entire home with better speeds, ad blocking, and greater control over my network configuration.