Networking

Fran's WiFi has suddenly stopped working in her MacBook. She can connect to her Airport Extreme in network settings, but her internet connection doesn't work via WiFi. It works via Ethernet, and all her other devices work fine. Leo says that if she's getting strong signal strength, it means the laptop just isn't connecting. What may be happening is that the router isn't giving her computer an IP address, and as such, the OS then assigns a local network address (usually starting with 169). 

Paul is upgrading his eero mesh router in favor of either the Pro 6 or 6 series. Thoughts? Leo says that the difference is that the Pro 6 is tri-band, while the regular 6 is dual-band. So the Pro 6 gives you a second 5 GHz band. If you use a lot of devices, that can be beneficial. The 6e, though, is on the horizon, and that will give you a fourth band. So a new series 6 may be 6e capable, though it may not be turned on. So it could be worth it to wait until after CES if you can. 

Victoria wants to know about WiFi extenders. Leo says that WiFi extenders help give better coverage in the home. WiFi doesn't travel well through walls and people. So the best way to improve WiFi is to place a router up higher in the house. Like on a shelf. It's also a good idea to use a router that is dual-band. Let smart devices use the 2.4 band, while you use the 5.0 band. A Mesh WiFi router will also help solve the problem because users can add satellites that can expand a mesh network and improve the coverage.

Charles wants to know if he should upgrade to a WiFi 6 mesh router. Leo says if you want to future proof, it may be a good idea, but he won't get more than 10% better performance. And it's not so much the devices are faster, but that WiFi 6 networks are better at managing all the devices that can connect to the network. Up to 73 of them. And most of the devices aren't WiFi 6 compatible. And WiFi 6e is coming quickly, followed by WiFi 7. So it's OK to skip a generation.