How do i pick backhaul vs same band for a mesh wifi setup in plaster walls?

[GregoryZT]

I’m trying to set up a new mesh Wi-Fi system, but I’m stuck on whether to use the dedicated backhaul feature or just let it use the same band as my regular devices. My house has thick plaster walls, and I’m worried about performance dropping in the far rooms if I configure this wrong.

[Brian67]

In my place with thick plaster walls, placement mattered more than I expected. I put one unit up high in the center and spread the others toward the outer rooms. It helped a bit, but the walls still bite.

[AmeliaT]

I tried letting the link between nodes share the same band as devices. It was okay near the main unit, but the far bedroom got congested when the kids started streaming; latency spiked.

[Luke.C]

Do you actually need coverage in every corner, or would a couple of strategic spots do the job and let the rest breathe?

[Richard_L]

I rushed a placement once, threw a satellite into a hallway and forgot to test after a rainstorm. Result: a weak signal by the garage.

[Gary73]

I did a quick speed test in the far room after tweaking placement. It jumped from about 40 Mbps to 70 Mbps on that room, then leveled off.

[Aaron_S]

I drifted off topic for a minute and started thinking about energy stuff, then remembered the basics: keep units off metal, away from microwaves, and avoid stacking on the same shelf.