We have been having issues with our internet randomly for a few weeks, but it seemed to correlate with changes I had made so I haven’t been able to pinpoint the issue.

Today it seemed worse than ever, and now it was interfering with my ability to keep myself entertained enough to focus on work. Something needed to change.

Investigation

Before today I was worried it was the Cable Modem, and have already taken steps like adding better fans and a temp sensor. I also moved the way the coax cable sits and enters the cupboard so it no longer had any major bends in it just in case.

It hit me that I have read about others with this generation of Google Wifi having similar issues and needing to factory reset the device to solve, so let’s test them both and be sure.

Testing

For testing the Google Wifi I dug out the cell modem I use for camping and hooked that up to the WAN side of the Google Wifi. It is only a 4G modem, but hopefully it will still be obvious there is an issue. I didn’t verify what speed I should get without the modem but it didn’t matter as my internet experience was the same.

The modem was tested by hooking directly to my work laptop and running and speed test - I saw speeds we haven’t seen in weeks. I appear to have found my culprit, and because the Google Wifi has already given me trouble with limited features - I want to replace it.

Research and Development

Being that my initial criteria is something I can have here today, I searched Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target with the query “wifi router” to see what the landscape is like. I’m partial to Netgear products but it looks like TP-Link has taken over the budget home router space. I settled on the AX4400 because it was on sale, in my budget, and across the street at target.

I hopped in the car during my lunch break and ran over to Target thinking it would be a quick and easy trip, but when I didn’t immediately find the router section and there were staff floating in the tech section - anxiety kicked in. I found a kiosk and confirmed the aisle number but it was out of date, I made a few more passes in the tech section and even home and office.

I thought about giving up and trying again somewhere else but that felt crazy so I headed back to the tech section again and of course the routers were in the last place I checked right by the checkout counter. Yay! Except i’m immediately asked if I need help and almost panic grab the wrong router.

After successful acquisition of the device, the only thing in my way was possibly someone asking to check my receipt but I persevered and survived my sojourn to the car.

TP-Link AX4400 Setup

The first thing I noticed is this device takes an extraordinary amount of time to boot. I’ve grown accustom to timing the power on of the modem and router to reach a working state around the same time, it feels like this device takes 3-4 times as long as the Google Wifi.

Basic setup was very straightforward, it has to set a new local admin password first and then runs you through a setup wizard. I changed the LAN network to match, set the DHCP scope to exclude my devices, and set the SSIDs and PSKs to match my current network. I also signed in with my TP-Link ID so I could check out the mobile app.

Installation

I waited until late at night to do the final install, moving power to the UPS and mounting the router somewhere that looked nice. The router is too wide to put sideways in the cupboard so I think putting it upside down mounted to the shelf above is best.

I removed the shelf from the bookcase and measured out where the mounting holes needed to be, trying to center the router directly above the modem. I pulled out my case of random hardware and found two screws that had the right head for the mount and the right length to not poke through.

I was able to reinstall the shelf back in the original lower position now that the server hardware is swapped out. Finally I moved all switch uplinks to the new router since it has 4 LAN ports, and moved the power brick to the UPS.

I’m happy with how it fits, and so far how it works. Project Complete!

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