How many routers?

Firstly, apologies if this has been asked previously. After many years of waiting for FTTP it is now going to be installed in the next couple of weeks by Airband.
Question is do need 1 or 2 routers. I have a basic 3 up 3 down house but would like to be able to use devices in all rooms (but not at the same time) with good speeds.
Does a second router maintain/improve the speeds or maintain/improve coverage in the house at the expense of speeds?
I want to get this right first time! All advice appreciated.

You only need 1 router.

However, what you might need is wireless repeaters or a mesh wireless network if it is wireless speeds you are talking about.

If you can run ethernet cable then you could run ethernet around the building and install some switches to connect the ethernet to.

So, is it wireless coverage you are looking to improve? If so there are a number of solutions out there to do this. I have an Eero 6+ solution that has a central Eero router and then 2 wireless mesh repeaters that extend the wireless coverage around my house. If your router is on the bottom floor you will probably need some sort of wireless solution to get better speeds to other parts of the house. If you were able to locate the router centrally in the house then you might find that it can deliver wireless everywhere without anything added.

In reply to a post by ian72:

However, what you might need is wireless repeaters or a mesh wireless network if it is wireless speeds you are talking about.

If you can run ethernet cable then you could run ethernet around the building and install some switches to connect the ethernet to.

Or: run a few ethernet cables to remote wireless access points - 1 per floor is usually plenty.

That will give you the best wifi coverage, with not very much wiring and probably no need for any additional switches (your ISP-supplied router probably has enough LAN ports). However, a central PoE switch to power the access points can make things neater than separate power injectors.

The advice on this web-site is hugely valuable but I am sure that it is sometimes a bit daunting for newbies who have seen the advice available here but then don't have the level of knowledge of those taking their time to offer the advice.

Perhaps statements like "you only need one router" and "a central POE switch" would be more helpful to the OP if there was a little more explanation about needing only one router because the kit supplied by most ISPs is not just a router but also a modem and access point or that POE is technology that allows Power over Ethernet through cables to the end device.

TLDR: Advice is greatly appreciated but needs to be tailored to the level of the recipient of the advice

There is lots more detail we could give but we need a bit more info from the OP before we can really do that and going into detail is wasted if it is in the wrong direction.

The key here is does the OP want to have good wireless coverage around the house or do they have (or can they run) ethernet cables?

The OP is welcome to come back with more questions, I would rather give a little at a time and respond to specific questions than give a long convoluted answer that could put them off. You may have a different view in which case feel free to chip in with advice.

Agree we need more information around what is required. However I also agree with 1 Router and PoE Access Points, with one or more switches where needed.
That way both WIFI and wired are covered. Forward planning is hugely important in this case, I can't stress than enough.

In reply to a post by ian72:

The key here is does the OP want to have good wireless coverage around the house or do they have (or can they run) ethernet cables?

In which case the reference to PoE is irrelevant at this stage in the discussion but a fair point once we know what the OP wants and PoE can then be explained if cable is the chosen route.

Edited by GonePostal (Thu 26-Sep-24 16:48:24)

You need one router for your broadband connection. You can use one or more additional routers as wifi access points prefereable connected to the broadband connection router by ethernet. You should disable DHCP on these routers and set their IP addresses to be outside the DHCP range of the broadband connection router but in the same subnet. Their used to be instructions about how to do this on this website but alas they have gone.

In which case the reference to PoE is irrelevant at this stage in the discussion but a fair point once we know what the OP wants and PoE can then be explained if cable is the chosen route.

I agree which is why I didn't raise it. OP seems to have gone quiet but without more info it is difficult to give more detailed advice.

OP here. I went quiet during the installation and experience of the new system.Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. In the end I went for the full 900Mbps + 2 routers mainly because I got a good deal on it.
So my questions now derive from the performance that I am achieving.
The Point of Access is upstairs about mid-house with the second router (Wifi) almost directly downstairs (so again mid-house). From the Point of Access to the first router and connected computer is about 2-3 feet. The second computer is downstairs about 10 feet from the second (wifi) router.
The installation engineer said that he had achieved a speed of 880 Mbps and I thought no more about it.
When I came to "use" the system I found the speed disappointingly low at around 100 Mbps. I understand that the routers have to be "trained" and indeed the speed has improved to around 300 Mbps Down and 250 Mbps Up a week after installation. The downstairs computer is showing around 65 Mbps Down and 100 Mbps Up. So, here are my questions.

Would this be considered as normal for a week after installation?
Why would there be such a reduction (880 down to 300) in a matter of a couple of feet?
Could my computer be at fault - it's only 2 years old, Win 11 and fully updated?
Should I really be losing that much speed between Up and Downstairs?
Which speed checker is considered the best - I get wildly different results from different checkers?

I am reluctant to have any more cables so would prefer to stick with Wifi.
I don't "need" 900 Mbps per se but (a) I am paying for it and (b) a considerable improvement Upstairs would help with the Downstairs speed.
As the money back guarantee deadline looms I shall have to go back to the supplier to voice my dissatisfaction but would like to be armed with the thoughts and suggestions of you guys first.
Many appreciations in advance.