Bluesound Node2i and wifi frustrations: Mesh!


Much as I've enjoyed the convenience of the Node2i and ability to surf not only my own library but pretty much the world's music, one of the MOST frustrating things for me has been its propensity to lose connectivity. Hardwiring pretty much is a non-starter in this home as the cable and router need to be where they are(upstairs) and the Node2i needs to be where it is(downstairs). And at opposite corners of our home no less. I tried using a wifi extender, and even ugraded that, to no avail. I still would get annoying drop-outs. Pretty darned frustrating when you want to enjoy Friday evening cocktails with the missus and the music suddenly quits. Grrr...
I had upgraded our router a couple months ago from our 6 year old ASUS to a new ASUS RT-AX86U. That helped a but not enough. So yesterday I had a mental lightbulb come on and remembered that the RT-AX86U also supports AiMesh. Amazon to the rescue... I got it last night and just finished setting it up this morning, which was very, very easy. I went ahead and installed the new ASUS RP-AC1900 in my hifi cabinet and ran some Cat5 from it to the Node2i and voila! No more drop outs.
Using the ASUS router admin utility I checked and the signal and it's rock solid. Sounds good too! Placebo? Maybe. Or maybe it's that I'm a much happier camper and not have to worry about when the music is going to quit anymore.
There are plenty of other brands out there that support Mesh technology, ASUS isn't your only option. But from even from just early results, I really recommend looking into upgrading your wifi to Mesh if you're having issues.

Happy listening.
128x128musicfan2349
One idea beside the good one of the Mesh, is to at least run an ethernet cable across the top floor, starting at the router and terminating in an extender which would live one floor above, right above, your Node. That would give you a much better wifi signal downstairs.
Blow $30 and get a WiFI extender and plug it in.
Or do it right and get any mesh, as OP opines. I use TP Link Deco. I tried WiFi from it 6 ft away.
Sucked.
6 ft. Cat5 (I had laying around).
Nirvana.
Turns out having the mesh node in the stereo cabinet is a bad idea with regards to my C-J Premier 6 pre-preamp... It's VERY sensitive to EMI.

So I either need to move the mesh node across the living room and run Cat5 or shut down the node to play vinyl. *facepalm*

Happy listening.
Have you considered using powerline network adaptors? They run ethernet over your house wiring which allows you to put the adaptor outside of the stereo cabinet and then run a CAT cable from it to the Node 2i. Your streamer will think it is hardwired. I've used this in certain situations in the past and never had a problem. It is faster and more stable than wireless. 

@mlsstl 
Thanks for the suggestion. Problem is, now I have the investment in the mesh network... I think my solution of running Cat5 from across the living room has legs though. I can tuck the cable under the quarter round and carpeting and put the node across the room. Will update the thread when I've implemented the fix.
Happy listening.