My modem/router is upstairs/second floor….my rs130 is in the basement directly below router——was thinking of running a cat 6 Ethernet down through the wall 30 feet to the rs130—-but local tech shop suggested a Wi-Fi mesh system where a unit is plugged into main router, and locating a hub in basement——they said I could connect Ethernet cable and it would be just like a direct Ethernet connection. Does anyone have any insight to this, and is the connection as solid as a direct Ethernet cable to modem?
I have exactly this setup with a Netgear ORBI 852 set (Router & one Satellite), works like a charm. My wireless throughput between Router and Satellite is rock stable and extremely fast (around 60 - 80 MB/sec, Megabyte not Megabit!). Plenty of bandwidth, so - yes, it will work like wired connection.
Yes, it operates as recommended. I am using ASUS mesh network, a total of 7 nodes, one of which is located next to my hifi rig, connecting the node with RJ45 ethernet to the RS130. No connection problems and no packet loss.
Thank you for your insight! It seemed counterintuitive to me that with Wi-Fi between nodes, you could still have Ethernet……
Thank you for your insight! It seemed counterintuitive to me that with Wi-Fi still between nodes, I could still have ‘wired’ Ethernet connection….
Well, you don’t have Ethernet, you still have WiFi between the router and the satellite, even if there is an Ethernet cable plugged into the device (so it does not know any better).
Good mesh systems have a dedicated backhaul link for satellites though, so it does tend to work better than trying to catch shared WiFI channel.
Ethernet cable would still be more reliable, theoretically, but the tech shop does not get to make a sale of an expensive mesh system 
If your house is built like most American houses, dropping a cable straight down will be much cheaper than getting a new good mesh system. And you could use the cable as a wired backhaul if you decide you want to bring the mesh to the basement in the future.
Hi Boris—Thanks for confirming for me……MUCH Appreciated! Looks like it will be a 30 foot Ethernet cable straight down the inside of wall to basement…
. Any suggestions on type of cable…cat 5, 6, other?
You’re welcome!
You’ll probably want Cat6a cable. At your distance it is good for 10Gb speed.
You could get away with Cat5e which should be OK for 2.5Gb at your length, but might as well future-proof it a bit, and price difference for 30 feet is not terrible. Since you’re running it inside the wall, I presume, get something rated for that.
Just make sure that the cable is actually certified for its category rating (many “audiophile” cables advertise either non-existent but allegedly better categories like Cat6e, or completely non-existent configurations like a “Cat7” cable with regular Ethernet RJ jacks, which does not exist at all). Something like Blue Jeans or even Monoprice should be perfectly fine. With a Blue Jeans ones you will get a test report for your very on cable showing that it matches category specs over entire length.