Mini whole home discs VS standard Whole home discs

[nigelthepelican]

Hi - Need some help / advice please ! I was toying with the idea of the whole home discs but have just received an email about the new "mini" whole home discs. Does anyone know if there is any material difference between the two offerings (apart from the mini-discs being £30 cheaper ? (Before anyone suggests it .... I don't want to subscribe to complete wifi...) Thanks in advance.

[albertj]

Hi @nigelthepelican 

Welcome to the Community!

You can view this page: https://shop.bt.com/mini-sites/whole-home-wi-fi/ which shows a fairly simplistic comparison.

But it is basically:

1. Slower WiFi Speed (1200 v 2600) both are still dual-band, obviously. 
2. The Mini is perfect for 'fewer users'
3. Different level of App Controls

[nigelthepelican]

Thanks - thats a useful comparison which I must have missed... I suppose the next question is - does it work and will it make a material difference between the various options (2 teenagers, 2 xboxes, 4 phones, 4 laptops and a few other things on wireless!) - ot should I go for a different MESH solution from one of the more standard hardware providers ?

[albertj]

I haven't used the Minis, but the Whole Home does a great job. I have cheap routers in my house with over 20 devices connected with two teenagers, Xbox and phones like you say, and have no problem with Wi-Fi.

Personally, I would go with the Mini's. Saying that though the price jump to the standard (£30) is not as great as it is to the Premium Whole Home. I have seen a few issues with the app (mainly with over 4-5 devices) for these devices on this forum, but a new update was just released so I am hoping this would fix it.

Couldn't say about other Mesh Systems, but I think the BT one is great and affordable.

[lnajr02]

Hi, I Hope the following will help:
The three versions of Whole Home Wi-Fi BT have been developed around the 3 chipsets AC1200, AC2700, (Dual-Band Wireless technology) and Premium has Tri-Band technology to support the backhaul between discs.
The performance is really all about speed and your house type, the more walls and floors you have the more effect it will have on the Wi-Fi and the speeds you can achieve between rooms.
I have a three bed home built in 1998 and we use the BT Whole Home Wi-Fi, (Pack of 3) this can support 36 devices per disc, a disc being a device also. Speed is good and I can reach the garden and I also love the network access control via the App. and how you switch between discs.
The Whole Home Mini, has a lesser power so you may require more discs to cover the same area. It depends on the speed you get from your internet provider, if you only get low speeds then it’s more about range.
The Mini will have fewer controls than the original, but I am sure that will change as the app and firmware is developed.
I would wait for some professional reviews to be published before you make any purchase.