Weapons-grade home WiFi suggestions
Discussion
dmsims said:
Number of devices is pretty irrelevant (I have a lot more than that) but it depends what they are doing 
Do you know much of the upload you are using ?
It's hard to tell as I only get a cumulative total, but it runs into several Gb a day, some days 8 or 9 (I can do a lot for work!) Do you know much of the upload you are using ?
FunkyGibbon said:
The only downside to the Zenwifi AX is that currently you can only have 2 nodes in the mesh. As it stands if you needed additional nodes you cannot, though this will likely change with firmware updates.
The AC86U or AC68U would be good partners to the ROG in AIMesh mode.
I think if I position them correctly, I can get away with it. The AC86U or AC68U would be good partners to the ROG in AIMesh mode.
I've currently got a Ubiquiti UAP AC Lite, mounted in the center of the house. This has been fine for 3 years, but my wife, not content with video conferencing from an ethernet port, wants to do so over wifi, and has deliberately (possibly) chosen the place with the most number of walls between her and the AP. Signal strength is decent-ish, but dropouts occur.
The obvious thing to do would be to add another AP - I can add one that is LoS to her from the ethernet port she was using, or I can add one directly under the floor, in the basement. Or both.
I'd have to flatten and readopt the current AP, which would be a faff, but not hugely so. This also prohibits me from changing the channel on the current AP for trouble shooting, so throwing (some) money at the issue and adding a new AP would actually be the solution involving the least downtime.
Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
I've a decent modem and separate router, and don't want to replace them - I just want 2 or more APs that connect via ethernet with poe back to the router and mesh together.
I could alternately have his and hers wifi, but I don't fancy supporting that.....
The obvious thing to do would be to add another AP - I can add one that is LoS to her from the ethernet port she was using, or I can add one directly under the floor, in the basement. Or both.
I'd have to flatten and readopt the current AP, which would be a faff, but not hugely so. This also prohibits me from changing the channel on the current AP for trouble shooting, so throwing (some) money at the issue and adding a new AP would actually be the solution involving the least downtime.
Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
I've a decent modem and separate router, and don't want to replace them - I just want 2 or more APs that connect via ethernet with poe back to the router and mesh together.
I could alternately have his and hers wifi, but I don't fancy supporting that.....
Some reading online, and of this thread later, and I'm drawn to the TP-Link M4/M5/S4.
M5 offers slightly more 5GHz throughput? How about the M4/S4? I prefer the look of the S4....
None of them offer PoE which I can live with, as the one device I'd like to PoE is un-obstrusive enough that if I can't run power to it, I can inject it and have a splitter if needed.
But I really don't want to run one unless it's essentially an AP network that uses my current router. Any one running this way?
M5 offers slightly more 5GHz throughput? How about the M4/S4? I prefer the look of the S4....
None of them offer PoE which I can live with, as the one device I'd like to PoE is un-obstrusive enough that if I can't run power to it, I can inject it and have a splitter if needed.
But I really don't want to run one unless it's essentially an AP network that uses my current router. Any one running this way?
Edited by jimmyjimjim on Wednesday 10th February 05:54
jimmyjimjim said:
I'd have to flatten and readopt the current AP, which would be a faff, but not hugely so. This also prohibits me from changing the channel on the current AP for trouble shooting, so throwing (some) money at the issue and adding a new AP would actually be the solution involving the least downtime.
Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
I'm missing why you'd flatten and readopt?Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
Personally I'd buy another Lite (I've just swapped a Lite to a 6 Lite, and I regret it), and mount it LoS to her. Seems little point going up spec if you're already nearly there.
Ceiling mounted APs are less prone to "stuff" such as furniture, human bodies etc getting in the way than low down ones, so I'd avoid the basement option.
The router doesn't have wifi such you could move the Lite towards her and fill in the resulting gap with the router wifi?
jimmyjimjim said:
I've currently got a Ubiquiti UAP AC Lite, mounted in the center of the house. This has been fine for 3 years, but my wife, not content with video conferencing from an ethernet port, wants to do so over wifi, and has deliberately (possibly) chosen the place with the most number of walls between her and the AP. Signal strength is decent-ish, but dropouts occur.
The obvious thing to do would be to add another AP - I can add one that is LoS to her from the ethernet port she was using, or I can add one directly under the floor, in the basement. Or both.
I'd have to flatten and readopt the current AP, which would be a faff, but not hugely so. This also prohibits me from changing the channel on the current AP for trouble shooting, so throwing (some) money at the issue and adding a new AP would actually be the solution involving the least downtime.
Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
I've a decent modem and separate router, and don't want to replace them - I just want 2 or more APs that connect via ethernet with poe back to the router and mesh together.
I could alternately have his and hers wifi, but I don't fancy supporting that.....
Have a look at the unifi “in wall” units. I changed an Ethernet socket for one in order to improve WiFi in part of the house (also gives a couple of wired ports there too) and it’s turned out to be a really good solution for dead zones where there are existing wires. The obvious thing to do would be to add another AP - I can add one that is LoS to her from the ethernet port she was using, or I can add one directly under the floor, in the basement. Or both.
I'd have to flatten and readopt the current AP, which would be a faff, but not hugely so. This also prohibits me from changing the channel on the current AP for trouble shooting, so throwing (some) money at the issue and adding a new AP would actually be the solution involving the least downtime.
Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
I've a decent modem and separate router, and don't want to replace them - I just want 2 or more APs that connect via ethernet with poe back to the router and mesh together.
I could alternately have his and hers wifi, but I don't fancy supporting that.....
LooneyTunes said:
Have a look at the unifi “in wall” units. I changed an Ethernet socket for one in order to improve WiFi in part of the house (also gives a couple of wired ports there too) and it’s turned out to be a really good solution for dead zones where there are existing wires.
+1 on this. I needed to add some coverage to a dead spot in the house which had an ethernet drop so added an Inwall HD. Looks unobtrusive, with some fiddling fits on a UK back box and has the bonus of also being a 4 port switch with a POE port. Just make sure you get the HD version not the older one as I believe that's end of life now...Do not buy a Netgear Orbi RBK I bought a system last year (£300 ish) - it is terrible. I have 2 satellites and it constantly drops out and can be painfully slow if it is not regularly rebooted.
When using WiFi on Windows PC, I found that I needed to manually reset the Wifi adapter via Device Manager after each dropout (Macs & google devices are fine but Windows appears to be s
t). I ended up running a cable between the BT hub and the PC which works fine.
When using WiFi on Windows PC, I found that I needed to manually reset the Wifi adapter via Device Manager after each dropout (Macs & google devices are fine but Windows appears to be s
t). I ended up running a cable between the BT hub and the PC which works fine.In my experience Orbi systems are can be temperamental about the placement of the satellites.
Me and my husband spend most of the day on videoconference calls using Windows machines connected via Orbi and it's solid as a rock. Every square inch of our house gets the wifi speed we pay for from Virgin (100/10) using one base and two sats.
Me and my husband spend most of the day on videoconference calls using Windows machines connected via Orbi and it's solid as a rock. Every square inch of our house gets the wifi speed we pay for from Virgin (100/10) using one base and two sats.
For a £300 system I would have expect something more "Weapons Grade" that "Blue Peter Grade"....
Running a Windows machine in the room next door to the main hub (stud wall) and it constantly drops using Wifi - I tried upgrading the Wifi PCI card but it was just as bad, a fixed cable and it works fine, this shows the issue is WiFi... With Windows the Network adapter seems to require a manual reset to fix it after a drop out which my Macs do not...
Using a MacBook in the same room as the Orbi and it will also drop out, with a cable it is fine.
The bigger issue is elsewhere in the house - I have a satellite in the utility room which is supposed to supply WiFi to the garage and an outdoor Nest Camera (positioned 1.5m from the satellite through a wall) - and it often drops out. The satellite is downstairs and through 2 stud walls from the hub, which according to the info should not be a problem...
I may try adding a wired backhaul to the satellite; in the longer term I can see it will be in a landfill by the end of the year....
Running a Windows machine in the room next door to the main hub (stud wall) and it constantly drops using Wifi - I tried upgrading the Wifi PCI card but it was just as bad, a fixed cable and it works fine, this shows the issue is WiFi... With Windows the Network adapter seems to require a manual reset to fix it after a drop out which my Macs do not...
Using a MacBook in the same room as the Orbi and it will also drop out, with a cable it is fine.
The bigger issue is elsewhere in the house - I have a satellite in the utility room which is supposed to supply WiFi to the garage and an outdoor Nest Camera (positioned 1.5m from the satellite through a wall) - and it often drops out. The satellite is downstairs and through 2 stud walls from the hub, which according to the info should not be a problem...
I may try adding a wired backhaul to the satellite; in the longer term I can see it will be in a landfill by the end of the year....
jimmyjimjim said:
I've currently got a Ubiquiti UAP AC Lite, mounted in the center of the house. This has been fine for 3 years, but my wife, not content with video conferencing from an ethernet port, wants to do so over wifi, and has deliberately (possibly) chosen the place with the most number of walls between her and the AP. Signal strength is decent-ish, but dropouts occur.
The obvious thing to do would be to add another AP - I can add one that is LoS to her from the ethernet port she was using, or I can add one directly under the floor, in the basement. Or both.
I'd have to flatten and readopt the current AP, which would be a faff, but not hugely so. This also prohibits me from changing the channel on the current AP for trouble shooting, so throwing (some) money at the issue and adding a new AP would actually be the solution involving the least downtime.
Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
I've a decent modem and separate router, and don't want to replace them - I just want 2 or more APs that connect via ethernet with poe back to the router and mesh together.
I could alternately have his and hers wifi, but I don't fancy supporting that.....
AC Lites (and presumably the others) will mesh, that's what mine do. Some combination of the Allow Meshing to and Allow Meshing from settingsThe obvious thing to do would be to add another AP - I can add one that is LoS to her from the ethernet port she was using, or I can add one directly under the floor, in the basement. Or both.
I'd have to flatten and readopt the current AP, which would be a faff, but not hugely so. This also prohibits me from changing the channel on the current AP for trouble shooting, so throwing (some) money at the issue and adding a new AP would actually be the solution involving the least downtime.
Before I blindly go and buy a UAP AC LR or Pro (which I've no objection to), what other suggestions does any one have?
I've a decent modem and separate router, and don't want to replace them - I just want 2 or more APs that connect via ethernet with poe back to the router and mesh together.
I could alternately have his and hers wifi, but I don't fancy supporting that.....
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002262328...
The one I have in the study only has a wireless link to the base and has a switch hanging off its ethernet port with wired devices on it. Not strictly supported by Unifi but it works just fine.
As previously mentioned earlier in the thread I would be running ethernet to various parts of the property and using small lower powered access points.
The reason for this is that mobile devices don't roam between access points. If a mobile device can still talk to the access point near your front door it will not switch to the access point you are sat next to in your garden shed.
We use Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi access points that (like a lot of high-end AP's) tell the clients to move to a better AP, guess what that doesn't work either.
We have tested around 20 to 30 devices from Redmi mobiles, Samsung galaxies, Apple iPhones, HP laptops, Lenovo laptops etc and not one of the roamed to better access point unless you turned off their Wi-Fi and back on again.
This was tested in several buildings using Meraki and Zyxel Wi-Fi AP's.
Meshing Wi-Fi used to course a drop in throughput, not sure if it is an issue today.
Remember when looking at 2.4ghz Wi-Fi there are only 3 non-overlap channels 1,6 and 12 so manually set each AP accordingly.
Don't use DFS channels on 5 Ghz if you leave near an airport, the AP should detect radar and re-channel (not good if you are on a Zoom video at the time)
The reason for this is that mobile devices don't roam between access points. If a mobile device can still talk to the access point near your front door it will not switch to the access point you are sat next to in your garden shed.
We use Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi access points that (like a lot of high-end AP's) tell the clients to move to a better AP, guess what that doesn't work either.
We have tested around 20 to 30 devices from Redmi mobiles, Samsung galaxies, Apple iPhones, HP laptops, Lenovo laptops etc and not one of the roamed to better access point unless you turned off their Wi-Fi and back on again.
This was tested in several buildings using Meraki and Zyxel Wi-Fi AP's.
Meshing Wi-Fi used to course a drop in throughput, not sure if it is an issue today.
Remember when looking at 2.4ghz Wi-Fi there are only 3 non-overlap channels 1,6 and 12 so manually set each AP accordingly.
Don't use DFS channels on 5 Ghz if you leave near an airport, the AP should detect radar and re-channel (not good if you are on a Zoom video at the time)
Worth checking if your access points have any kind of roaming assist, these will help prevent devices hanging onto a specific access point, if you take the effort to do a Wifi survey and can tweak the settings of at what signal strength a device should be kicked off, you can get very good results.
You can achieve a similar effect from reducing transmission power, but I still found many devices will hold a weak signal for far too long for this to be as effective.
You can achieve a similar effect from reducing transmission power, but I still found many devices will hold a weak signal for far too long for this to be as effective.
xeny said:
I'm missing why you'd flatten and readopt?
Personally I'd buy another Lite (I've just swapped a Lite to a 6 Lite, and I regret it), and mount it LoS to her. Seems little point going up spec if you're already nearly there.
Ceiling mounted APs are less prone to "stuff" such as furniture, human bodies etc getting in the way than low down ones, so I'd avoid the basement option.
The router doesn't have wifi such you could move the Lite towards her and fill in the resulting gap with the router wifi?
Because the unifi install is elderly, doesn't have a cloud key, and efforts last night with newer controller software to administer it, couldn't even find it. I've got the credentials, and was actually downloading the unifi app via the Lite, but could it find it, could it buggery. So it's either some convoluted pissing around ( which I'll try today) or give up and start from scratch.Personally I'd buy another Lite (I've just swapped a Lite to a 6 Lite, and I regret it), and mount it LoS to her. Seems little point going up spec if you're already nearly there.
Ceiling mounted APs are less prone to "stuff" such as furniture, human bodies etc getting in the way than low down ones, so I'd avoid the basement option.
The router doesn't have wifi such you could move the Lite towards her and fill in the resulting gap with the router wifi?
The TP-Link option appeals as I'll be getting 3 units (of lower quality, sure) for the cost of another Unifi AP, without the faff of unifi.
The ceiling mount option is not viable - another reason why 3 units might work better than 2 'better' ones.
LooneyTunes said:
Have a look at the unifi “in wall” units. I changed an Ethernet socket for one in order to improve WiFi in part of the house (also gives a couple of wired ports there too) and it’s turned out to be a really good solution for dead zones where there are existing wires.
Naturally she's chosen the one area of the house that wouldn't really work. The ethernet port in the general area is going to be behind a lot of blocks; TV, etc. Better to use it to cable upwards and place a device on a shelf at head height. Which leads towards a home device that fits the environment- and allows some movement for better placement.Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff