1900 AC, switch, 2 access points, looking for ease of setup and use

[CD2]

I’ve been reading SNB for about a year and enjoying the reviews.

It’s time to replace the D-link N router. Our wifi bandwidth needs are not huge and our devices are at most dual-band AC, so 1900 dual-band AC seems about right. I don't need printer or NAS capacities.

For coverage I’ll also need a switch and a couple of AC dual-band access points, all to be connected by ethernet. So four devices in total.

Here’s my question. There’s roughly equivalent gear from several major brands and I can afford what it costs. What I most want is a set of devices likely to be robust, unfiddly, easy to set up, and unlikely to require hours on the phone with tech support.

This may be mainly a brand-reputation question. In any case, if the criterion is not bleeding-edge performance but least-likely-to-give-trouble, where would you steer me?

 

[L&LD]

You haven't given enough information.

What coverage area in SqFt is needed? How many floors/levels? What type of building materials does the building use? Which D-Link router model do you have now? Where is it located relative to the coverage area? Can you provide a diagram showing location layout, device location(s)?

Have you considered moving the main router to a central location? (I would not recommend 'jumping' into multi AP setups until you have exhausted other options first).

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/sh...-go-with-the-rt-ac1900p-v3.34748/#post-281391


The link shows how a single router handles a very large multi level home and at a less than optimal location too.

Limiting yourself to AC1900 class + AP's is not only increasing the complexity of your network (possibly needlessly), but more than likely you are limiting the performance possible too (even with your current clients).

 

[pete y testing]

This may be mainly a brand-reputation question. In any case, if the criterion is not bleeding-edge performance but least-likely-to-give-trouble, where would you steer me?

i will give you a suggestion based on what you have posted and thats ubiquiti

start with a ubiauiti edge router and a switch with POE and for the access points some of the ubiquiti unifi ap's in AC , the ac lite ones sound about right for what you need

the edge router doesnt have wifi onboard so you might need a third AP depending on coverage

ubiquiti stuff works and works well is pretty easy to setup

pete

 

[CD2]

You haven't given enough information.

What coverage area in SqFt is needed? How many floors/levels? What type of building materials does the building use? Which D-Link router model do you have now? Where is it located relative to the coverage area? Can you provide a diagram showing location layout, device location(s)?

Have you considered moving the main router to a central location? (I would not recommend 'jumping' into multi AP setups until you have exhausted other options first).

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/sh...-go-with-the-rt-ac1900p-v3.34748/#post-281391


The link shows how a single router handles a very large multi level home and at a less than optimal location too.

Limiting yourself to AC1900 class + AP's is not only increasing the complexity of your network (possibly needlessly), but more than likely you are limiting the performance possible too (even with your current clients).

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I appreciate your implied point that I should see what coverage a new router provides before getting too many access points.

But part of what I need to service is a separate building some distance from the house, and I expect at least one more need for coverage some distance away.

In any case, this really was not intended to be an open-ended question about how to cover a particular area, which is why I am not burdening you all with house details. So if it's OK, I'd prefer to take it as given, for purposes of this thread, that I really will need a wireless router plus two dual-band access points, and stick with my original question about who is likely to sell me an easy-to-manage set of boxes to do that.

 

[pete y testing]

and stick with my original question about who is likely to sell me an easy-to-manage set of boxes to do that.

see my post above , ubiquiti is your answer

 

[CD2]

Thanks! I've started to do the reading and Ubiquiti looks really interesting.

 

[CD2]

Just wanted to report on results. I got an Edgerouter Lite plus an Edgeswitch 8 and two AC lite APs and I've been very happy with the results. Being able to put the APs where I want them has been key for coverage. Once up and running it has been solid. For (my very basic SOHO) setup I just used the GUIs and wizards and a few youtubes -- the Crosstalk Solutions videos are especially helpful. Forum archives held clues when things got weird. Thanks to those who engaged my OP.