Access Points for Residential use

[nik.96]

Hi im currently looking for 2 access points for my own house. I currently have an unifi AC which is not covering the whole house. I would prefer not to buy another one of those as the unit is playing up and not performing correctly. I need a minimum of wireless N as i have a fibre connection for internet (100/40 mbps).

I would prefer not to buy consumer grade routers as AP as i currently have a PFsense box, so the routing function in a consumer router would be useless.

I was planning to purchase xclaim xi-2, however reading through these forums leads me away from that decision as many users here seem to be unimpressed at their forum only support. What attracted me to xclaim is the simplicity of setting it up and managing. I would prefer not to have to muck around with settings for my home wifi. Although I am confident setting up more complex AP's, i would prefer something easy for home use.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[System Error Message]

xclaim is meant for high density not range. unifi usually focus on range. As an AP you can use consumer routers too.

If you really need range than go for ones with a good radio wifi chip and antennas and the capability to change the antennas and transmit power. For range you dont need such a high transmit power, just 100mW and some good chips and antennas so it can also pick up clients better. Dont use amplifiers. Even though wifi APs can transmit at 1W or more but clients transmit between 50-100mW max and only some clients will transmit up to 1W but are rare and not portables or what you would find in mini devices like tv boxes and such. Usually the 1W or more APs are so you can do wireless bridging since laws between an omni antenna and directional are different.

In 5 Ghz antenna size doesnt really matter.

 

[nik.96]

xclaim is meant for high density not range. unifi usually focus on range. As an AP you can use consumer routers too.

If you really need range than go for ones with a good radio wifi chip and antennas and the capability to change the antennas and transmit power. For range you dont need such a high transmit power, just 100mW and some good chips and antennas so it can also pick up clients better. Dont use amplifiers. Even though wifi APs can transmit at 1W or more but clients transmit between 50-100mW max and only some clients will transmit up to 1W but are rare and not portables or what you would find in mini devices like tv boxes and such. Usually the 1W or more APs are so you can do wireless bridging since laws between an omni antenna and directional are different.

In 5 Ghz antenna size doesnt really matter.

Thanks for your quick reply. Regarding the range, having 2 AP's would EASILY cover my house. Currently my phone has trouble connecting to the wifi when im in the furthest corners of my house (connect at 5mpbs to wifi). I spend most of my time in the study which has low wifi signal. That's why I would like 2 AP's.

 

[System Error Message]

What you should do is reposition your AP and get another AP or 2 based on my suggestion. Qualcomm atheros chips do have better range since they are more sensitive so you just need a good antenna than. If you go for a recent wifi AC router you will also get better wifi throughput even for the older protocols. Always go for newer generation wifi chips.

 

[nik.96]

What you should do is reposition your AP and get another AP or 2 based on my suggestion. Qualcomm atheros chips do have better range since they are more sensitive so you just need a good antenna than. If you go for a recent wifi AC router you will also get better wifi throughput even for the older protocols. Always go for newer generation wifi chips.

If i do get a recent AC router, how will i manage having 2 AP's. If i configure the same SSID I have read there has been issues with clients not automatically connecting to the strongest AP but keeping the connection to the AP their currently connected to.

 

[System Error Message]

You can adjust the roaming aggressiveness of the client. Try different and same SSIDs to see if it makes any difference.

 

[PolarBear]

I have tried both approaches and came to the following conclusion:

1 - When using the same SSID, there is a good chance that client devices will roam seemlessly when moving about the house. (Exact performance depends on the client.)

2 - When using different SSIDs, it is very likely that the user will have to intervene manually when walking about the house.

I chose (1) above since it is more convenient for the user.

 

[Trip]

At $75-80, the EnGenius ECB-350 is one of the best standalone solutions for a reliable AP. It's Atheros based, good electrical design, runs cool, even with the 800mW of power it can crank out of its 5dbi omnis when dialed up. I've done a few dozen of them in various installs and never a phone call from any clients on flaky wifi. Most of the middling reviews you see on them are from consumers complaining that the setup is not as "turnkey" as most of the consumer-class alternatives... go figure. But it's a proven unit whose street price is now at a point where it's almost a no-brainer, IMHO.

 

[nik.96]

At $75-80, the EnGenius ECB-350 is one of the best standalone solutions for a reliable AP. It's Atheros based, good electrical design, runs cool, even with the 800mW of power it can crank out of its 5dbi omnis when dialed up. I've done a few dozen of them in various installs and never a phone call from any clients on flaky wifi. Most of the middling reviews you see on them are from consumers complaining that the setup is not as "turnkey" as most of the consumer-class alternatives... go figure. But it's a proven unit whose street price is now at a point where it's almost a no-brainer, IMHO.

I unfortunately live in Australia where product availability is limited. Engenius products are hard to find here and the model u quoted me would cost me 220 AUD (160USD) here. Ill have to keep looking around. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[System Error Message]

there are many inexpensive APs. A lot of wifi routers or APs like to use atheros. You can try ubiquiti as well. In this case if you only need wifi you can even use TP-Link or similar but just avoid D-Link. It would be much easier to pick out a few APs and list them here for advice on picking out a few.

All you need to look for are
Atheros wifi chipset (they are more sensitive and have better range hence many atheros based wifi routers do freeze a lot). Broadcom chips have better stability though. The more recent the chip the better.
Detachable antennas
Firmware (If it supports tomato or openwrt it helps incase your router keeps freezing but on non consumer like ubiquiti that rarely ever happens). Firmware support (updates/recent) helps but since you're just using it as an AP even tp-link has more than enough features for that.
Some good antennas

wikidevi.com is a good source of specific information such as what chips are used for each router. Some routers rely a lot on the hardware while some routers like mikrotik and the netgear R7000 rely on the software and are able to handle hundreds of clients (limited to ram and CPU) on wifi.

So list some APs or wifi routers that are available to you in your area within your budget that you think fit your needs and we can advise you on which one is best for you. Dont forget to search for antennas too which you would want the metal ones not the plastic ones. Good antennas are more sensitive (higher dBi), have lower resistance, made out of good materials (no wire in plastic cover) and dont use antenna cables. Check to see if the antenna also use the same slot type as the AP you have chosen.

Another thing to consider about range is that placement is important. Placing a wifi AP with a strong signal on the wall at the side of your house basically lets your neighbours also try to easily access your network. Brute forcing and certain vulnerabilities (such as using WPA1 with TKIP + AES) sometimes allow others to access your network from wifi so you dont want wifi to bleed out of your house with a strong signal. Aside from central placements you can also place them in areas where wifi is mostly used since 5 Ghz has poor penetration. If you dont need 360 degree coverage directional antennas are a lot better.

 

[nik.96]

So been shopping around and i have found these 2 devices:

http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Networking_-_Wireless/Routers/49877-Archer_C7

http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Networking_-_Wireless/Routers/55609-Archer_C5

I would prefer to get 2x archer c5's (cheaper). Both of atheros chipsets according to wikidevi. In regards to firmware, ill stick to stock since its been as an AP only.

In terms of antenna's im still shopping around but i did come across this:

https://www.telcoantennas.com.au/site/7dbi-wifi-antenna-sma-rp-removable-base

If i do purchase the archer c5, will i need 1x 2.4 ghz antennta and 1x 5 ghz antenna. (Note i belive the picture of archer c5 is incorrect in the link above. I belive it has 2 antenna's not 3)

http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/cat-9_Archer-C5.html#overview

 

[L&LD]

If you're getting 2x AP's I don't think additional antennae are necessary. More like a waste of money and effort, imo.

Just use the antennae that the units ship with. They will be the best match for the underlying hardware.

 

[System Error Message]

well the C5 should do fine and if you find that you need extra coverage than get better antennas. Unlike what you think both the 2.4 Ghz and 5Ghz actually share the same antennas. Take the AC3200 for example that has 6 antennas and 2 5Ghz radios. Each 5Ghz radio uses 3 antennas (3 channels) and 2.4 Ghz shares 1 set of 3 antennas.
If the C5 uses 2 channels than it would have 2 antennas that are both shared by 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. Some though dual channel will use 3 antennas. 2.4Ghz already has better range than 5Ghz but if you did get a better antenna that is bigger it will also improve 5Ghz if it had better materials and sensitivity although it is best not to get a huge antenna.

 

[nik.96]

So been using the 2x C5's for a couple of days now. Range has been perfect and has solved all my previous wifi issues, however im now getting issues with clients jumping between the AP's. How do i adjust client roaming aggressiveness? While monitoring my phone when switching between AP's it hangs for upto 60 seconds trying to obtain an IP address i believe. It currently has a static DHCP address/

 

[ndrp]

So been using the 2x C5's for a couple of days now. Range has been perfect and has solved all my previous wifi issues, however im now getting issues with clients jumping between the AP's. How do i adjust client roaming aggressiveness? While monitoring my phone when switching between AP's it hangs for upto 60 seconds trying to obtain an IP address i believe. It currently has a static DHCP address/

Have you connected your C5 by using WAN port or LAN port?

Your C5 should be configured like this http://www.tp-link.com/en/faq-417.html .

 

[nik.96]

Have you connected your C5 by using WAN port or LAN port?

Your C5 should be configured like this http://www.tp-link.com/en/faq-417.html .

yea not using wan ports only lan. read all those guides while setting up.