Advice Needed for WAP's in Large Home

[ericnix]

Can someone recommend a good WAP (Cisco, Aruba, etc.) that is 802.11ac compatible, at least 1 Gbps, PoE and ideally wave 2 compatible? I also need 802.11 b/g/n support as well for some legacy devices. My installation info is listed below.

I'm confused as to what controller I would need to operate 4-5 WAP's or if I would need a controller at all. Ideally I would like to be able to have zero-handoff type functionality if possible as we FaceTime with family a lot and move around the house chasing our two year old.

Because of the layout of my home and the limited 5 GHz range, I've installed multiple Cisco WAP371's around my home. There is one in my office (3rd floor), master bedroom (3rd floor), living room entertainment cabinet (2nd floor), and basement. I previously was using Ubiquiti UAP-AC's, but these had very poor signal strength and I ditched them for the Cisco's.

These aren't ideal placement and were only done for convenience due to easy access to switches already part of my network. I have CAT6 cables run to my office (2), master bedroom, media room, living room, and finished area of the basement.

I am about to run additional CAT6 cables to the attic for ceiling and wall mounting WAP's for better coverage. I would like to move the office unit to the catwalk, master bedroom unit to the master closet (to cover the bedroom and the garage underneath the closet -- I need this for ADT access to disarm the security alarm remotely at night because my wife sets it to stay no delay, so the alarm sounds as soon as you open the door). I would also like to move the living room unit out of the entertainment cabinet and into the sitting area or near the kitchen.

I've decided to wait on wave 2 devices before actually mounting these because I don't want to be repairing holes in the sheetrock when I later decide to upgrade (probably later this year).

 

[Trip]

Hi eric - I'll just start off by saying it appears you're quite a bit further ahead on technical requirements/prowess than the bulk of forum-goers here, which may limit the quality of feedback you get... nevertheless, here 'goes...

As you know, pickings are somewhat slim for legit wave 2 stuff. If you're willing to settle for 3x3 MIMO AC (pre-wave 2) your options open up considerably and you can still be in the 1-1.5Gps theoretical max (real-life I'm sure will be much lower)... Otherwise, if we're sticking to 4x4 MU-MIMO wave 2, first up are the consumer all-in-ones, and I'm sure I'll ruffle some feathers here, but forget those, they most likely won't live up to your expectations. Moving to enterprise, you'll probably need to move away from Cisco if you want to make a purchase in 2015; I don't see anything in their pipeline, at least from briefly searching around. Other options would be the Ruckus R710 (supposedly first to market?) or Aruba 320. If you're comfortable with Cisco and don't need to make a leap just yet, perhaps it's worth waiting for their offering, if you can get by.

Hope some of that helps.

 

[L&LD]

Can someone recommend a good WAP (Cisco, Aruba, etc.) that is 802.11ac compatible, at least 1 Gbps, PoE and ideally wave 2 compatible? I also need 802.11 b/g/n support as well for some legacy devices. My installation info is listed below.

I'm confused as to what controller I would need to operate 4-5 WAP's or if I would need a controller at all. Ideally I would like to be able to have zero-handoff type functionality if possible as we FaceTime with family a lot and move around the house chasing our two year old.

Because of the layout of my home and the limited 5 GHz range, I've installed multiple Cisco WAP371's around my home. There is one in my office (3rd floor), master bedroom (3rd floor), living room entertainment cabinet (2nd floor), and basement. I previously was using Ubiquiti UAP-AC's, but these had very poor signal strength and I ditched them for the Cisco's.

These aren't ideal placement and were only done for convenience due to easy access to switches already part of my network. I have CAT6 cables run to my office (2), master bedroom, media room, living room, and finished area of the basement.

I am about to run additional CAT6 cables to the attic for ceiling and wall mounting WAP's for better coverage. I would like to move the office unit to the catwalk, master bedroom unit to the master closet (to cover the bedroom and the garage underneath the closet -- I need this for ADT access to disarm the security alarm remotely at night because my wife sets it to stay no delay, so the alarm sounds as soon as you open the door). I would also like to move the living room unit out of the entertainment cabinet and into the sitting area or near the kitchen.

I've decided to wait on wave 2 devices before actually mounting these because I don't want to be repairing holes in the sheetrock when I later decide to upgrade (probably later this year).

The Wave 2 AC devices have come and gone (starting with the RT-AC87U). What you need to wait for is Wave 3 AC class devices with fully implemented features that the Wave 2 was supposed to deliver, but hasn't.

There is some talk about new devices being offered or at least introduced before this year is out.

I would not buy anything today. Although a lot of hardware is capable of Wave 2 performance, none are offered that implement it in a complete package.

I don't understand why you can't finish the wiring and drywall now though? And install any Wave 3 AC class device as it becomes available?

 

[ericnix]

I don't understand why you can't finish the wiring and drywall now though? And install any Wave 3 AC class device as it becomes available?

Just didn't want to repair holes in the ceiling from anchors, etc. if the new device uses a mounting bracket with different mounting hole placement.