Amplifi Alien?

[NJRonbo]

Have owned 1st and 2nd generation Eero Pros. Now with WiFi 6 on the horizon, I am looking to upgrade to a new system.

I could stay with Eero and go with their new WiFi Pro 6 mesh system but I am intrigued by Amplifi Alien.

The Alien does look like the prime candidate to purchase. I plan to do something crazy. I am not buying the main router and extender. I am buying three routers. That's a $1200 purchase.

Why three main router purchases? From conversations I have had with a guy out in California (who also has network knowledge) and from his conversations with Amplifi support, it's better to buy the three routers than deal with an extender. Plus, if you look at the extender it is missing additional ethernet ports on the back as well as the front touchscreen.

The plan is to put two of the Alien routers in backbone mode (I think that is what it is called) with underground 200' Cat 6 ethernet connecting from one end of the house to the other. That should really boost coverage. The third will be put in the farthest end of the house, the basement. That third router will act as a mesh unit.

Anyone using Amplifi Alien that can recommend this? And if there are better-rated systems that I can us, in the same manner, I would appreciate knowing about it.

 

[AndreiV]

WiFi 6 has already fallen off the horizon , WiFi 6e is on its way so I wouldn't be buying anything with a price tag like that right now.

 

[thiggins]

What problem are you trying to solve with the equipment change?

Too much overlap between access points is not a good thing if you want devices to even have a shot at roaming.

I would sit on what you have until 6E products are available and have stabilized. That will be at minimum, mid to late 2021

 

[NJRonbo]

Will 6E be significantly better than 6?

The only thing I have heard is that coverage/range may not be as robust as 6. However, I leave that to you, the experts to answer.

I think that's good advice to sit and wait for 6E. Problem is, even the next Macbook coming out next year probably won't support it.

 

[AndreiV]

The plan is to put two of the Alien routers in backbone mode (I think that is what it is called) with underground 200' Cat 6 ethernet

Sorry , I missed that bit first time round.

The max length for Cat6 cable is 100 feet so your plan needs a rethink.

Cable length Cat6

In 10/100/1000BASE-T applications, the maximum cable distance of a Cat 6 cable is 100 metres. However, Category 6 cable segment distance drops to a maximum run length of 55 metres when used for 10GBASE-T.

 

[NJRonbo]

Sorry , I missed that bit first time round.

The max length for Cat6 cable is 100 feet so your plan needs a rethink.

Cable length Cat6

A Google search brings up conflicting information. Actually, 200' is within the guidelines unless I am reading this wrong

How Far Can You Run an Ethernet Cable? - Home Network Geek

A single run of Ethernet cable is designed to function at a maximum distance of 100 meters, or 328 feet. There are ways this can be extended, though.

homenetworkgeek.com

 

[thiggins]

6E will provide more channels. These channels will allow more widespread use of 160 MHz channel width to increase bandwidth. They also will not be available to "legacy" devices (a/b/g/n/ac), which will improve airtime use efficiency.

Yes, it could be late 2021 before 6E devices are commonly available. But if I were going to spend > $1000 to "improve" something that is working fine today, I'd want it to be capable of supporting the latest technology.

As for cable length, from Wikipedia

10GBASE-T, or IEEE 802.3an-2006, is a standard released in 2006 to provide 10 Gbit/s connections over unshielded or shielded twisted pair cables, over distances up to 100 metres (330 ft).[44] Category 6a is required to reach the full distance of 100 metres (330 ft) and category 6 may reach a distance of 55 metres (180 ft) depending on the quality of installation, determined only after re-testing to 500 MHz.

 

[KingBravery]

Sorry , I missed that bit first time round.

The max length for Cat6 cable is 100 feet so your plan needs a rethink.

Cable length Cat6

100 meter not 100 feet

 

[NJRonbo]

Thank you for the information on 6E. I am probably going to sit things out and wait for upgrades to equipment.

I have seen no diminished signal quality with the 200' Cat6 ethernet I have buried and connected to two eero units (backbone mode). The signal at the original and the unit at the other end of the home, when connected directly to a device, is giving the same Mbps download speeds.

 

[NJRonbo]

100 meter not 100 feet

Okay. We are on the same page. I was talking feet. You were talking meters. I am within the guidelines.

 

[AndreiV]

100 meter not 100 feet

Yes, you are correct ,totally misread that, it's been a bad day , neighbour just died from Covid-19 , ambulances, police, medics in bio hazard suits etc. more than a little alarming.

 

[NJRonbo]

Yes, you are correct ,totally misread that, it's been a bad day , neighbour just died from Covid-19 , ambulances, police, medics in bio hazard suits etc. more than a little alarming.

Quite alright. Completely understood. We live in different countries and use different units of measurement. I could have easily made the same mistake.

I am so sorry to learn about your neighbor. How awful. I have been fortunate not to know anyone who has died of Covid but something tells me that will soon come to an end.

Stay well!

 

[thiggins]

Yes, you are correct ,totally misread that, it's been a bad day , neighbour just died from Covid-19 , ambulances, police, medics in bio hazard suits etc. more than a little alarming.

Very sorry to hear that, Andrei.

 

[psychopomp1]

OP, don't waste your money on the Amplifi Alien - its quite poor. I gave it a try and was very diappointed, its nowhere near as good as my Netgear RAX200 for wifi 6 and is about as good as a mid range wifi 5 router for legacy clients. I'm afraid just because its made by Ubiquiti, looks nice and costs $$$$$$$, that's no guarantee it will perform well.

 

[Poseidon]

OP, don't waste your money on the Amplifi Alien - its quite poor. I gave it a try and was very diappointed, its nowhere near as good as my Netgear RAX200 for wifi 6 and is about as good as a mid range wifi 5 router for legacy clients. I'm afraid just because its made by Ubiquiti, looks nice and costs $$$$$$$, that's no guarantee it will perform well.

Respectfully DISAGREE wholeheartedly! I’ve been using the AmpliFi Alien since March ( after purchasing and returning the Netgear RAX200) and it’s been flawless! Not a single hiccup or issue requiring a reboot or factory reset which I’ve always had to do on every Netgear routers I’ve ever owned. The RAX200 would randomly drop connection and have inconsistent 5ghz speeds. To reach their own I guess but the Alien has been the absolute BEST wireless router I have ever owned. Looks great and it just flat out works without any necessary tinkering and BS’ing that most of today’s routers require.

 

[AndreiV]

Respectfully DISAGREE wholeheartedly! I’ve been using the AmpliFi Alien since March ( after purchasing and returning the Netgear RAX200) and it’s been flawless! Not a single hiccup or issue requiring a reboot or factory reset which I’ve always had to do on every Netgear routers I’ve ever owned. The RAX200 would randomly drop connection and have inconsistent 5ghz speeds. To reach their own I guess but the Alien has been the absolute BEST wireless router I have ever owned. Looks great and it just flat out works without any necessary tinkering and BS’ing that most of today’s routers require.

Interesting.

I know 2 people that had the Amplifi Alien and had nothing but problems and eventually returned them.

I also know a guy that has 2 running in the house and from the gushing praise and love he heaps on them you could be forgiven for thinking he sleeps with them ))

One of the big questions about this router was the firewall which they didn't mention in the sales pitch. What firewall does it have?

 

[Poseidon]

Looks like it’s a preconfigured firewall. Directly from ApliiFi:

All AmpliFi routers (HD, Gamer's, Instant and Alien) are protected by a built-in firewall. AmpliFi's firewall serves as a barricade between the outside internet and your home network. Only information requested by devices within your home network is allowed in or out. UPnP and port forwarding are supported features that can be used to configure your firewall for specific devices or applications. AmpliFi does not support editing firewall configurations, and cannot be disabled unless you place the router in bridge mode.