Extremely Confused and looking for some advice on a WIFI/ethernet system

[Seventh]

I thought I had this all figured out but I'm starting to have some doubts in my plans and I am looking for some more experienced advice.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to renovate our bonus room and repurpose it into a home theater/play room for my kid. I thought this would be a great opportunity to move my network equipment (mode, router, NAS, etc) to one location and thus set towards moving my direction. From the beginning, I had planned to use the bonus room as my ethernet hub, in fact, next week I'll probably start running CAT6 drops to all of the bedrooms. Having the ethernet opens up a lot of options for blanketing the house with WIFI. I bit on the Ubiquiti hype and bought an EdgeRouter POE, 3 AP Lites, and a switch. After spending a few hours with the Ubiquiti setup and reading some questionable performance reviews on the APs, I'm starting to have my doubts, and I'm to blame. I knew going in that these are pro devices, setup for pros, and the setup has been slow. I've figured out a lot of it, but it'll need more time and my desire to put more hours into learning the new system is wavering. The EdgeRouter POE consuming 60 watts and getting unbelievably hot is a little off-putting as well, minor gripe. Anyhow, I feel like I've made a mistake and I am wondering if I should switch gears.

Switch gears? And to what? are the questions. My initial thoughts are that I'd like to take advantage of the ethernet and having a system capable of handling a wired backhaul is a must. From my research, the Linksys Velop looks like a system that would fit my needs (consumer grade setup, wired backhaul, ability to mesh is a nice feature to hit some low areas).

I initially went with the Ubiquiti for the reported rock solid reliability, wired backhaul, and expandability. But the cost (time) might be too high. I would love to hear anyone's thoughts and opinions on my position. Thanks for the help!

 

[abailey]

You really have two things going on here. The first is did you get a system that can meet your needs. The second is did you get a system that you are technically able to set up correctly and manage.

First, I don't know what your requirements were. These requirements depend on your internet speed, how many wireless devices you have, your home size and material makup, and what type of devices you will use wirelessly. I would tell you to make the best of your wireless, run everything you can wired. Meaning if it is a static device and you can get an ethernet cable to it, then do it. This will leave less for your wireless to handle.
Ok now about the system you purchased. Just last night I had to reload my PC that had an old Ubiquity controller software on it that I have not had to use in two years as my Ubiquiti APs have been running fine. Anyway I reloaded my PC and loaded the new Ubiquiti controller software and I was shocked. It is so different and has many more tabs in it I was lost as how to configure my APs with it. I did figure it out but it is not the easiest software to use. If you think you have your current system mostly figured out then I would keep the system you purchased (if it really meets your needs). Just post specific questions about what your hung up on over at the Ubiquiti forums or even at this forum. That way you can get specific instructions on how to do what you need. Ubiquiti equipment is very good for the price, but you pay for it by having a system that is harder for the average person to configure.

Now if you think your system may not really meet your needs, now would be the time to replace it before you spend more time on it.

 

[tannebil]

There is no magic answer. Good and bad experiences can be had with just about everything out there and no solution is so good you can't screw it up in implementation.

I've had good experiences with eero (3 access points, liked them) and Plume (7 access points, love them) using both wired and wireless backhaul. Easy to install, single point of management, good performance, and good support. But that's just my personal experience. I've got Plume now because they are doing some interesting stuff with "micro access points" but I'd say eero was more "falling off a log" easy to install. All my access points use wired backhaul except for the occasional test just for fun and are bridged, i.e. I don't use them for routing.

Other solutions may be better or worse. The only way you'll actually know is to read the reviews and try them out because everybody's environment is unique. Pick your poison. If you don't like the Ubiquiti and can get your money back, buy something else and try it.

Tim's guides are a handy way to narrow the field. I'd caution against getting too focused on benchmarks. They can be useful but reliability, flexibility, and managability are more important for most people in practice. Getting good roaming performance and 100-200Mbps is far better than something that pushes 300Mbps but is a PITA in every other way.

I've been using Plume since April and have been happy with both the concept and the execution.

 

[Seventh]

First off, I appreciate the feedback.

The advice pretty much echoes what is rattling around in my head, ie there is not one perfect solution and each system will have trade-offs. I really need to think hard about the salient features I'll be looking for in the new system. #1 is whole house coverage #2 whole house coverage by means of ethernet backhaul. I need to expand this list further. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll figure my needs until I start using a system exclusively.

 

[thiggins]

When you have Ethernet to the locations where you want to place APs, the performance of the AP becomes much less of an issue.

The more important decision is where to run Ethernet. Don't overlook central areas like hallways and attics.

 

[Seventh]

I understand what you are saying. That’s a good pool. Below is my plan for Ethernet runs and AP locations. I’d love some feedback.

Green circle = APs
Red Star = cat6 hookup
Purple star = up stairs cat6 hookup
The blue square is the 2nd level, above the garage, bonus room.

The good thing about my house is that I should be able to expand without a lot of effort due to my open attic space. Expansion will probably be in phase 2. I can already see myself installing an AP in the screen porch (top of the photo) to extend WiFi to my pool area.

 

[Audio-catalyst]

Another piece of advise, see if there's any interference( can be done from the controller's gui)
Do not set auto for channels or radio's, but do your due dilligance.

Hard wire each ap, make sure you do not use the same channels, and make sure you place them where they are needed to give you the coverage where you need it,and make sure you mount them facing down, so the antenna gives you what it is designed for

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G850F met Tapatalk

 

[degrub]

suggest you get a couple long lengths, 50-100 ft each, of terminated ethernet cable (can be cat 6 or 5e for this purpose) and use it to spot your APs to figure out best locations . Then run your in wall cables to those spots.