Looking to add wireless access point

[jcwillia1]

I believe they do specifically mesh with the AT&T gateways, and that's actual mesh, as opposed to vanilla repeating. Assuming the radios and code are solid enough, they should work pretty well. It lists roughly 1K square feet per additional satellite; YMMV there, of course.

I'm not usually big on bolstering your LAN with ISP gear, but for $50 for a pair, perhaps worth a shot.

fifty per. 100 for a pair. Still...that’s a better price than most I’ve seen.

 

[Trip]

Oops. $100 for a pair. Like you said, still not a bad deal.

 

[jcwillia1]

I heard on a podcast that if you have "g" devices on your networks that it takes everything down to "g" speeds. I have a number of exceptionally economical (read : "cheap") smart plugs - are those potentially dragging my wifi network down? Should I rig up a separate access point for those devices or does that just make things worse?

 

[coxhaus]

Rather than rig something up for the old devices why not replace them with something modern. You will happier in the long run.

 

[jcwillia1]

Rather than rig something up for the old devices why not replace them with something modern. You will happier in the long run.

Because my smart plugs are $5 per. "Something modern" would cost easily 5x that.

My purchasing decisions are always economically driven. Give me 80% of the value for 20% of the cost and that's the product I will purchase 100% of the time.

 

[coxhaus]

Yea, and calculator is cheaper than a computer.

 

[jcwillia1]

Aye yi yi. Classic case of internet im right and there is no other way.

Gross.

 

[Val D.]

I heard on a podcast that if you have "g" devices on your networks that it takes everything down to "g" speeds. I have a number of exceptionally economical (read : "cheap") smart plugs - are those potentially dragging my wifi network down? Should I rig up a separate access point for those devices or does that just make things worse?

Slower devices need more time to send/receive data and they indeed may slow down the entire network, but it is highly unlikely your G smart plugs slow down anything. Very small amount of data is needed for those devices to operate and 99% of the time they just stay connected in idle. Make sure you have no G devices sending/receiving data all the time, like someone streaming video on a G device, for example. IoT gadgets, home printers, slow scanners, etc. devices used every now and then are OK to stay on G mode, they rarely need anything faster anyway. Use what you have for now, just avoid adding more G devices.

 

[jcwillia1]

Thanks!!

 

[jcwillia1]

ooooook... so we're back. The AT&T mesh extenders are... how shall we say... not cutting it. So I think I'm back to the TP-LINK wireless access points - one on each floor. someone was saying that I needed another piece of tech to make them all work together - can someone help me with a link to a tutorial on that? That's way out of my comfort zone and I want to understand it better.

 

[jcwillia1]

Two or three EAP225v3's ($65 ea.) and an OC200 controller ($85) will have this situation taken care of in no time, and for just about as little as possible up-front.

help me understand the controller, please?

 

[Val D.]

help me understand the controller, please?

OC200 is a hardware controller. You need the controller in case you want to manage all the APs from one place, but it can be just the controller software running on a PC. You don't need the controller to setup individual APs for a simple home setup. Read the TP-Link instructions manual, everything is clearly explained there. There are some videos on YouTube also explaining how things work. Go with EAP245 V3 APs instead, better devices with higher throughput.

 

[Trip]

@jcwillia1 & @Val D. - With Omada, you do need the controller online and reachable to coordinate dynamic elements such as 802.11r/k/v (ie. fast-transition roaming). One of the main reasons for having a centralized product where you have two APs or more is to be able to have stuff like that, that actually works (provided your clients support it, of course), so I think keeping the controller in-play is a good idea. I suggested the OC200 because for fairly low cost you get a purpose-built, discrete box, whose uptime won't be as influenced as it might if running on the average person's PC. If you're skilled enough to ensure it's just as stable on your own infrastructure (always-on & well-managed PC, RPi, VM, etc.) then great, but the OC200 is an option that's more or less guaranteed to work for the average Joe.

An alternative to a discrete controller system would be a product that integrates it into each AP ("embedded controller"), so the separate software or appliance isn't even needed. This drastically simplifies deployment, plus eliminates the single point of dependence/failure, and even adds a level of extra redundancy with an automatic master/slave "team" of APs. Something like Grandstream GWN. The GWN7610 is only ~$80 a pop for 3x3 AC Wave 2. I haven't been able to figure out if the underlying hardware is MediaTek or Qualcomm (like Omada), but from what I've read so far it gets similar performance results. Here's a setup and overview video by Willie Howe. Granted, the product is young, and there's plenty to be optimized on the firmware, but it already appears viable from the various reviews I've seen, and mostly matches Omada, feature-for-feature. Just another option to consider.

 

[Val D.]

@jcwillia1 & @Val D. - With Omada, you do need the controller online and reachable to coordinate dynamic elements such as 802.11r/k/v (ie. fast-transition roaming).

Got it. Missed the fact the roaming suffers with the controller down. I run the controller software on a PC, have one 24/7 powered on doing other things. May get the OC200 at some point to make the WiFi system independent. Looks like my home is slowly turning into a TP-Link home. Got two EAP245 V3, one TL-SG108PE, one C2300 backup router, now OC200 is coming eventually. What else is needed?

 

[jcwillia1]

The 7610 does not include Poe injector. Ugh. That sort of kills the value.

Haven’t made a decision yet.

 

[Trip]

The 7610 does not include Poe injector. Ugh. That sort of kills the value.

Potentially, but at some point you're stepping over dollars to pick up dimes if you let something like that keep you from simply getting the right solution in place. Those Grandstreams will also take 24V/1A barrel plug AC adapters for power, which run about $10-12 ea. on Amazon, if that helps lessen the blow.

FYI, only a minority of business-class APs come with injectors, as they're usually being installed directly home-run'd to PoE switches, as a general best-practice. So the TP-Links are somewhat the exception, rather than the rule.

 

[jcwillia1]

Got it. Missed the fact the roaming suffers with the controller down.

I have a computer (Dell T20) in my office that is always on - I'm still trying to understand the value of having an independent controller for my use case.

 

[Trip]

The controller makes config changes way easier and handles certain 802.11 protocols and/or certain services, all of which vary from product to product. For example, UniFi will support fast-transition roaming without the controller online, while Omada will not (AFAIK).

As I said, an embedded-controller product like Grandstream GWN or Aruba Instant On has it integrated, so external controller is needed. Also, Instant On APs do come with AC adapters. The AP11 will get you 2x2 AC Wave 2 for only $79 each. They also do make an AP11D desktop form factor.

 

[Val D.]

I'm still trying to understand the value of having an independent controller for my use case.

Omada Controller Software can run on both PC or OC200. If your computer is 24/7 on, then no need of OC200. If you need to keep the computer on just because of the Controller Software, then OC200 is a better idea in terms of power conservation. It may pay for itself over time in saved electricity.

And please, stop looking for "the value" in things around you. Just get what makes you happy, what you personally like, what you want to see every day hanging on that wall. One day "the value" of all things around us will instantly drop to zero. This is guaranteed. Build a nice system with quality components, then forget about it. Move to the next project, follow the same strategy. As people say "I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things". The "best value" products often become the most expensive in a long run.

TP-Link EAP245 V3 definitely offers excellent performance, but I don't like much the look of it. Just for this reason I'm close to the moment to kick out all TP-Links and replace them with Ubiquiti gear (or something else). I'm not going to get much extra value, but I'll definitely get some satisfaction. I want black (or silver, or dark grey) access points, for example, even if DIY is necessary. Ubiquiti offers AP skins. Zero added value, but I like the look. Just need a bit more free time and they are coming.

 

[jcwillia1]

I bought 2 EA225’s for the main floor and upstairs - so far so good - might pick up a third for the basement.

The reporting / statistics / control is light years ahead of anything I’ve used for any other router or WAP.

Just using my always on PC as the controller. No issues so far.

Those AT&T Mesh adapters were TERRIBLE. Tempted to reach out to AT&T but I’ve never had great customer support with them.