I´m looking to get a new Wireless Access Point for my our home. Mostly, because the once we currently have (well there are 3 at this point) only have like max 2mb/s threwput and that kinda worked, because our Internet is not much faster than that, but we also have a NAS and my sister and my dad don´t really have a LAN connection, so accessing the Server for them is a pain in the ass, because everything takes ages.
I´ve been looking at the Ubiquity access points. They seem fine. But I´m a bit confused about the software that you need or don´t need to install? What exactly does that software do? I do have a dnsmasq router setup, so what do I need the software for exactly? Is there any special sauce to it, or can I just have them take IP addresses from the router just like the other random “routers” that are now degraded to access points do?
I´m basically just looking for something simple, but reliable that will last, that I can just plugin anywhere and takes IPs from the router I already have and gets as close to 1gbit / s as possible without breaking the bank. And also maybe get´s far enough so that we can get rid of one or both current additional routers. POE would be appreciated to simplify installation, but we do not have POE switches, so we need some POE adapter. Not planning to buy multiple either anytime soon (so the seamless switching features don´t really matter if they come at a premium). I expect to be able to cover the most important area with 1 Access Point only and use one of the old once, for not so important areas, like getting basic internet access somewhere in the garden to stream music.
You need to run the Ubiquiti Controller software to configure and update the AP. It is available for WIndows, macOS and Linux, or you can buy a Cloud Key which is dedicated hardware that runs the controller software all the time (you can also install it on your own dedicated hardware like a Raspberry Pi).
It does require a separate router and should be no problem to use in conjunction with your existing router/DHCP config.
I run an AP-Lite at home and it’s been very reliable. What square footage do you need to cover, and what are your walls made of?
All Ubiquiti APs come with a POE injector, so you will not need an additional adapter.
So, it does not have a Web-UI for that? Guess, it makes some amount of sense for big companies that buy multiple of them, so they can update all of them at once and configure all of them at once without getting a headage. Does it need the software to run afterwards, or just to update and to configure it? Either way I can just install it on our Linux NAS, right?
Don´t exactly know that tbh. All of it is pretty big´ish like 150-200m^2 per floor and we have 3-4 of them (the roof is much smaller, so that´s like 1/2 a floor). But only 2 floors are important to have good connection in (since the roof is where our internet comes from and everything has LAN and the very bottom is where my grandparents live, so no point because they don´t really care). I´m gonna just place it in between the two floors that actually matter and another one at the very bottom to have a connection in the garden (one of the old once). The walls are all kinds of stuff. It´s a pretty old house. Some of it is concrete/brick walls, some of it is partially wood, some of it is “plaster plate” (I don´t know if that´s the right translation, but the stuff that falls apart when you hammer a nail into it, mostly used as a room separator). It´s all mix and match, nothing really is consistent at this point, since the house has been handed down generations.
The AP doesn’t but the Unifi Controller software is a web gui. It just runs on localhost by default.
Just to configure and update. It will sort of bind to the installation when you set it up so you’ll want to use the same Unifi Controller instance to manage it, it just doesn’t need to be on all the time. That said, there is an automatic update option for the APs and I’m not sure if that works without the controller running.
Yeah, I bit the bullet and got a cloud key, but I believe from what I remember you can install it from a third-party repo on Ubuntu or Debian. I think there’s also a container… Not sure if you can get it running on BSD.
It might be worth springing for the pro or long range variant. I think that’s a bit more than the lite can do. Maybe someone else has more detailed insight. All of my installs are in single floor apartments or small businesses.
Do you know if any of the plaster walls have metal lath? That’s where you’ll run into the most problems as it effectively makes the rooms into faraday cages. If you do have metal lath, or any other signal-blocking walls, having the AP come in from an upper floor is your best bet, assuming the ceilings are penetrable.
Yes, those plaster walls have metal laths, but there are not that many of them, most of it is wood walls with some exceptions.
Not really sure how I should think about the long-range variants. From what I´ve researched it´s mostly pointless unless you want a repeater. Since it´s not guaranteed that if you see the access point on your device you can actually send a signal back the same range. The pro variant, Maybe. Looked at it not sure yet if it´s worth it over the lite.
You need an AP in every room, with the exception of small offices. If you have metal lathes, you absolutely need an AP on both sides to provide signal. Otherwise you’ll have spotty signal on one side.
My advice? The pro is 100% worth the price, and it can handle about 10 clients simultaneously hitting it. Anything above that, you’ll start to notice latency and slowdown.
The long range one is only worth it if you’re outfitting a warehouse where you need lots of range and little throughput.
My suggestion is to get a Pro, install it in the top floor or attic and see how much vertical penetration you get into lower floors with metal lath. Troubleshoot/add more AP’s as needed.
edit: also be sure to use the signal scanner to make sure you’re using the cleanest bands available.
I just got one of the pro once now (gonna take a week to arrive). Not much I can do about the walls anyways though. I think there might be one or two walls that might become a problem depending on where I put it assuming the other type of walls are not an issue. So, I´m just gonna try and see how it works out.
The pro is a perfectly fine wifi AP, but if you have problems with distance and penetration the right solution is mesh, which means placing APs equally spaced throughout your house with the backhaul either over MOCA or wifi. Mesh actually works, unlike cheap wifi repeaters most people already tried and hated.
Rule of thumb: one accesspoint per 100m^2 also no device further than 2 walls away from an accesspoint.
You may be able to get away with some staggered setup (one floor left next floor right) in which case I’d guess you’d need 3 or 4 devices.
This is where you start drawing floor plans.
Ubiquiti is ok, their nano hd are really nice, there’s nothing wrong with AP ac lites either (have 3 at my mom’s).
You might be interested in Mikrotik hAP ac² or cap ac² , Mikrotik tends to be more useful as standalone units. (There’s also capsman, for bulk configuration).