Home Networking Solutions... ADVICE PLS!!!

[tkbaby]

Hi everyone

This is my first post on the forums, judging by what I know of the users of my broadband, I am going to get some really good and accurate advice.

Let me explain my situation, mention what I am thinking, ask my questions, and see if anyone can provide some solutions for me.

My wife and two kids (kids under 3) are moving into a new house come November. It is a reasonably large home of about 300 square meters. The DSL jack is in the study, which is off the main bedroom at the back corner of the house. I would like my entire house to have good signal strength for wifi. So that I can access wifi throughout. As a result from the bedroom it needs to reach to the rest of the house through quite a few walls to ensure pretty much full signal or close to it throughout.

I currently have a Netgear wireless modem/router that is 802.11n. Not sure if its 10/100 or a Gigabit. Devices to connect at this stage would be phones, laptops, tv, desktop pc and wireless speakers (not bluetooth). I would like a solution that will allow me to keep up with newer devices going forward. Currently only two phones and one laptop is 802.11 ac compliant.

Regarding use of wireless, connect to DSL (fastest in my area sadly only a 4 mbps line and I don't see that changing soon), stream music to my speakers from laptop or desktop or through online streaming service, use an external to back up onto from phones or computers, and also stream series or movies or music off of (won't really be downloading Full HD movies or series, but might) to TV or computers. Stream internet from TV, print wirelessly and so on. Going forward I may want to connect CCTV cameras and so forth.

Now that you have info regarding my house and devices and uses, let me tell you what I am thinking. Advice can be on the options I have identified or options I have not thought of either will be welcome. Ideally I am thinking of going 802.11ac route, to ensure fastest transfer and thinking of the future. Also it seems you get better range or throughput that way. It also mostly comes at least dual band which allows me to get certain devices to connect on the 5GHz band freeing up "space" on the 2.4GHz band.

I am considering the following options:

1. Buying an AC router. Connecting my Netgear as a modem. Running a cable to the new router that has been placed more central in the house thereby giving me better coverage. The wifi on my Netgear would be off and I would use it purely as a modem but will hardwire my desktop to it in the office. Due to it only being used as a modem it does not matter if it is only a 10/100 modem due to our limited DSL line speed. I am hoping I will have strong coverage throughout the house this way, and can connect all devices to the router. I will connect an external to the USB 3.0 port of the router and also the printer possibly. The router I am looking at would be a triband, or is that overkill? I was looking for ones with best range etc. So I was thinking of the ASUS RT AC3200 or the D Link DIR 890L. With my laptop being a macbook pro and my wife and I will be going the iPhone route with next upgrades, I was also thinking of the Time Capsule. It is not available in SA but I have friends coming from USA. It is a ac dual band router with a 2TB external. This will make backing up of data esp photos and videos of kids easy, I suspect. With these router options, I was hoping I could get signal throughout at good speed. But perhaps overkill on the router for what I have and even where I may go? Is an AC router the way to go, but maybe not triband? Maybe only dual band needed?

2. The other option is to stay within the 802.11n protocol and get some extenders throughout the house. I know many people recommend the unifi range from Ubiquiti. I have no experience of them so if that is a suggestion, what ones should I consider. My router, which is currently in storage is about 5 years old, so think the wireless speeds not great. So for backup and streaming not sure a wireless AP keeping my current router solves my problem.

3. Another option I have considered as a solution is to get a decent 802.11n router. To set things up and use it the same as option 1, but with only an N router perhaps even a dual band one.

So really where I am needing advice is considering my needs do I need the speed of ac or is n sufficient? I don’t want to wait an age to transfer files to my external which is connected to a router etc. But maybe paying a couple extra grand is not worth the convenience. I plan to set up my house with wireless speakers, not just one or two, so don’t want delay or dropoff due to slow network.

As far as budget, as always, as cheap as possible. But I know you need a figure, so a max of about R3 500. Those AC routers I mentioned are more than that in SA but have family returning from Australia and can pick them up at about R3 500.

I hope I have not bored you or over shared with useless info. At the same time I hope I have given you enough info to try and provide me with a solution that is affordable and will suit my needs. As I said earlier I have always been very impressed with the knowledge and helpfulness of mybroadband users and I am sure this will prove no different.

 

[Azimuth]

I've picked up several themes in your post so I'll try to address the ones I have experience in.

For starters, if you want the best signal propagation for your house you need to stop using the consumer stuff (D-Link, Netgear). There are several options available for this but by far the cheapest and easiest to use is Ubiquiti. The other benefits are device management, bandwidth management, full history of users/data usage, etc.

Regards the whole 802.11n vs 802.11ac part of things - sure, if you have the budget for 802.11ac then go for it (I cannot vouch for the advertised transfer speeds). For industrial grade Wi-Fi on the 802.11ac spec you will pay through your teeth. If you are serious about full-speed data transfer, then good old CAT5/CAT6 has its uses. I cannot vouch for data transfer speed using Ubiquiti Wi-Fi (802.11n) as I don't measure that. What I do a lot of is streaming, mostly 1080p. Ubiquiti UAP is flawless here - no dropouts (unlike range extenders) and zero hassles. Also I have tons of devices on my network, all are Wi-Fi clients.

A couple years ago I weighed up the benefits of dual-band Wi-Fi but at the end of the day, my 2.4GHz spectrum was quiet. I'd really only suggest 5GHz if your 2.4GHz spectrum is overcrowded. Remember, you get the best distance with 2.4GHz...

In my humble opinion, as above, tri-band is overkill and nothing more than a gimmick at this stage.

All is not plain sailing though. To get a Ubiquiti Wi-Fi system off the ground, you will have to do some roof crawling. Each UAP needs to be hard-wired. After that things get easier.

For your budget you can get two Ubiquiti UAP (vanilla, not long-range, not pro) units and change out your ADSL router to a Linksys/Cisco X1000. I'm recommending the X1000 specifically because you mentioned CCTV. Invariably at some point you will want to do remote viewing and then D-Link and Netgear are going to bite you.

 

[tkbaby]

I've picked up several themes in your post so I'll try to address the ones I have experience in.

For starters, if you want the best signal propagation for your house you need to stop using the consumer stuff (D-Link, Netgear). There are several options available for this but by far the cheapest and easiest to use is Ubiquiti. The other benefits are device management, bandwidth management, full history of users/data usage, etc.

Regards the whole 802.11n vs 802.11ac part of things - sure, if you have the budget for 802.11ac then go for it (I cannot vouch for the advertised transfer speeds). For industrial grade Wi-Fi on the 802.11ac spec you will pay through your teeth. If you are serious about full-speed data transfer, then good old CAT5/CAT6 has its uses. I cannot vouch for data transfer speed using Ubiquiti Wi-Fi (802.11n) as I don't measure that. What I do a lot of is streaming, mostly 1080p. Ubiquiti UAP is flawless here - no dropouts (unlike range extenders) and zero hassles. Also I have tons of devices on my network, all are Wi-Fi clients.

A couple years ago I weighed up the benefits of dual-band Wi-Fi but at the end of the day, my 2.4GHz spectrum was quiet. I'd really only suggest 5GHz if your 2.4GHz spectrum is overcrowded. Remember, you get the best distance with 2.4GHz...

In my humble opinion, as above, tri-band is overkill and nothing more than a gimmick at this stage.

All is not plain sailing though. To get a Ubiquiti Wi-Fi system off the ground, you will have to do some roof crawling. Each UAP needs to be hard-wired. After that things get easier.

For your budget you can get two Ubiquiti UAP (vanilla, not long-range, not pro) units and change out your ADSL router to a Linksys/Cisco X1000. I'm recommending the X1000 specifically because you mentioned CCTV. Invariably at some point you will want to do remote viewing and then D-Link and Netgear are going to bite you.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I find your post clear, logical and helpful.

Just a few questions & comments, if I may...

1. I agree that it does appear Unify is the best solutions for me

2. I am still interested in 5Ghz but will compare prices and if its worth it, now that I have a better idea of the best solution.

3. How many Unify units do you think I would need in my house? I realise you can't answer that accurately because you don't know my setup... but as a rule, or in your situation... how many units would give a house with three bedrooms, open plan kitchen, dining room & lounge and second lounge and bar, good coverage?


4. Would that router only benefit me once I am looking to use CCTV, it was not something I would have to get now?

 

[Azimuth]

A four bedroom house can be covered by just two strategically placed UAP.

In my own place, I'm finding my two UAPs are placed too close together now (we've done some building alterations). I'm going to push the existing two to the extreme ends of the house and add a third to the new wing. It's not that I won't have coverage with only two - I want full signal all the time because of all the streaming we do.

The Cisco/Linksys X1000 won't benefit you now - I got it specifically for its excellent port forwarding support.

Edit: to give you an idea of my current scheme. The green dots are the UAPs. The only place where Wi-Fi signal isn't great is the studio (due to all the walls). Once I've rearranged access points, that will change. In the scullery and sun room, my devices flip between the access points because signal strength is roughly the same (again rearranging will change this).

Current:


Future:

 

[tkbaby]

again, such a helpful reply. Thanks.

Some more questions: the streaming that you do...is it from a storage device? I am thinking of trying to find a rather cheap router (not wireless) with an USB 3.0 port so I can stream off there.

I would want my External to be formatted exFAT, so that my MAC & PC is compatible to write to it, but I am worried that the routers won't read it, if it is.

Oh and are your AP installed in the ceiling? or mounted on the ceiling on the inside of the room, if that makes sense?

 

[Azimuth]

I don't stream off any media centres, all direct off the internet.

The UAPs surface mount on the ceiling. They look a bit like saucers on the ceiling. So like what Cisco use but a fraction of the thickness.

 

[Roman4604]

I'm in a similar situation to the OP, with a large spread out house, and I've been able to achieve good WiFi coverage/performance throughout using low cost consumer priced components. The vendor I 've mainly had success with is TP-Link.

Probably the most important thing I've learned about WiFi is; position is everything, i.e. where you place your AP(s) will make the biggest difference to coverage/performance. In a traditional hollow roof house, placing the AP(s) inside the roof is optimal. Unlike brick walls, rhinolite ceilings offer little resistance to wireless signals, and since the signal radiates out from the AP in a doughnut shape it will travel unrestricted through the roof (between the rooms) and bend down into the rooms.

Since its unlikely there will be power plugs in the roof, one requires AP(s) that can run off POE (power over Ethernet).I use 2 x TP-Link TL-WA901ND APs at opposite ends of the house's roof. Each AP's cable comes down to a power injector (incl. in the box) before connecting into TP-Link 8 port switches (one in study and one in a kid's bedroom). The two switches are in turn connected via a pair of TP-Link AV500 powerline adapters. In this way all components are part of the same IP/Ethernet network including both APs and switches and everything that hangs off them (2 x PS2s, 2 x wired desktops, 4 x laptops, 2 x Smart TVs, 1 x XBox360, 1 x DSTV EXplora, 4 x smartphones & various Tabs/iPads).Off the one switch (in the study) connects a Mikrotik RB750G router and a D-Link ADSL modem (running 10Mbps line).

Lastly to check AP signal overlap and channel usage, use something like WiFi Analyser for Android (or equiv. for iOS or Win). The above setup works great for me (and boy would the family bitch if things didn't) even though each component didn't cost more that a few hundred bucks.

 

[Cassady]

I'm in a similar situation to the OP, with a large spread out house, and I've been able to achieve good WiFi coverage/performance throughout using low cost consumer priced components. The vendor I 've mainly had success with is TP-Link.

Probably the most important thing I've learned about WiFi is; position is everything, i.e. where you place your AP(s) will make the biggest difference to coverage/performance. In a traditional hollow roof house, placing the AP(s) inside the roof is optimal. Unlike brick walls, rhinolite ceilings offer little resistance to wireless signals, and since the signal radiates out from the AP in a doughnut shape it will travel unrestricted through the roof (between the rooms) and bend down into the rooms.

Since its unlikely there will be power plugs in the roof, one requires AP(s) that can run off POE (power over Ethernet).I use 2 x TP-Link TL-WA901ND APs at opposite ends of the house's roof. Each AP's cable comes down to a power injector (incl. in the box) before connecting into TP-Link 8 port switches (one in study and one in a kid's bedroom). The two switches are in turn connected via a pair of TP-Link AV500 powerline adapters. In this way all components are part of the same IP/Ethernet network including both APs and switches and everything that hangs off them (2 x PS2s, 2 x wired desktops, 4 x laptops, 2 x Smart TVs, 1 x XBox360, 1 x DSTV EXplora, 4 x smartphones & various Tabs/iPads).Off the one switch (in the study) connects a Mikrotik RB750G router and a D-Link ADSL modem (running 10Mbps line).

Lastly to check AP signal overlap and channel usage, use something like WiFi Analyser for Android (or equiv. for iOS or Win). The above setup works great for me (and boy would the family bitch if things didn't) even though each component didn't cost more that a few hundred bucks.

Apologies resurrecting a post that is so old - but curious as to whether or not this is still working for you?

Am looking at improving things in our home's network - and have been looking strongly at Ubiquiti Unifi's - but yours caught my eye.

Hope you pick this up - just have a few questions:

1.) Why do you have the 8-port switches and the AV500 powerline adapters? Do some of your devices connect with ethernet to the switches?
2.) Why the powerline adapters? They presumably extend the wifi connection - but for what? The portable devices (phones/tablets?)
That said, for them to work, doesn't one of them need to plugged directly into the router? Or is that covered by the direct ethernet connection from the APs to the 8-port?