Recommended fibre router etc. set-up for apartment

[bobbyb]

Hi,

Openserve has installed Huawei boxes throughout the apartment I stay in (in Sandown, Sandton, JHB).
I would like advice on a recommended router and extended set-up (if necessary) to get?

The most pressing reason to switch from adsl to fibre has to do with router signal during facetime calls. My gf does 1 hour calls 3 x a week with her rehab people and uses her mobile data because our set-up sucks.
We use an Afrihost 2Mbps line with 200GB data and an old Telkom DuoPlus router. This is sufficient for our needs (mostly streaming) but falls apart for her FaceTime calls

For fibre, I am thinking of going with ISPAfrika or Cool Ideas as ISP. I'm not sure what their standard router is and whether to go with this and get something over-and-above it or not?
The Huawei access point box is at our entrance. If the router connects to it there, signal needs to pass through 4 walls and <20m to where my gf does her FaceTime rehab work.

Looking to the community for hardware, linespeed and ISP suggestions to make sure the set up will work for her FaceTime rehab calls?

Thanks!

 

[ThatGuy_ZA]

Go for Cool Ideas and get one of these routers. Keep it nice and simple.

If you've for some extra money, have a look at the Unifi Security Gateway and one of their AP's but you probably won't see the value for the extra money.

 

[bobbyb]

Thank you @ThatGuy_ZA

Someone else diagnosed the problem of 1) having walls and 2) having a bunch of interference from competing wi-fi networks given neighbouring apartments.
His recommendation is to get a Mesh solution that will help me get 5 Ghz throughout your house. He suggested the Tenda MW3 Nova Lite as a cost-effective option, without the need for separate router given mesh network.

This seems like quite a different recommendation. Not sure what you think / suggest about Asus RT-AC1200G+ vs. Tenda MW3, given the problem I'm trying to solve?

 

[Speedster]

Thank you @ThatGuy_ZA

Someone else diagnosed the problem of 1) having walls and 2) having a bunch of interference from competing wi-fi networks given neighbouring apartments.
His recommendation is to get a Mesh solution that will help me get 5 Ghz throughout your house. He suggested the Tenda MW3 Nova Lite as a cost-effective option, without the need for separate router given mesh network.

This seems like quite a different recommendation. Not sure what you think / suggest about Asus RT-AC1200G+ vs. Tenda MW3, given the problem I'm trying to solve?

Any 5ghz router will solve your congestion issues although 5ghz doesn't do well through walls. First prize, if possible, would be to run a cable to the room she uses (or at least get closer than where you are now) and plug a Wi-Fi router in there.

 

[Speedster]

Regarding bandwidth, 4mbps should be plenty for FaceTime.

 

[bobbyb]

Go for Cool Ideas and get one of these routers. Keep it nice and simple.

If you've for some extra money, have a look at the Unifi Security Gateway and one of their AP's but you probably won't see the value for the extra money.

@ThatGuy_ZA
Along the lines of what you are suggesting, do you think on installation Cool Ideas are likely to run a cable from the fibre box to the optimal router position (+/-20m of cabling) along a few walls?

That would enable a router to be placed centrally in the apartment so that there is general only 1 solid wall and no more than 10m between the router and the position of any wifi device. It also means that the TV could plug directly into the router.
If this is possible, what are good and value-for-money routers I should look at?
Not really having a sense of things, I have seen mentions of the following (from cheapest to most expensive - and including both options you had suggested):

tenda ac6 (R600)
tenda ac 1200 ac10 (R750)
D-Link DIR-842 (R850)
Mikrotik hAP AC Lite (R920)
Tenda Nova Lite MW3 (R1,050)
Asus RT-AC1200G Plus (R1,400)
Asus RT-AC66U B1 (R2,150)
TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 (R2,450)
Ubiquiti ER-X coupled with a Ubiquiti uap-ac-lite (R2,800)
Mikrotik Rb750gr3 router coupled with a Ubiquiti uap-ac-lite (R2,800)
Netgear Nighthawk R7000 (R3,000)
Asus RT-AC86U (R3,500)
Unifi Security Gateway coupled with a Ubiquiti uap-ac-lite (R4,000)

 

[bobbyb]

Any 5ghz router will solve your congestion issues although 5ghz doesn't do well through walls. First prize, if possible, would be to run a cable to the room she uses (or at least get closer than where you are now) and plug a Wi-Fi router in there.

Thanks @Speedster

My above post is along those lines. Do you think I can make this an installation request for Cool Ideas?
Which of those routers would you recommend?

 

[Speedster]

Thanks @Speedster

My above post is along those lines. Do you think I can make this an installation request for Cool Ideas?
Which of those routers would you recommend?

For your purposes, the cheapest one that does 5ghz you can find. I'm not sure if the ISP will install for you but, if they do, they'll rip you off. Grab 30m of cat5e cable and do the install yourself (or find a friend who has done any sort of DIY to help)

 

[HeftyCrab]

If you can get the ISP Provided router in a good spot it should be fine.

I have this setup:

Mikrotik Rb750gr3 router coupled with a Ubiquiti uap-ac-lite

Your price seems *a bit* high though. Check out scoop distribution. Then again I bought mine on Takealot for a bit more than Scoops pricing but used my eBucks.

This setup has many pros and cons. Pro is you get regular software updates and insane flexibility. Con (could be a pro if you like this sort of thing) is you have to be willing to put in some time to get everything set up. Mikrotik does have a quick set option, but you might need to tweak some stuff here and there.

That aside, it is an awesome setup and allows you to easily add another AP down the line if you have to increase coverage. The Ubiquiti AP ac lite comes with a POE injector that you use to power the AP. This allowed me to put 1 right bang in the centre of my house on the ceiling, giving me good coverage everywhere. You will still have to run the cable yourself, or get someone else, though.

 

[bobbyb]

If you can get the ISP Provided router in a good spot it should be fine.

I have this setup:

Mikrotik Rb750gr3 router coupled with a Ubiquiti uap-ac-lite

Your price seems *a bit* high though. Check out scoop distribution. Then again I bought mine on Takealot for a bit more than Scoops pricing but used my eBucks.

This setup has many pros and cons. Pro is you get regular software updates and insane flexibility. Con (could be a pro if you like this sort of thing) is you have to be willing to put in some time to get everything set up. Mikrotik does have a quick set option, but you might need to tweak some stuff here and there.

That aside, it is an awesome setup and allows you to easily add another AP down the line if you have to increase coverage. The Ubiquiti AP ac lite comes with a POE injector that you use to power the AP. This allowed me to put 1 right bang in the centre of my house on the ceiling, giving me good coverage everywhere. You will still have to run the cable yourself, or get someone else, though.

Thanks @HeftyCrab
Given the size of my apartment and distance from the router to corners, I wonder if I will need much of a signal boost? I see that the Mikrotik requires the UAP AC Lite.
I am wondering whether this https://scoop.co.za/mikrotik-hap-ac2-dual-band-wifi-router-5xge-rbd52g-5hacd2hnd-tc.html, https://shop.dbg.co.za/rbd52g-5hacd2hnd-tc.html is a good / comparable router to your suggestion of the Rb750gr3?
And if so, whether it is similarly easy to add Ubiquiti AP ac lite, should it be necessary?

I'm thinking about this mikrotik hap ac2 instead of the Tanda AC10, since it seems similar in wifi specs but then would potentially better partner with the AP ac lite if possible (and needed)?

 

[HeftyCrab]

Thanks @HeftyCrab
Given the size of my apartment and distance from the router to corners, I wonder if I will need much of a signal boost? I see that the Mikrotik requires the UAP AC Lite.
I am wondering whether this https://scoop.co.za/mikrotik-hap-ac2-dual-band-wifi-router-5xge-rbd52g-5hacd2hnd-tc.html, https://shop.dbg.co.za/rbd52g-5hacd2hnd-tc.html is a good / comparable router to your suggestion of the Rb750gr3?
And if so, whether it is similarly easy to add Ubiquiti AP ac lite, should it be necessary?

I'm thinking about this mikrotik hap ac2 instead of the Tanda AC10, since it seems similar in wifi specs but then would potentially better partner with the AP ac lite if possible (and needed)?

I am not sure about its wifi signal performance, but have read its routing performance is even better than then RB750GR3 (better CPU and possibly other things as well), but that being said my RB750GR3 is sitting on 1-2% CPU usage with a 4Mb fibre line and some Basic QOS so its much of a muchness. If you can find stock Id say go for it. You can always just turn the wifi off if you get an external AP, or use it in conjunction with another AP.

There is a thread with some knowledgeable people over here if you decide on Mikrotik:

https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/the-official-mikrotik-router-thread.968651/page-6

 

[Speedster]

For "average" home use, as in this case - he mentions the main requirement is FaceTime which requires less than 1mbps - what would be the gain of a high-end router over a reasonably entry level dual-band router?

 

[irBosOtter]

Thanks @HeftyCrab
Given the size of my apartment and distance from the router to corners, I wonder if I will need much of a signal boost? I see that the Mikrotik requires the UAP AC Lite.
I am wondering whether this https://scoop.co.za/mikrotik-hap-ac2-dual-band-wifi-router-5xge-rbd52g-5hacd2hnd-tc.html, https://shop.dbg.co.za/rbd52g-5hacd2hnd-tc.html is a good / comparable router to your suggestion of the Rb750gr3?
And if so, whether it is similarly easy to add Ubiquiti AP ac lite, should it be necessary?

I'm thinking about this mikrotik hap ac2 instead of the Tanda AC10, since it seems similar in wifi specs but then would potentially better partner with the AP ac lite if possible (and needed)?

The HAP AC2 only has 2x2 streams... Tenda 3x3
HAP only has 2.5dBi antennae, Tenda 5dBi...
The HAP AC2 is a entry level device.... not the greatest wifi in my opinion

Edit
But the HAP has a lot more features so depends on what you want to use it for, HAP might be better

 

[Treschen]

If you can get the ISP Provided router in a good spot it should be fine.

I have this setup:

Mikrotik Rb750gr3 router coupled with a Ubiquiti uap-ac-lite

Your price seems *a bit* high though. Check out scoop distribution. Then again I bought mine on Takealot for a bit more than Scoops pricing but used my eBucks.

This setup has many pros and cons. Pro is you get regular software updates and insane flexibility. Con (could be a pro if you like this sort of thing) is you have to be willing to put in some time to get everything set up. Mikrotik does have a quick set option, but you might need to tweak some stuff here and there.

That aside, it is an awesome setup and allows you to easily add another AP down the line if you have to increase coverage. The Ubiquiti AP ac lite comes with a POE injector that you use to power the AP. This allowed me to put 1 right bang in the centre of my house on the ceiling, giving me good coverage everywhere. You will still have to run the cable yourself, or get someone else, though.

Same setup with 2 X uap-ac-lites works like a charm with Gigabit Switches. Its insane what the Mikrotik is capable of.

 

[HeftyCrab]

For "average" home use, as in this case - he mentions the main requirement is FaceTime which requires less than 1mbps - what would be the gain of a high-end router over a reasonably entry level dual-band router?

The only reason I would prompt someone to use something like a Ubiquiti or Mikrotik router is that they get regular security updates.

I was more than happy with my TP links performance, but not getting any updates in like 3 years is a no-no for me.

(Note: I know you said high end, so not sure if you were asking me. Mikrotik has cheap devices as well, but they all run RouterOS which gets regular updates.)