Unifi solution for home with concrete roof and no ceiling void

[Muttley]

Hi guys,

A friend has asked me to help him rid his home of the wifi extenders & powerline adapters in his home as they're not working well at all.

It's a single story home but it has a flat concrete roof with no ceiling void whatsoever. The concrete is a big challenge as there are so many deadspots and mounting access points in the centre of the various rooms will not look great as there would be an ethernet cable on the surface (even if it's painted).

I can run ethernet cable on the roof, down the walls and drill into the each room.

I was thinking of using the Unifi AP AC LR's but do you guys have any other suggestions for a Unifi solution?

(I think someone here once mentioned using something like their Powerbeam outside the house but not sure if this is correct or how I would go about this)

Thanks in advance

Edit: It's Friday so please excuse the spelling typo in the heading

 

[$m@Rt@$$]

We use one of those long range Unifi APs at the office. Big double story building with über high ceilings.

Those things are beast. We could probably supply connectivity to the whole business park.

 

[SauRoNZA]

How do they have light fittings?

Surely you could use the same to fit the Unifi setups.

 

[Muttley]

We use one of those long range Unifi APs at the office. Big double story building with über high ceilings.

Those things are beast. We could probably supply connectivity to the whole business park.

I've installed one in a home previously- the range was not that good but then again, I had to put it on a tv stand as they also had concrete roofs :erm:

 

[Muttley]

How do they have light fittings?

Surely you could use the same to fit the Unifi setups.

They've got down lighters which were installed into the slab so this is a no go...

 

[$m@Rt@$$]

I've installed one in a home previously- the range was not that good but then again, I had to put it on a tv stand as they also had concrete roofs :erm:

Yeah, if I had to guess the idea of those domes are to mount it like a ceiling light for it to project back down and outward. That's how ours is installed and it really works great.

 

[Muttley]

Yeah, if I had to guess the idea of those domes are to mount it like a ceiling light for it to project back down and outward. That's how ours is installed and it really works great.

I think I also made an error in that I setup the device with a preference of 5GHz over 2.4GHz so I don't think this helped either.

 

[Slootvreter]

NanoStation Loco M2 mounted outside, pointing at the house. Weird solution, but works well. The M5 will probably also work well.

 

[RudelzST]

Why don't you have a look at the Amplifi units from UBNT.

https://amplifi.com/
http://www.miro.co.za/product/ubiquiti-amplifi-hd-home-wi-fi-router/
http://www.miro.co.za/product/ubiquiti-amplifi-hd-mesh-point/

 

[SauRoNZA]

Was about to say the Amplifi plug socket units would be perfect for this type of setup.

Unifi’s can also be wall mounted vertically.

****

Sorry not Ampifi.

Was these units I was thinking about.

https://inwall.ubnt.com/

https://scoop.co.za/ubiquiti-unifi-in-wall-802-11n-indoor-ap.html

 

[SauRoNZA]

They've got down lighters which were installed into the slab so this is a no go...

Any chance of just replacing a downlighter with an AP?

 

[OCP]

Hi guys,

A friend has asked me to help him rid his home of the wifi extenders & powerline adapters in his home as they're not working well at all.

It's a single story home but it has a flat concrete roof with no ceiling void whatsoever. The concrete is a big challenge as there are so many deadspots and mounting access points in the centre of the various rooms will not look great as there would be an ethernet cable on the surface (even if it's painted).

I can run ethernet cable on the roof, down the walls and drill into the each room.

I was thinking of using the Unifi AP AC LR's but do you guys have any other suggestions for a Unifi solution?

(I think someone here once mentioned using something like their Powerbeam outside the house but not sure if this is correct or how I would go about this)

Thanks in advance

Edit: It's Friday so please excuse the spelling typo in the heading

Concrete/dense walls and WiFi don't play well together
If surface cabling is an issue then these are some options:
- drilling through the slab from above
- chasing a channel in the concrete
- mount a length of wood across the ceiling (painted grey/white it looks quite nice and minimalistic) + chase a channel in the wood with a router to hide the cable in
- go shout at the architect/builder for being a dumbass for not including conduits in the walls/ceilings

 

[Thor]

Unifi USG

Unifi AC Pro

Done.

 

[Muttley]

Hi all,

Many thanks for the suggestions.

I may need to post more questions here once I've conducted a proper site visit.

 

[Dolby]

Why don't you have a look at the Amplifi units from UBNT.

https://amplifi.com/
http://www.miro.co.za/product/ubiquiti-amplifi-hd-home-wi-fi-router/
http://www.miro.co.za/product/ubiquiti-amplifi-hd-mesh-point/

I was going to suggest the same.

 

[Geoff.D]

One last item. Do not under any circumstances drill through the slab and compromise the waterproofing! That will be a real disaster.
Look for a neat way to disguise surface mounted cables that looks like a decorative feature and not just trunking.

 

[Muttley]

I was going to suggest the same.

Not keen on mesh setups... but thanks

One last item. Do not under any circumstances drill through the slab and compromise the waterproofing! That will be a real disaster.
Look for a neat way to disguise surface mounted cables that looks like a decorative feature and not just trunking.

I would never do that... I think I'd get shot!

Thanks for the suggestions

 

[Geoff.D]

Not keen on mesh setups... but thanks



I would never do that... I think I'd get shot!

Thanks for the suggestions

I bought a house once with a concrete roof. The absolute worst decision I have ever made. It was a nightmare from start to finish. I never dreamt that one could have so many problems with a simple thing like a roof. Everything was an issue, from the electrics to the plumbing. It drove me mad for three years to get it into a state where I could with a good clear conscious get the house into a state where I could sell it. Never again.

 

[Muttley]

I bought a house once with a concrete roof. The absolute worst decision I have ever made. It was a nightmare from start to finish. I never dreamt that one could have so many problems with a simple thing like a roof. Everything was an issue, from the electrics to the plumbing. It drove me mad for three years to get it into a state where I could with a good clear conscious get the house into a state where I could sell it. Never again.

Fortunately its not my home but the wifi is my prob :wtf:

 

[The_Librarian]

NanoStation Loco M2 mounted outside, pointing at the house. Weird solution, but works well. The M5 will probably also work well.

My suggestion as well for the exact same problem a while ago.

Plus you get wifi coverage outside as well.