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My aging RT-N66U looks like it isn't up to the task anymore. Actually, it does just fine for everything but the downstairs AV setup. There are just too many APs in the neighborhood and too many walls. It can't keep a strong enough signal. It was upstairs with the rest of the computer gear and moving it downstairs made things much better, but now the upstairs has low coverage.

Looking at getting a pair of Ubiquiti UniFi nanoHD access points. One for upstairs, one for downstairs. I have a Raspberry Pi that serves as the network DNS server and I figure I'll run the UniFi network controller software there. I haven't pulled the trigger yet as I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to run cable to the downstairs unit. The plan is to run them off of PoE.

I know there aren't a whole lot of gerbils around these days, but for those that are and use Ubiquiti gear, anything I should be aware of? Gotchas or hints?

--SS

I replaced an RT-N66U with an RT-AC3100 and made all the competition issues go away.

I did almost the exact same upgrade maybe a week ago and it turned out pretty well. I'd just check on the exact specs for the nano with respect to PoE. A lot of Ubquiti stuff started out using 24v passive PoE, but a while ago they did add support for other voltages. If you've already got a PoE switch handy you can probably drop it right in. If not, then they come with a PoE injector which you can just plug into the wall and run it from whatever gear you've got. At least mine did, but again I wasn't using the nano, so I'd double check that just in case.

https://arstechnica.com/information-tec ... ear/?amp=1

That says it all. I like the reliability of my AP but I'm actually ready to move on. I wanted to do more but it's such a time sink to do anything beyond just the basic setup.

I was going to change to consumer gear again next year I have the Pro AC one of you're interested in buying it off me. Then I could have the excuse to upgrade sooner.

I'm still running an RT-N66U, but my wireless needs are pretty meager (not more than about a 20' radius). I have 2.4ghz turned off completely, and 5ghz at the lowest power setting.

DragonDaddyBear wrote:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/07/enterprise-wi-fi-at-home-part-two-reflecting-on-almost-three-years-with-pro-gear/?amp=1

That says it all. I like the reliability of my AP but I'm actually ready to move on. I wanted to do more but it's such a time sink to do anything beyond just the basic setup.

I was going to change to consumer gear again next year I have the Pro AC one of you're interested in buying it off me. Then I could have the excuse to upgrade sooner.

That was a fun article to read, and so true. Not just of wireless networking -- storage, virtualization, wired networks, etc. I find that the further I get in my career, the less desire I have to go overboard with stuff at home. My patience for debugging and playing tech support at home is drastically less than it was 10 years ago.

My RT-N66U, having moved downstairs, seems to be doing the job. It's in the guest suite since that's the closest network jack. If I can figure a decent place to hide it, then it may just stay as is. If I'm going to have to figure out how to run cable for a downstairs AP, I might just consider figuring out how to get a hardline connection to the AV nook. The only two things I'd really be after, going to the Ubiquiti APs, are the seamless roaming and the guest network/portal. If I have a decent place to put the AP downstairs, where it can feed the AV gear, then the roaming isn't really an issue.

If the folks who wired this house had just put network drops everywhere they put coax drops, none of this would even be an issue....

Yeah no kidding. I wasn't really interested in configuring all the things either. I just wanted something decent to replace the old router, and I didn't want to pay the asking price of the now typical arachnid-from-space style consumer gear. Maybe if I ever learn networking for real, then I'll use this and the pfsense box as a jumping off point, but I've been saying that for a while now.

SecretSquirrel wrote:

DragonDaddyBear wrote:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/07/enterprise-wi-fi-at-home-part-two-reflecting-on-almost-three-years-with-pro-gear/?amp=1

That says it all. I like the reliability of my AP but I'm actually ready to move on. I wanted to do more but it's such a time sink to do anything beyond just the basic setup.

I was going to change to consumer gear again next year I have the Pro AC one of you're interested in buying it off me. Then I could have the excuse to upgrade sooner.

That was a fun article to read, and so true. Not just of wireless networking -- storage, virtualization, wired networks, etc. I find that the further I get in my career, the less desire I have to go overboard with stuff at home. My patience for debugging and playing tech support at home is drastically less than it was 10 years ago.

My RT-N66U, having moved downstairs, seems to be doing the job. It's in the guest suite since that's the closest network jack. If I can figure a decent place to hide it, then it may just stay as is. If I'm going to have to figure out how to run cable for a downstairs AP, I might just consider figuring out how to get a hardline connection to the AV nook. The only two things I'd really be after, going to the Ubiquiti APs, are the seamless roaming and the guest network/portal. If I have a decent place to put the AP downstairs, where it can feed the AV gear, then the roaming isn't really an issue.

If the folks who wired this house had just put network drops everywhere they put coax drops, none of this would even be an issue....

I believe your router supports AI Mesh, so you could just get another one for better coverage.

That would require
1) cables run, which there is no way path in my home, and
2) there time to have fun configuring it. I want to, but being a dad comes first. I'm working on my masters and training to do an iron man. Only so much time.