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Kindly help me choose a new Router

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asonitez

New Around Here
Profile/Use Case
Power User, Reasonably Versed in Network, Work in IT
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X/ 16GB RAM, 1080TI,.Crosshair VIII Mobo
Main Use Case, Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, Moving Large files over network to NAS (SSD Arrays), Gaming.
Connected PC's backup to NAS Nightly
SmartTv's in house connect to a Plex Server


Current Network
Linksys EA9500 Main Router & WIFI
DLINK 24Port Switch
Self Run Cat 6 Hardwire to Every Room
ISP Bandwidth 1GB Down/30 Up
Assume All desktops are hardwired
All Laptops are Wireless
All Cameras are Wireless
Home 4,100 Sq/ft 2 Story Drywall
Network Architecture
ISP Modem > EA9500 Router > DLink Managed Switch > All rooms connect to switch > All Desktop PC's connect to switch

Devices:
4 Iphone 10 (2.4/5ghz)
3 PS4 Pros
1 Nintendo Switch
4 Laptops (2.4/5ghz)
4 Desktops PC (Wired)
1 Dell Pro Server (NAS)
5 Security Cameras (1080p (2.4)ghz)
1 Door Bell (Wirelss 2.4)
5 Firestick HD
5 Smart TV
3 iPads
15 Misc Wifi connected devices (Security System, SmartWatchies, EACO Dots, Alexa's, Outdoor Wifi Landscape Lighting, 2 Cars, Saltwater Aquarium Equipment)

Current Problems:

Slow WIFI Video Cameras, SLOW Wifi/WiFi Dropouts on Phones, Temporary WiFi Loss at Misc Wifi Devices
I'm hoping to get suggestions of a proven Mesh Wifi System, or Router + WIRED Access Point System to replace the EA9500 which hasn't ever received a firmware upgrade and still has USB3 ports that are useless.

I have already

Re-Positioned the Router
Tried to Balance all the devices on the 2 5ghz Bands (Range makes this hard)
Scanned and Tried to choose less used Channels than Neighbors
Disabled QOS
Disabled BandSteering


I THINK I need something like a good AC router (Triband) with 2 Triband Access Points)

I thought of using

Option #1
Ubiquiti Networks - ER-12P - Main Router/DHCP (I do not want to hardware offload)
> Connected to DLINK switch (Existing) or Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch Lite 24 Ports Wall-Mountable Fanless Switch with Optional DC Input - ES-24-LITE-US
>>Connected to 4X Ubiquiti
UNIFI AP AC LONG RANGE (2 Upstairs 2 Downstairs Hardwired)


Option #2

4X Google Nest WIFI - Routers Hardwired

Option #3

Netgear Orbi


I did not want to go with AiMesh because in my research I found that they take one of the 5ghz and force it as a backhaul even when wired
 
We need a plot plan layout of your devices, network, and house.

0) yes, the APs should support AC at least. i would hold off on Rev 6 wireless unless you want to be on the beta list and can throw extra money and time at it.
1_ stay with wired backhaul for APs
2) look at SMB gear - one example is Cisco RV series and 250/350 series switches possibly with POE+ for cameras , Ubiquiti if you want to invest the time.
3) multiple APs - 5GHz for inside as much as possible, 2.4GHz band for cameras only
4) gear that supports VLANs at level 2 or 3

Using mulitple high power APs typically found in consumer gear can create RF issues due to coverage overlap. SMB and corp gear is designed for lower power, multiple APs for coverage to address this. Even then you need to do a wireless survey to figure out best placement and power levels.
You might be able to use a couple outdoor APs on 2.4Ghz to pick up the cameras if you cannot position a couple of the interior APs without too much power and overlap.

you should consider using VLANs to isolate camera and IOT traffic in a switch operating on level 2 or 3 for security reasons and traffic managment.

Using VLANs and gear that supports level 3 will let you move all but the internet traffic off of the router, unloading it to keep up the your provided bandwidth. If you have many streams to/from your server and you are seeing network throughput issues, you may want to look at using LAG between the switch and the server.

Look at recent posts by TRIP and COXHAUS for similar systems.
 
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First off - Thanks for much for the detailed reply. First some Caveats:


The Alarm system is its own little mesh system from Vivint - It connects directly to the panel and uses Wifi Repeaters build into wall warts to communicate with the main panel. These all wirelessly SYNC's to the main panel and time capsule providing 24/7 recording and uploading to the cloud. The cameras to my knowledge cannot be moved off to a vlan. Here is the floorplan of the home with all of the hardwired Jacks outlined. Bedroom 4 on the Second Floor is where my office is and where all the networking equipment is. Currently the Router is not INSIDE of the closet but mounted on the wall outside of the networking closet. The rest of the networking gear is inside the closet.


FIRST FLOOR
First Floor.jpg




SECOND FLOOR
Second Floor.jpg




If my current router is acceptable could I achieve the desired results by using the Unifi Extenders in conjunction with my existing router? I'm not against upgrading the equipment to all unifi (the only exception being the Dlink switch if it is capable it would save 2-300 dollars that could be better spent on the access points. I do understand what your saying about the consumer devices causing RF issues and its why I was looking at the Unifi setup to begin with. @Trip @degrub
 

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Do you also have RG6 coax in the house ?

any kind of mesh system or wireless extenders should be the last resort.

i might start with a POE+ powered AC AP mounted on the ceiling of the loft. This is a central location and should be accessible via the attic to run a CAT6 cable to from the closet and use POE+ for power. You can get a POE+ injector and keep it in the networking closet. Turn off the wireless in your current router/AP.

see what level of coverage you get with the 2.4Ghz for your cameras, etc. Hopefully you can dedicate 2.4 GHz to the cameras and IOT devices only. If the cameras are downstairs rather than under the roof eave, you may need a second AP downstairs centrally located on the ceiling somewhere. Otherwise, mounting APs on the walls may be the only solution. you may also be having overlap with neighboring 2.4 GHz APs at other houses, which may not be solveable unless you can get on a non-overlapped channel. POE based cameras would likely be the only solution if there is too much interference.

If the Dlink switch is not a managed switch, it shouldn't matter. Even if it is, if your are not using vlans it should work on default settings. i assume this is how you are using it already.

5GHz band devices are going to be more difficult as it usually only penetrates 1 maybe 2 sheetrock walls. Don't forget that the client device is often the weaker of the two and so the AP may not see the client at an adequate signal level (usually around -65 to -67dB or better (lower dB). This will drive you to cover with wall or possibly ceiling mounted APs on 5GHz band only for every couple of rooms.

i have a two story 3200 sqr foot roughly square house and i needed 4 5GHz APs (cisco 371) to get adequate coverage due to walls and floor. i am not running any 2.4 GHz.
 
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I only have coax in the master bedroom and the family room. I don’t use cable for anything other than the source of my 1gb internet downlink I get 1gb down and 45-50 up.
 
I only have coax in the master bedroom and the family room. I don’t use cable for anything other than the source of my 1gb internet downlink I get 1gb down and 45-50 up.

I almost forgot I also have coax run into the server room upstairs where the cable modem is.
 
The coax runs that are not used - do they run from the network closet to the rooms or from somewhere else ?
Are they connected into the ISP drop from the demarcation box outside the house ?

As you have ethernet to each room, this may not be needed, but is an option for you.

If they are isolated from the cable modem, then they represent another way to get ethernet to a couple rooms by using MOCA 2.0 or 2.5 bonded channel modems.

i have ATT gig fiber to the house. i use a dedicated RG6 run from the optical termination up to my network closet on the second floor via a pair of gocoax 2.5 modems. i am able to get full bandwidth (~ 940 mbits/sec) bidirectional.
 
Others should chime in here about what layout might work for the APs.

You may just want to get an AC AP and try it around the house to see what coverage you get.
If you get a POE+ powered AP and a POE+ injector, you can move the AP around the house and see what the 5Ghz and 2.4GHz coverage looks like before you decide to make changes.

If you use consumer level gear, maybe a well reviewed AC wireless router but in AP only mode, for the higher power level and centrally located on each floor, just make sure you can return it afterwards if it doesn't work out. wirless is a two way street - both the client and the AP have to be able to talk to each other. If one is weaker, that will control what happens. this and interference may be what is happening with your cameras.

i had long ethernet cables in my house as i tried various locations and orientations for a few weeks before i settled on locations.
 
@asonitez - With all-Cat6 backhaul, I'd move right past the consumer stuff, "mesh" included, to SMB-grade, discrete components, either all at once or in stages if cost is an issue. Wired router, managed PoE+ switch and controller-based, PoE-powered APs. See below for AP layout and network rack mockup:

SNB_asonitez.png

Wifi - I drew three strategies (green, blue, orange). Choice depends on desired performance and site survey:
  • Green - Two high-power 4x4 APs, one on each floor, ceiling-mounted at house-center. Heavier 2.4Ghz use, minimal 5Ghz at house edges.​
  • Blue - Four total APs, two per floor, ideally ceiling-mounted (using wall jacks and surface raceway if needed), placed equidistant from house-center to outer-most walls. Floor-to-floor elevation overlaps are also staggered north-south-east-west. APs could be higher-power (4x4 or 3x3) or lower-power (2x2). This method gives you the best balance of AP count, fronthaul capacity and signal strength in both bands.​
  • Orange - An in-wall AP in every room where solid 5Ghz is desired, plus one (maybe two) ceiling-mounted low/medium power AP(s) to cover the remainder of each floor. In-walls give you dedicated fronthaul per-room, plus port recycling/pass-through. Low-power ceiling AP(s) fill coverage elsewhere. This approach gives you the highest total capacity, albeit with a possibly of too much co-interference and/or roaming interference, so you have to tread lightly on not over-populating your AP count.​
I have a feeling the blue approach with wifi mainly from the ceiling locations, plus one or two in-wall APs (orange), may be your best move. For max value, I would go TP-Link Omada for hardware. The OC200 controller ($90), placed in the network rack and wired to your PoE switch, then four EAP225v3's ($60 ea., $240 total) and an EAP235 In-Wall ($60) to survey/play with.

Router - For just 1+Gb/s NAT and nothing fancy on the box, an EdgeRouter 4 (not 12P), Mikrotik RB4011 or Cisco RV340 will do. If you want to run any non-offloadable services at wire speed, go x86 + firewall distro on a PC with multi-NIC Intel card, embedded low-power Qotom/Protectli box or 1U chassis.

Switching - Replace the D-Link with a managed PoE+ model (even if you run it with only one VLAN, effectively unmanaged, for now). Ideally Cisco SG/CBS or HPE; TP-Link or Netgear for savings; UniFi only if you run their wifi. If you can't budget a switch now, then get an outlet strip, plug in all the TP-Link PoE injectors (included with each AP) and patch them into the D-Link switch, then to your Cat6 runs, to power the APs. It won't be elegant, but it will at least work until you can afford to buy a new managed PoE switch.

So there you go. Any questions, feel free.
 
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@Trip - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
@degrub - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

My god the wealth of information is staggering!

So my Shopping List (I Included Links just in case) (Total Cost 741.00)


OPTION A (2x2 Low Power WIFI Setup) (Blue Setup)


(1) Ubiquiti Networks ER-4-US EdgeRouter 4-Port

(1) TP-Link Omada. The OC200 controller ($90) - This will be used to Manage the Devices

(4) TP-Link Omada AC1350 Gigabit Ceiling Mount Wireless Access Point

(1) TP-LINK T1600G-28PS 24Port Gigabit Smart PoE Switch


The assumed connection is

Cable Modem > Edge Router 4 > Switch

Switch <> OP-Link Omada (For Configuration)
> EAP225 - POE
> EAP225 - POE
> EAP225 - POE
> EAP225 -POE
>Misc Other Wired Devices/PC's etc

I'm guessing I will configure the EAP225's in the OMADA to use the same SSID for roaming (OR) Separate the Bands and run the 2.4ghz Items on that network leaving everything that can connect to 5ghz to connect there instead since coverage will be pretty decent. The Edge Router 4 will handle all the DHCP requirements and general management. My Only Con's is that I might not be able to get all the EAP225's on the Ceiling in the right spots. They may need to be mounted on the Wall as fire breaks make it very hard to drop cable in those areas which is why most of my cable drops were on the outside of the house.

- If I feel like I need more coverage I can try out a few In-Wall EAP 235's @ 45 they won't break the bank.


Option B - Multiple Access Points in each Wired Room using (7) EAP 235's (Total Cost 916) (Orange Setup)


(1) Ubiquiti Networks ER-4-US EdgeRouter 4-Port

(1) TP-Link Omada. The OC200 controller ($90) - This will be used to Manage the Devices

(7) TP-Link EAP235-Wall Omada AC1200 Wireless MU-MIMO Gigabit Wall Plate Access Point

(1) TP-LINK T1600G-28PS 24Port Gigabit Smart PoE Switch


The assumed connection is

Cable Modem > Edge Router 4 > Switch

Switch <> OP-Link Omada (For Configuration)
> EAP235 - POE
> EAP235 - POE
> EAP235 - POE
> EAP235 - POE
> EAP235 - POE
> EAP235 - POE
> EAP235 - POE

>Misc Other Wired Devices/PC's etc


This I assume offers the best overlapping coverage. Based on your description it would enable me to basically have wall to wall coverage in most rooms. This will require me to remove the existing ethernet plates crimp RJ45's and then plugin to the wall plate. This DOES give me the ability to have another Ethernet jack to run into small ethernet switches which gives those devices hardwired backhaul with wireless fidelity to any devices in that room. The Con's is that it may cause some AP jumping but I rarely walk and watch movies on my phone or laptop. The other pro here is that I wouldn't really have to wall or ceiling mount everything just crimp some cable. Most of the AP's would be fairly low though as most of my ethernet drops were near normal outlet height.


I did not consider Option A - Other than the second floor I cannot run cable to the kitchen area to give a 4x4 AP without doing some heavy acrobatics or making a few holes and mistakes.
I did notice that while you recommended the edge router you did not recommend the rest of the UBIQUITI line

If for example I did

Option X (Ubiquiti Unifi Setup) $957

(1) Ubiquiti Networks ER-4-US EdgeRouter 4-Port

(1) Ubiquiti Networks EdgeSwitch ES-16-150W-US Managed PoE+ Gigabit Switch with SFP, 150W

(4) Ubiquiti Networks UAP-AC-LR-US 802.11ac Long Range Access Point Wireless


Am I correct in thinking that this was not suggested because

#1 - 2.4Ghz Theoretical speeds above 300 over wireless unless I'm in the same room and nothing else is using it is really not feasible. At the end of the day those access points are still just 2x2 same as the Tp-Links but more expensive.
#2 - My downlink @1gbps on a good day (Mostly 800+ still is not feasible on the 5ghz band unless nothing else is using it from that AP or even from that area) is nor feasible.
#3 - I have mostly 2.4 and 5ghz devices so realistically unless everyone and everything randomly started downloading at the same time I couldn't come close to maxing out the MUCH cheaper TPLINK (BLUE Setup I have up there)
#4 - Other than eliminating (1) device the OC200 to manage the tplink devices I'm still not getting the remote management stuff without a Ubiquiti Cloud Server or a PC running the Unifi cloud software.




I think I'm leaning heavily towards My Option A and have it all in my cart ready to checkout.
I based my decisions on Ease of Install, Number of Access Points, Upgrading my Switch, Keeping the gear in one family (Tp-Link) with a known good router (EdgeRouter 4) - Unless there is a better Tp-Link router with comparable price to the Edge Router.

Please let me know your thoughts.
 
@asonitez - Very welcome.

One correction on my info above, the EAP235-Wall is actually ~$60 -- it's the EAP225-Wall that is ~$45. The 235 has three gigabit ports, the 225 has three 100Mb fast ethernet ports. Even for the $15 extra, I presume you'd agree it's still worth it to have gigabit ports (even if all interfaces share 1Gb backhaul, you probably won't saturate it per in-wall AP).

Wifi Strategy - I'm thinking you do a mix of options A (blue) and B (orange), with EAP235-Wall's in the rooms that make the most sense and/or those where a ceiling-mounted AP is just not feasible, then supplement with EAP225v3's or 245's on the ceiling in other spots where you still want blanketed wifi but where wall jacks just don't make much sense and/or signal is best delivered generically, as opposed to specific within a single room (ie. throughout the garage area, or across the kitchen and master bath areas, etc.).

Wifi Brands - Regarding UniFi or other brands, the reason I suggested with Omada was primarily low cost for the essentially the same link-layer experience because it shares the same baseline Qualcomm SoC as the better UniFi models (and most other AP makers -- Qualcomm is tops for wifi chips), plus firmware quality/stability are proven competent by now, and in some cases better (like pretty reliable implementation of all three roaming amendments: 802.11r, .11k and .11v, which is still somewhat rare in the SMB segment). The one achilles' heel is they don't tend to patch their firmwares for as long as Cisco, Ubiquiti and others, but for just getting a baseline wifi layer up and functioning, especially for such low cost at home, I think that hedge is OK. You can always upgrade your APs as a discrete layer, once the next wifi standard solidifies.

Wifi Controllers - Just to clarify, the Omada controller can be run on the same subnet as a software install, either bare-metal, as a VM or Docker container, on your own hardware or on a cloud VM (connected via VPN), or simply on their appliance (the OC200). I tend to suggest the appliance for the easy factor and it doesn't share a physical failure domain by residing on a PC or server. The same goes with UniFi (their appliance is the CloudKey Gen2). FYI, APs can be run controller-less, like Cisco WAP/CBW clustering with single-point-setup, or true embedded-controller products where it's built into the firmware of every AP (ex: Ruckus Unleashed or Aruba Instant) so you don't have the dependence on the single point of failure (and you get multi-master auto-failover is the "master AP" goes down), but, all of that said, many of the alternatives, especially Ruckus and Aruba, are much more costly than Omada, and for your purposes, really overkill when all we're looking to do is just get a basic, seamless wifi layer up and running. Just figured you'd like to know the full extent of the "controller" landscape.

Switching - The T1600G-24PS appears like a decent value, although it does seem to have a slightly higher failure rate than normal and gets some notes for a bit of flaky behavior, at least from the reviews I've read on Amazon. You may have to research it a bit to confirm it's solid. Otherwise, especially since it doesn't integrate with the Omada controller, you're not really losing anything by going to another brand of standalone managed switch. I'd look at the Netgear GS324TP, which, for only $30 more, garners a much better reputation.

Router - The ER-4 will be a great router (remember to run v. 1.10.11 of EdgeOS, though, as v. 2.x is still not production-ready IMHO). Because it has Smart Queue QoS, you can apply SQM on that highly asymmetrical 30Mb/s upload, to prevent any possibility of bufferbloat. Also, TP-Link kind of got out of the firewall/routing game, as they never did that well with it to begin with (with their TL-ER series), so I would avoid them and focus on either an EdgeRouter, a Unifi gateway if you lean that way, or Cisco RV if you go the Cisco route.

All these specifics confirmed, that is only one way of doing things of course. If you were enamored with the concept of a single-vendor stack, you could go full UniFi (UDM/USG, USW-16-POE or USW-24-POE silent/fanless switch, CloudKey Gen2 if needed, and four UAP-AC-LR's plus a few UAP-AC-InWalls) or a full Cisco stack (RV340, CBS250 or 350 -24P-4G, four CBW240AP's and a few CBW140AC in-walls) and either would probably work out well, albeit be half again to twice as costly. The mixed-vendor stack above, gets you to roughly the same level of "it just works" connectivity with a decently lower amount of spend, just a few more control UIs to wrestle with at each network layer. Either route will work.

Hope that helps again.
 
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I'm not sure. The base unit that the wall is connected to my 5ghz network. My attempts to get it off the 2.4ghz network if in truth the cameras piggy back to the panel.
 
@Trip

Can I forego the wall panels and instead just use 6 AP's? 3 Upstairs 3 Downstairs
1st floor

1 AP Master Bedroom
1 AP Family Room
1 AP Living room


2nd Floor

1 AP Bedroom 2
1 AP Bonus Room
1 AP Bedroom 4



This will give me overlapping signals upstairs and downstairs giving full coverage to the Garage, Master, Family, and Office with solid 5ghz with minimum 1 wall inbetween. I fear using the WALL panels because not only are they more expensive than the AP's but the numbers are slower, and I feel like because of WHERE the Cat6 terminates near the floor than their signal would be hindered. Some of the Cat6 terminates behind furniture. I'd rather just run a POE up the wall in a cable run or along a baseboard in a cable run and then up.


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@asonitez - Yes, all things considered, that may be the best option yet. Here's an updated plan markup, with APs placed equidistant and at least 1-2 walls between each, for cleaner roaming:

SNB_asonitez_2.png

The only thing potentially worth changing is maybe swapping out one or two EAP225v3's for EAP245's; the extra spatial stream (3x3) won't typically increase per-client speed (as most clients are only 2x2), but will give an extra bit of receive gain, say, up to 10-20%, allowing for slightly more "range", aka usable throughput over distance. This may help in places like the Bonus Room and/or Master Bedroom, two areas where each AP has a bit more area and divides to cover (based on my placement, anyways). That said, with six APs no more than 30 feet apart, it may not be necessary. You could substitute just one EAP245 for an A-vs.-B survey comparison, then go from there.

Also, with 6 APs, you'll have 6Gb of backhaul and enough fronthaul for at least 50-75 clients in each band at any given time (about 10 per radio, which is really quite conservative; you could probably double that estimate and still have enough free airtime to retain a responsive WLAN). As such, initially, I would keep it simple and just create a single SSID for the entire private network, allowing the clients to make the decision as to which band they join. You can progress from there with either band-steering/balancing done by Omada, or a dedicated SSID (with specified band(s) and/or VLAN) just for your cams and/or IoT gear, if you deem it necessary (the lack of intelligence on those devices may leave you no other choice).

Overall, I think you'll have yourself a pretty solid setup for ~$900.
 
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I have not read the thread but looked at this last post. I think I would move either master bedroom, family room or bonus room to the outside edge to support the back yard. It kind of depends on the actual setup. If you have brick then maybe use a window, etc.

I think you will need to turn down 2.4 GHz a lot but you should have great 5 GHz.

I kind of have the same issue as you in that I have 3 bathrooms down the long part of my house right in the center of the house with rooms on both sides. This is an old house with wood walls covered with sheet rock and the bathrooms have lots of tile in them which causes problems with 5 GHz.
 
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@Trip @degrub

First of all I want to thank both of you for taking the time, patience, and effort to answer all of my questions and to suggest a system that will accommodate my home. I doubt many advice seekers come back and post the results of their foray into home or small business networking but I think its honestly worth it to at least post the results of all the recommendations.

After weighing all of the possible choices and configurations I decided to go with the 6 AP EA225's wired over POE. Realizing that I would have quite a few wires to contend with I went ahead and picked up a network enclosure got about networking.

Currently in every room including my garage I can easily get 400-600 mpbs on the 5ghz band and over 200 in most scenarios on the 2.4ghz band. I decided to separate the 2.4 and the 5Ghz networks so that I can safely target them with devices as necessary. For the last week or so I continuously find new devices that need connecting to the network and in most cases I am able to get them connected to their nearest AP without much fuss.



62646054777__43ACABE7-02C0-49B0-81D6-B32902EFEEA3.jpg

IMG_4840.jpg

IMG_4841.jpg
IMG_4842.jpg



Here is what I noticed.

For the cost I love the Edgerouter 4. Its, simple fast and while I'm definitely underutilizing it, it also feels barebone. It just WORKS though. I'm still tweaking it as I'm getting around 550/700 download speeds on 1gb connection but this is probably due to congestion especially over the weekend etc. (any tips on things to enable/disable to boost speed would be cool.)

For the cost the NetGear S350 Series Poe switch is also just working. Its a little quirky but it works well and connected the AP's without much issue. Its literally just sitting there dumb while everything goes though it but I haven't really found much that I COULD tweak in there. Compared to the Ubiquiti this was the only thing I had a slight buyers remorse pang about. Felt I could have went cheaper but it is very nice and I'm sure it will grow with me.


The Omada AC1350 Access points are very nice but have their OWN quirks.

1. They are larger than I expected.
2. While they can be mounted to the WALL the ethernet plugs are on the TOPS of the unit instead of the bottom. They are meant for the wire to come out of the wall behind the unit and not wall run like I have mine. For the price they should last me a few years before I upgrade to something faster, wifi6 Poe or similiar.
3. During setup many of them connected "wirelessly" instead of WIRED. This is strange because they should have connected wired as each had an active lan connection before power was attached. I usually solved this by "forgetting the AP" in the omada controller disconnecting it and then reconnecting it.
4. Initially before opening all the boxes I installed 1 and attempted to do some speed tests and only for 24/25mbps on both the 2.4 and the 5ghz network. This got better as I installed more units. I belive this was originally caused by the BONDS in my cable modem not fully connecting until after a while.

Also Pro-Tip dont plug POE powered ethernet cables into your cable tester by mistake. It kills it. :(
Also invest in a good cable crimping tool or you will be recrimping a lot of cables like I was. I eventually got pissed and ordered a new one which made the job much easier.
Perform your network switch over during the wee hours of the night, or else you will be bombarded with everyone asking to fix the internet, standing over your shoulder while your on a ladder crimping a cable thats 12" too short or getting pissed everytime you configure something that reboots the router.
Connecting your wireless thermostats first before everything else or else you will be woken up at midnight asking why she can't turn off/on the heat from her phone.
 
@asonitez - Thanks for coming back with a follow-up.

Nice rack work; if you wanted to tidy up things a little bit more, you could terminate all incoming Cat6 cables to a modular keystone patch panel (placed directly above the switch), then patch in the switch with little 6-inch Cat6 jumpers. That said, doing so wouldn't add functionality, and actually would introduce another physical point of failure in the cable path, so it's really more about organization and tidiness than anything. So I wouldn't fault you if you if you left the cabling as-is.

Re- APs, good take-aways. I hope I didn't mislead you into going with the ceiling form factor when something perhaps more like a Unifi FlexHD may have been a better fit for your preference of wall/desktop mounting -- albeit triple to quadruple the price per AP. Regardless, they should perform plenty well enough, provided you orient and space them out appropriately, per floor.

Re- cabling termination, quality tools always help. I've had very good luck with Klein Tools. Even if you don't use them much, it's always a much smoother experience when you do, and produces noticeably better terminations, which will ultimately equate to links that surpass minimum spec, versus potentially not.

Re- cut-over, I always try and "stand up" the replacement stack in parallel to the outgoing stack, at least wherever possible, pre-load an identical configuration on all components, then "flip the switch" with as little left to manually finish off as possible. That approach usually reduces actual downtime to the absolute shortest amount of time possible.

Overall, looks like a pretty successful upgrade to me. You've not got plenty of wifi backhaul and fronthaul for all your devices to connect to all over the house. Well done!
 
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