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Looking for advice on dedicated Access points

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reddwarf4ever

Occasional Visitor
Hi
Fairly conversant with the basics of networking, but trying to make the right decision.

2 of my sister in laws have moved into a large , mostly 18 century property, which is the result of two hoses being knocked into one. To be referred to as House A and House B

House A has the ADSL router, ground floor centre, but unfortunately the supplied Netgear router doesn’t provide Any Wi-fi to the first floor, maybe thick ceilings ???the ISP provided a powerline adapters ( free ) which although it does send Wi-fi to House B, but just barely ( have asked for speed tests in House A and B bit not available yet )

As the wiring is very very old and Houses A and B are on different circuits, but same fuse box, I believe, I thought using a high spec powerline not the best solution.

I looked at a 802-11ac router with a WAP option, but then was steered toward a dedicated Access point such as Ubiquiti. Looked at the PRO and LR versions.
As the combined properties cover a large area ( maybe need t get perimeter sizes ! ) wonder if I will need the LR, but am advised this has less performance than the PRO. As the property has ADSL with the slight possibility of fibre in the future, I wonder if Ubiquiti is the way to go. Maybe need to run an Ethernet cable from House A to House B and fit one Access point in each property, although was hoping one Access point in the small joining corridor might be enough for the whole House.

Would really appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks in advance

PS if the Ubiquiti is the way to go, do I need to try the PRO first ( assuming it has better performance over the LR ) then if it doesn’t reach all areas try the LR model
 
Can't really say what the WiFi environment would be like in the property you describe without doing some onsite tests. :)

But I can recommend running an Ethernet cable or two between the two houses. Probably nothing else will be able to give you the full potential of the ADSL ISP you currently have, and I am 100% certain it won't give you that with a possible future Fibre connection.

Have the cable run to the room/area where WiFi will be most utilized for both homes. Anything past that area I would consider a bonus.
 
You might take a look at tp link cpe210 (2.4ghz) or cpe510 (5ghz). They are multimode high gain directional (65 degree) devices. I use a cpe210 for phones and tablets at my house. Punching through walls and distance is gravy for these things. For the $40 it cost, it is a steal. Can be mounted outdoors too if you want. Use two of them and you can link things that are miles apart.
 
You might take a look at tp link cpe210 (2.4ghz) or cpe510 (5ghz). They are multimode high gain directional (65 degree) devices. I use a cpe210 for phones and tablets at my house. Punching through walls and distance is gravy for these things. For the $40 it cost, it is a steal. Can be mounted outdoors too if you want. Use two of them and you can link things that are miles apart.

Yes, those types of solutions are a known quantity, but the question is, how do they work through (lush) spring/summer foilage? ;)
 
I have not personally tested them through foliage, though people claim in the reviews to make connections through forests at quite a distance. I know with the power turned down almost all the way, I can get connection through my house and across the street to my neighbors house. Its not really intended for home use, its more aimed at enterprise uses but for the price I have used them here and at a few other places.
 
You might take a look at tp link cpe210 (2.4ghz) or cpe510 (5ghz). They are multimode high gain directional (65 degree) devices. I use a cpe210 for phones and tablets at my house. Punching through walls and distance is gravy for these things. For the $40 it cost, it is a steal. Can be mounted outdoors too if you want. Use two of them and you can link things that are miles apart.
Hi
Sounds interesting, does the first one have a wired Ethernet supply from the router ? Or are these simply Wi-fi boosters ? Also says POE only, does that mean can’t use a standard power supply ? Not sure if the router to be used supports POE....
 
I have not personally tested them through foliage, though people claim in the reviews to make connections through forests at quite a distance. I know with the power turned down almost all the way, I can get connection through my house and across the street to my neighbors house. Its not really intended for home use, its more aimed at enterprise uses but for the price I have used them here and at a few other places.
Not sure where foliage comes into it, just want this for house cover......
Is it possible To set these up easily ? Don’t need anything sophisticated....
 
Would
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M7WS3IF/?tag=smallncom-21
Be comparable with the quality from a Ubiquiti ? Thanks
Those are also solid units for covering one normal living area, but do not have the same reach. Ubiquiti is top notch for sure. I have really grown an appreciation for tp link products too as they simply work, and at an amazing cost.

The cpe210 and 510 are poe, but come with a poe injector that can be up to 200 foot I believe from the unit. I just like and use them due to range, multimodes, price, and reliability. It should be remembered that while they do cover 360 degrees up close, they are directional design and should be positioned so all your users are in front of it, or within 65 degrees to the side.

A wired solution will always trump wireless, but in the absence of cat cable I like things with some punch if Im working distance.
 
Those are also solid units for covering one normal living area, but do not have the same reach. Ubiquiti is top notch for sure. I have really grown an appreciation for tp link products too as they simply work, and at an amazing cost.

The cpe210 and 510 are poe, but come with a poe injector that can be up to 200 foot I believe from the unit. I just like and use them due to range, multimodes, price, and reliability. It should be remembered that while they do cover 360 degrees up close, they are directional design and should be positioned so all your users are in front of it, or within 65 degrees to the side.

A wired solution will always trump wireless, but in the absence of cat cable I like things with some punch if Im working distance.

So is the Ubiquiti still the preferred access point for distance coverage ? But can I setup the Ubiquiti fairly easily ? I am proficient with such systems, but easier is always better.....
Also are the Ubiquiti access points more Unidirectional ?
 
That really depends of what devices from each brand you are comparing. Is ubiquiti better than tp link in like for like comparisons? Yes, though that difference may be very small to none in some comparisons depending on your specific install, budget, etc.
 
So is the Ubiquiti still the preferred access point for distance coverage ? But can I setup the Ubiquiti fairly easily ? I am proficient with such systems, but easier is always better.....
Also are the Ubiquiti access points more Unidirectional ?
That really depends of what devices from each brand you are comparing. Is ubiquiti better than tp link in like for like comparisons? Yes, though that difference may be very small to none in some comparisons depending on your specific install, budget, etc.

Looking at
UBIQUITI NETWORKS UBI-UAP-AC-PRO 24/5Ghz 450/1300Mbps 122m - (Enterprise Computing > Routers)

Or

AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Ceiling Mount Access Point

Problem would be with the d-link offering being Omni-directional, is the Ubiquiti Unidirctional ? If so this seems to be a better choice as the device will be mounted central to the property
 
Both the ubiquiti uap-ac-pro, and the tp link eap245-ac1750 are omnidirectional access points for centrally located operation. Both are outstanding units with the ubiquiti being the best of the two. Those are also both viable options if you have ambitions of very high wifi download speeds. I dont know exactly how big your double house is or its particular construction type and how that will effect range. One thing for sure, it would not be wasted money to start with one of those as you will eventually run ethernet through and place access points in proper locations and either of those two will be your top choices for that.
 
Both the ubiquiti uap-ac-pro, and the tp link eap245-ac1750 are omnidirectional access points for centrally located operation. Both are outstanding units with the ubiquiti being the best of the two. Those are also both viable options if you have ambitions of very high wifi download speeds. I dont know exactly how big your double house is or its particular construction type and how that will effect range. One thing for sure, it would not be wasted money to start with one of those as you will eventually run ethernet through and place access points in proper locations and either of those two will be your top choices for that.
Thank you, that’s been a great help. Lots of differing opinions on setting up the Ubiquiti access point, as my needs are fairly simple, would setup be also fairly simple ?
Thanks
 
There are several youtube tutorials on setting up either of them. And both support central management of multiple devices with each companies free software.
 
If you have a covered distance between houses run wire. It is always better than wireless, probably cheaper too.
 
I took a guess. I guessed wrong but still learned something. :)
I learn every day. I don't think of myself as an authority on anything but rather a student of life experience and all those who know and have done much more than me and are willing to share the wealth.
 

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