Simple, fast WAP (or: If E4200 is overkill)

[Tremelune]

I have an olde wireless G router as well as a dedicated router and switch. I'd like to add wireless N to the mix. From reading around, the Cisco E4200 is a favorite. I'm about to order one, but if I can get all of its wideband 5GHz performance and stability without paying for the G radio, routing, switch, etc, I'd like to avoid buying redundant hardware.

From what I can tell, dedicated WAPs aren't that much cheaper than comparable 4-port routers...There are plenty of routers and WAPs that are cheaper than the E4200, but I would like quality components. Am I missing something or should I just get the E4200, throw it in WAP-only mode, and stop outsmarting myself?

 

[stevech]

See the FAQ here: Any consumer WiFi router can be configured as a WiFi access point (AP).

Of course, don't pay premium for 5.8GHz WiFi unless (1) you need it because all 3 channels in 2.4GHz are busy all the time with heavy traffic (this is NOT just the number of SSIDs); (2) your clients support 5.8GHz, as 11a or 11n/5GHz.

 

[Tremelune]

I guess my question is, can I get any kind of WAP that is as fast and reliable as an E4200 or WNDR4000 for significantly less money? Judging from the charts, yes, I can get a wireless N router for $50, but they're commonly crap.

All of the "good" WAPs have routing/switching hardware attached to it, so there may not be a way to effectively save money here. It's like I'm trying to buy a big garage without the house attached to it...

 

[Tremelune]

Seems like these companies sell 100 wireless routers for every 1 dedicated WAP, so the economies of scale of buying the all-in-one system far outweighs the cost of the additional components you're getting with them. Does that sound about right?

 

[stevech]

As said above: If you want a low cost access point (WAP), just configure any old WiFi router to be a WAP.

 

[Tremelune]

I get it, but "any old router" will probably have shirtty range, throughput, and/or reliability over wireless.

 

[hawkeye62]

I get it, but "any old router" will probably have shirtty range, throughput, and/or reliability over wireless.

I don't know what you need or want in performance, but I have two routers in use as APs that I would recommend.

UbiquitiAP N $89.80 at Amazon. Gives the best signal strength and throughput at my difficult to cover house.

EnGenius ESR9850 $58.24 at Amazon. Very capable, but wireless performance is not as good as the Ubiquiti.

Good luck, Jim

 

[Tremelune]

Interesting. Here's an ad-hoc review of the Ubiquiti PowerAP N, as well as a link on Amazon. Never have I ever heard of this company.

 

[Mangusta1969]

UbiquitiAP N Reliability and Range?

Hawkeye 62,

Thanks for your information on the UbiquitiAP N. Its extra power and range may be the answer for many of us with larger houses, guest houses, remote shops/garages and the like.

How is the reliability of this unit in maintaining wireless connections with different clients and not requiring periodic reboots? What kind of distances and obstacles (drywall walls, floors, concrete walls, etc.) do you have in your difficult to cover house? Thanks!

BTW, Since Tremelune is interested in the E4200, I have been using an E4200 for several months for a larger house and two different buildings that are separated by 80 feet or so. After a week or so of reliable operations, I started to experience some reliability problems (slowly decreasing signal strength/range) that required reboots every few days. Others have experienced the same problems with the E4200. Loading the latest Cisco firmware did not improve things, either.

Over the last two months, I have been slowly troubleshooting this problem by changing wireless settings and observing the long term reliability effects. It appears that disabling the 5Ghz network may have solved the slowly degrading performance problem. Unfortunately that renders the E4200 not a good choice for those needing the 5Ghz RF band.

 

[hawkeye62]

Hawkeye 62,

Thanks for your information on the UbiquitiAP N. Its extra power and range may be the answer for many of us with larger houses, guest houses, remote shops/garages and the like.

How is the reliability of this unit in maintaining wireless connections with different clients and not requiring periodic reboots? What kind of distances and obstacles (drywall walls, floors, concrete walls, etc.) do you have in your difficult to cover house? Thanks!

Hi Mangusta,

See the "here" link in Tremelune's last post for details about my location, and test results.

As for reliability, I haven't had to reboot once since February. I have never had a dropped connection. Only time will tell about long term reliability.

Good luck, Jim

 

[Mangusta1969]

Hawkeye62,

Thanks for the prompt reply. I saw your initial report (which you referred to), but couldn't figure out how many walls and distances were involved in your setup. That's great reliability, with no reboots since February.

In my E4200 setup, the router is about 100 feet total distance away and is penetrating two exterior walls (both are old time plaster/lath) and one interior wall, all on the same ground floor. Another receiving location that I have is with a MacBook Pro client on the second floor, through two exterior walls and one interior wall, with about 130 feet in total path length from the router. How comparable are your distances and the number of walls penetrated?

 

[stevech]

Lath & Plaster walls - much greater attenuation than drywall

 

[hawkeye62]

Hawkeye62,

Thanks for the prompt reply. I saw your initial report (which you referred to), but couldn't figure out how many walls and distances were involved in your setup. That's great reliability, with no reboots since February.

In my E4200 setup, the router is about 100 feet total distance away and is penetrating two exterior walls (both are old time plaster/lath) and one interior wall, all on the same ground floor. Another receiving location that I have is with a MacBook Pro client on the second floor, through two exterior walls and one interior wall, with about 130 feet in total path length from the router. How comparable are your distances and the number of walls penetrated?

And my wife and I use an IPod, IPad and Asus netbook to connect via wifi in the living room which is about 60 feet away through 5 walls including a tile wall shower. The DIR-655 gives low and erratic signal strength in the living room.

The walls are interior dry wall. And an oak door on a cabinet which houses the Ubiquiti. The Ubiquiti has 28 dBm transmitter power and two 6 dBi antennas. Most of the other APs and routers which publish Tx power and antenna gain have about 20 dBm Tx and 2-5 dBi antennas.

Good luck, Jim

 

[Mangusta1969]

Hawkeye62,

Thanks for the detailed information on your UbiquitiAP N experience. It is sounding more and more like a good unit for my situation (lots of distance problems, lots of walls in an old Victorian house). I think I will give one a try the next time my E4200 develops a case of the hiccups.

So far my E4200 is working fine when channel selection is set to AUTO and the 5Ghz RF band is disabled. I am beginning to suspect the E4200's slowly declining range and output power (and required reboots) are due to internal overheating when both the 2.4 and 5Ghz bands are enabled for a period of time. This problem occurs even when there are zero 5Ghz clients using the E4200 services; I have no wired clients and typically have 2-6 wireless clients active.

At any rate, I'll post UbiquitiAP N vs Cisco/Linksys E4200 throughput, reliability, and range performance (on 2.4Ghz) for my difficult setup, once I take the plunge into Ubiquiti-land.

 

[hawkeye62]

Hawkeye62,

Thanks for the detailed information on your UbiquitiAP N experience. It is sounding more and more like a good unit for my situation (lots of distance problems, lots of walls in an old Victorian house). I think I will give one a try the next time my E4200 develops a case of the hiccups.

So far my E4200 is working fine when channel selection is set to AUTO and the 5Ghz RF band is disabled. I am beginning to suspect the E4200's slowly declining range and output power (and required reboots) are due to internal overheating when both the 2.4 and 5Ghz bands are enabled for a period of time. This problem occurs even when there are zero 5Ghz clients using the E4200 services; I have no wired clients and typically have 2-6 wireless clients active.

At any rate, I'll post UbiquitiAP N vs Cisco/Linksys E4200 throughput, reliability, and range performance (on 2.4Ghz) for my difficult setup, once I take the plunge into Ubiquiti-land.

One word of caution. This router has a history of being delivered with a loose antenna connection. Mine did arrive with a loose connection. I returned with no shipping cost for a replacement. So, if you order one, be sure the vendor has a generous return policy.

Good luck, Jim

 

[Mangusta1969]

Hawkeye62,

Thanks for the purchase tips.

Maybe we can even get Tim to review this unit. I have noticed that he has frequently mentioned Ubiquiti products on these forums, but I just looked through all of his wireless reviews (back to 2002) and it doesn't appear he has ever reviewed any Ubiquiti gear. Perhaps a Ubiquiti PowerAP N review is in order.

 

[Tremelune]

Cisco stuff doesn't get reviewed because they don't provide units to review. Maybe Ubiquiti is the same way. Kind of a bummer all around.