What's the best AP with high WAF Factor?

[Osamede]

I need to put an AP or two in a wooden house (2500 sq ft spread over a half-basement and 2 upper floors. The challenge is the wife. I've need a white access point that not only performs well (stable, high throughout), but has sufficient WAF factor (ie looks good) so that it will be approved by the wife if it needs to be placed somewhere visible like a stairwell etc.

Obviously I'd prefer not to spend more than $150 per unit, but I'm open to spending more if there are clear benefits to it.

 

[thiggins]

There are not a lot of white routers / APs out there. The Apple Airport Extreme is the first that comes to mind and doesn't have external antennas.

 

[stevech]

I need to put an AP or two in a wooden house (2500 sq ft spread over a half-basement and 2 upper floors. The challenge is the wife. I've need a white access point that not only performs well (stable, high throughout), but has sufficient WAF factor (ie looks good) so that it will be approved by the wife if it needs to be placed somewhere visible like a stairwell etc.

Obviously I'd prefer not to spend more than $150 per unit, but I'm open to spending more if there are clear benefits to it.

no need to spend more than $50. The issue is often the number of, appearance of all the cat5 cables going to the WiFi router. Not so an access point. For a router, you could use only the WAN port and one LAN port - two cat5 cables plus the power cable. Run the LAN cable to a switch hidden away where all the other cat5 cables go.

If you have tall furniture, it can go there, on the back, out of sight.

HomePlug PNA devices instead of WiFi can make a cleaner install.

 

[Osamede]

I'm a bit hesitant with the airport extreme, as the reviews typically say it's not a great price/performance purchase.

What about things like these below? Some are on the expensive side. Any value in them? The Ubiquiti and Trendnet ones seems decently priced but I know little about them.


Trendnet TEW-653AP Access Point
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035PS55O/?tag=snbforums-20

Amped AP600EX Access Point
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K8ATTE/?tag=snbforums-20


Ubiquity Networks UnFi AP Access Point
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XXMUCQ/?tag=snbforums-20

Cisco Aironet 1041n Access Point
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005AOGWIA/?tag=snbforums-20

D-Link DAp-2553 Access Point
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005RCG6NQ/?tag=snbforums-20

 

[stevech]

A couple of the candidates list are intended to be enterprise managed devices. You don't want that, as the management software must run on some platform.

Can you step back and revisit: do I really need an AP on the wall/ceiling, visible? At best, these things look like ugly smoke alarms.

Better to hide it in furniture, on top of furniture, put it in a closet (the attenuation of a little drywall isn't huge), use a HomePlug to WiFi bridge that plugs directly into an AC outlet, looks like a fat wall transformer. Or put something in the attic.

 

[Osamede]

Well it's a wooden house, so there's no shortage of ugly fire alarms already visble. But while fire alarms don't need to pass a WAF test to be accepted and installed, wifi gear sure does.

Main point is that I want to do a minimum of wiring, so the stairwell is a straight shot up to the highest possible point in the house. If I get up there with POE to a decent looking AP, then that's one wire, easy enough to minimize and I'm done.

 

[StratmanX]

Why not consider a Powerline AV HomePlug product like Netgear's XAV5001 or similar 500 Mbps bridge? You could even attach a wireless bridge to the remote end of the plugs and potentially provide significantly improved signal to remote locations than just using wireless AP's alone.

It might also more easily pass the WAF test.

 

[keenanj]

Have a look at the new engenius EAP300 its a 800mW 11n AP that looks like a smoke detector it even supports PoE so it is a 1 wire hookup.

more info here:

http://www.keenansystems.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=340

 

[Osamede]

Apparently this new SMB review says that Egenius product is not so genius!
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...-80211-n-multi-function-access-point-reviewed

Havent had any luck with this so far, so I think I'm going to have to use powerline as a bridge to a normal AP somewhere upstairs that isnt too visible.

 

[keenanj]

I have to fully read the review but I was able to get consistant 70-80Mbps of throughput using chariot. There will be new firmware soon to fix the default to 40Mhz mode issue but it can be easily set in the interface.