quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Personally, I'm done with consumer WiFi routers. About a year ago, I placed my Netgear router in a storage closet, turned off its WiFi signal, and installed a Ubiquiti Pro AC wired access point on the ceiling in the center of our single story 2,700 square foot home. The difference in speed and range this WAP provides over consumer level routers is simply amazing. I now have five bars of service anywhere in the house, and no less than four bars outside in the yard.

Not knocking Ubiquiti (love the stuff) but relocating your AP probably did as much for performance as upgrading the AP. Well done.

Perhaps, but trying to put my wireless router on a 14' vaulted ceiling in the middle of the house, while my equipment (cable modem, router, and switch) is located in my office on the east side of the house, didn't seem like an adventure worth pursuing. Love the POE connection too.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Personally, I'm done with consumer WiFi routers.

I've been looking at that option as well - unfortunately, almost all of the current routers with recent updates have wireless built in. I'd like to avoid duplicating the cost. Also, most separate wireless units that are affordable are only one band right now - I think we'll see changes in the near future.

This is a trend I'd like to see get more options. I'm seeing a lot of the repeater-style wireless units - those are just too much noise in my opinion. Give me a separate wireless unit that I can mount to take best advantage of the architecture.

In any case, the wireless and wired standards are evolving a vastly different speeds. Let me select the best of each option separately.

I have an Ubiquiti Rocket M5 with a dual polarity antenna (AMO-5G13) that I'm eventually going to set up for amateur radio mesh networking. I might just put it up on my network right now for a bit to test it out.

I used to have all of my stuff (modem, wireless router, etc.) in my spare bedroom/office in on corner of my house. Last year I bought a 1000' box of cat5e and started to hook up my house the way I wanted it. Went with a separate wired router and added a WAP. Ran wire to every room (except the garage, that's this summers project). Moved everything to the top shelf in a hall closet with louvered doors, and added an outlet that is on my generator circuit. This is the result. Works well for me.

^^ be very careful with that outlet on the generator circuit. Unless its an inverter generator the dirty power could fry your electronics.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Personally, I'm done with consumer WiFi routers. About a year ago, I placed my Netgear router in a storage closet, turned off its WiFi signal, and installed a Ubiquiti Pro AC wired access point on the ceiling in the center of our single story 2,700 square foot home. The difference in speed and range this WAP provides over consumer level routers is simply amazing. I now have five bars of service anywhere in the house, and no less than four bars outside in the yard.

Not knocking Ubiquiti (love the stuff) but relocating your AP probably did as much for performance as upgrading the AP. Well done.

Excellent advice. Just repositioning the wireless can make a world of difference.

quote:

Originally posted by SigSAC:
I've been looking at that option as well - unfortunately, almost all of the current routers with recent updates have wireless built in. I'd like to avoid duplicating the cost.

It is hard to avoid duplicating the cost, but it is not much. What you really want to do is separate the modem, from the router, from the wireless access point, into separate devices. If that involves buying devices that have multiple functions, it is easy enough to disable the functions in each device that you don't need.
 
Manufacturers have combined functions into a single device, but the device only really does one function well. Let the modem be the modem, let the router be the router, and let the wireless access point be the AP. That way you can position each device in the best place for its function.