I do plan to eventually run wire to the upstairs and put in some old work boxes. Of course that doesn't solve all the issues with tablets and phones. Still going to need a WAP.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Mine did not require cloud setup. Direct connect to a computer & manual config.

You still need their management software to configure and manage them. I got burned by that stuff, which is why I no longer use Ubiquiti UniFi hardware. (Still like their EdgeMax routers and AirMax stuff, though.)

(I really should get around to selling that UniFi AP...)

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Excellent choice but forget about MESH unless you cannot run a cable or are technically challenged.

Concur.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Ubiquiti performance is fine but the control mechanism leaves a lot to be desired.

Like I said, above.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Like I said I do EnGenius and they have a full lineup of great AP's that are include indoor, outdoor, managed on premise or the cloud.

This ^^^^^

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Is there a problem with MESH? Something I should know before I spend the money?

Most mesh systems are glorified WiFi repeater systems, so they suffer the same negatives WiFi repeaters do. The NetGear Orbi system is an exception, in that it uses a separate 5GHz backhaul channel. Still: Wired backhaul > wireless backhaul.

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
I can also confirm that you can use Ubiquiti without their cloud nonsense.
I have the controller software running on a machine on my LAN and I login to it using local credentials.

But you need the controller. Lose the controller and you just lost management over your APs. (And if you failed to back up your controller database, you get to factory reset them and start over from scratch, because you cannot re-associate them with another controller if they're currently associated with one.)

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
The newer mesh equipment is beginning to equal wired speeds.

Not even remotely close to true.

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
I recommend mesh over wap for home use.

Whereas smschulz, who does this kind of thing for a living, and I, who used to do this kind of thing for a living, recommend using mesh only as a last resort. (Yes: Argument by appeal to authority--a logical fallacy. So sue me.)

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
Still going to need a WAP.

Or WAPs (plural). Depends upon the area to be covered and various environmental factors.

Btw: I've been using an EnGenius EAP1300 for a couple years, now. It's covering our entire 1300 sqft. ranch, including to all four corners of the basement, the attached garage, and the patio behind the house excellently on 5GHz. (Needless to say: 2.4GHz blankets the place. I've taken phone calls on my Apple Watch while in the garage, with my phone sitting on my computer desk at the opposite end of the house.)

It can be managed either separately, via its built-in browser interface, or via a central management hub, as exists in each of my two EnGenius PoE switches. Since I have only the one AP, using a management hub, like Ubiquiti UniFi stuff requires, is an unnecessary complication, so I don't do it.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Like I said I do EnGenius and they have a full lineup of great AP's that are include indoor, outdoor, managed on premise or the cloud. Check them out. The also have switches but I find them to kind of noisy.

I went to EnGenius (on your recommendation a few years ago), leaving Ubiquiti behind and never looking back. I currently have two, one in the center of the house about 9ft up on the wall, and an outdoor model in the backyard at the RV pad. Both are cabled. They both operate with plenty of coverage and power. The thing I like most, when comparing them to Ubiquiti, is that once you have assigned them an IP address, all configuration and monitoring is done via a browser interface.

I bought the EnGenius EWS360AP. It seems to be the forum recommended brand, so I looked it up on amazon and found an EAP1300 for $80 and EWS360AP for $130. The first is 2x2 while the second is 3x3, has more transmit power and all the other specs listed on amazon seem to be the same.

Nope. Both are listed on amazon as supporting MU-MIMO, however, according to EnGenius' website the EWS360AP does not. This got me digging deeper and I found all of my devices are 2x2. Of those only a few support MU-MIMO and I hardwired them. I get no benefit from the extra $50 except maybe more transmit power.

Do I send the EWS360AP back and get what?

We have 5-10 2x2 devices running simultaneously sharing a 200mbps internet connection. Streaming video, gaming, facetime, etc. Sometimes multiple kids each doing all three at the same time. Replacing the former WAP with the EWS360AP has resulted in not a single new "Hey dad, why does the internet suck?" or "Honey, what's wrong with the internet?" None of my family wants the real answers to those questions.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
I bought the EnGenius EWS360AP. It seems to be the forum recommended brand, so I looked it up on amazon and found an EAP1300 for $80 and EWS360AP for $130. The first is 2x2 while the second is 3x3, has more transmit power and all the other specs listed on amazon seem to be the same.

Nope. Both are listed on amazon as supporting MU-MIMO, however, according to EnGenius' website the EWS360AP does not. This got me digging deeper and I found all of my devices are 2x2. Of those only a few support MU-MIMO and I hardwired them. I get no benefit from the extra $50 except maybe more transmit power.

Do I send the EWS360AP back and get what?

We have 5-10 2x2 devices running simultaneously sharing a 200mbps internet connection. Streaming video, gaming, facetime, etc. Sometimes multiple kids each doing all three at the same time. Replacing the former WAP with the EWS360AP has resulted in not a single new "Hey dad, why does the internet suck?" or "Honey, what's wrong with the internet?" None of my family wants the real answers to those questions.

Nothing wrong with the EWS360AP.
It it was their top-of-the-line AP but a Wi-Fi 5 GEN1.
It is still in their lineup which says something.
I still am using a couple of them myself.

The EAP1300 is not their top tier but still a worthy performer.
It is Wi-Fi 5 Wave 2.

The EWS360AP is 3 radio and the EAP1300 is two radio.
Both internal omni- antennas.

The other difference is one is EnSky Pro and the latter is just EnSky.
Not entirely clear on the difference except it may have to be with the controllability options ~ probably a minor point.

What is great about EnGenius is the ability to sync and configure multiple AP's.
Options include a whole cloud based lineup (the above are premise based) for control and configurability.
The premise based can be controlled by a web interface of the individual AP or group control by a controller.
It is called EnSky now and is built in to the POE switches, a separate mini box SkyKey or software called EZMaster and to a lesser degree there is a mobile app.

In the case of EAP1300 vs EWS360AP the performance of a single is going to be pretty much the same.
The differences may be how they are controlled along with multiple AP's.
As mentioned the Multi-MIMO vs three radio accomplish similar goals each in a different way but 5-10 devices as mentioned won't even put a dent in the performance.


Would I go to trouble to trade in the 360 for the 1300 - not me.

On the subject of one AP with "more power" > that is not the case.
They ALL have the same power.
Additionally you want to turn down or throttle the power to the proper level for the area.
Would you rather have a nice small set of speakers in each room to listen to or have to listen to a big honkin' set that is four rooms away > what will sound better.

All in all either AP will work fine.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
The premise based can be controlled by a web interface of the individual AP or group control by a controller.

Other than its performance, this is one thing I really like about our EAP1300 over the UniFi AP I used to use. I can control it via one of our EnGenius switches, but I do not have to.

Our EAP1300 also has a very nice guest WiFi option. There are separate guest 5GHz and 2.4GHz wireless networks that are entirely isolated from our private WLAN, the LAN, and everything else. All guests can do is get out to the Internet. I love it

Perhaps I'm the only one here, but I've installed TP Link WAP's in a couple friends homes and they've worked out great. And I really like the controller software. As has been mentioned throughout this thread, Ubiquiti is not the only game in town when it comes to WAP's. I also just setup one of these Netgear Orbi units in a friend's small home (~1,500 square feet, single story, 1950's home with almost a flat roof not really allowing the running of CAT cable), and the single unit blankets her whole home with strong/fast WiFi. In my testing it was way faster and stronger than the other traditional routers I had to test.

quote:

TP Link WAP's

TP Link is a cousin to all the nerdy-techy niche brands like Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, pfsense, etc.
They just haven't developed their marketing as deep as the others but are considered a good bang-for-the-buck brand.
Most all are Linux based and quite similar in many respects.

I think I may pick up an EnGenius EWS377AP. What's your go to vendor? Any vendors here?

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I think I may pick up an EnGenius EWS377AP. What's your go to vendor? Any vendors here?

That is an amazing AP I use it as well as an older EWS360AP myself.
I see an Amazon vendor is selling for $199 and that is as cheap as I can get it from my distributor- a great price.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I think I may pick up an EnGenius EWS377AP. What's your go to vendor? Any vendors here?

That is an amazing AP I use it as well as an older EWS360AP myself.
I see an Amazon vendor is selling for $199 and that is as cheap as I can get it from my distributor- a great price.

I'm curious, so I thought I'd ask. What's the real difference between that Engenious WAP and this TP Link WAP that's almost $100 less expensive TP-Link Omada AC1750 Access Point? With that much difference in cost there's got to be differences I'm just not aware of.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I think I may pick up an EnGenius EWS377AP. What's your go to vendor? Any vendors here?

That is an amazing AP I use it as well as an older EWS360AP myself.
I see an Amazon vendor is selling for $199 and that is as cheap as I can get it from my distributor- a great price.

I'm curious, so I thought I'd ask. What's the real difference between that Engenious WAP and this TP Link WAP that's almost $100 less expensive TP-Link Omada AC1750 Access Point? With that much difference in cost there's got to be differences I'm just not aware of.

802.11ac vs 802.11ax

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
802.11ac vs 802.11ax

That's not $100 worth of difference, and if you don't have other AX capable hardware in your home (i.e. cellphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, etc) I can't see much of a reason to opt for the new AX protocol just yet.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I think I may pick up an EnGenius EWS377AP. What's your go to vendor? Any vendors here?

That is an amazing AP I use it as well as an older EWS360AP myself.

I use an EWS360AP also. I bought it when it was one of their newest models, but it is still available, and at a bargain price. If you are not ready for ax, the EWS360AP is now selling at $129 and is a powerful AP for <ax needs. Up to 1300Mbps on 5GHz and up to 450Mbps on 2.4GHz.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
I'm curious, so I thought I'd ask. What's the real difference between [the EnGenius EWS377AP] and this TP Link WAP that's almost $100 less expensive TP-Link Omada AC1750 Access Point? With that much difference in cost there's got to be differences I'm just not aware of.

Off-hand: 802.11ax vs. 802.11ac, WPA3 vs. WPA2, four MU-MIMO vs. 2.

Of course 802.11ax doesn't matter unless you have ax-capable devices, and WPA3 doesn't matter unless you have WPA3-capable devices. (I don't believe I have any of either atm.) But that doesn't mean they're not a value add, and the AP having them does mean your wireless infrastructure is ready when you do.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
I use an EWS360AP also. I bought it when it was one of their newest models, but it is still available, and at a bargain price.

If the thing at least had WPA3 I might be inclined to upgrade my EAP1300, but I think I'll hold. I think, instead, I'll wait until we have our first 802.11ax- and/or WPA3-capable client and upgrade to the 377.

quote:

That's not $100 worth of difference, and if you don't have other AX capable hardware in your home (i.e. cellphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, etc) I can't see much of a reason to opt for the new AX protocol just yet.

To you perhaps.

Wi-Fi 5 vs Wi-Fi 6 (in this case AC vs AX) there IS benefits for using the AX system with AC clients.
It may be a bit diminishing with price vs benefits but it is not a total waste.
I can fully understand not replacing a unit with no clients.

As far s the price of the EWS377AP keep in mind this is an enterprise unit.
That may not benefit a single house environment as much - if any.
If you cry at the extra $100 for that then you will have a complete melt-down at the pricing of the big boys enterprise products from guys like Aruba, Grandstream and Meraki.

Sooner than later they all will be Wi-Fi 6 but no need to panic.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
If you cry at the extra $100 for that then you will have a complete melt-down at the pricing of the big boys enterprise products from guys like Aruba, Grandstream and Meraki.

Indeed. Personally, I regard $150-$200 as a good deal for a truly capable, dependable AP.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
... $199 and that is as cheap as I can get it from my distributor- a great price.

Does your distributor do small orders (one unit) or can you get one for me. I don't do Amazon anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
... $199 and that is as cheap as I can get it from my distributor- a great price.

Does your distributor do small orders (one unit) or can you get one for me. I don't do Amazon anymore.

My distributor is a PITA but I could drop ship it if they have it but lately I have been bypassing them for Amazon and a couple others as they charge freight and the price isn't always much cheaper. I mainly use them for Intel products and when they have it in their Dallas Dist Center as is gets to me faster.
My increased business with Amazon does not make me happy but business is business.

In a quick Internet check I see B&H has it for the same price and I have used them on occasion too.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c...14ddae42f3772f02f9e8

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
... $199 and that is as cheap as I can get it from my distributor- a great price.

Does your distributor do small orders (one unit) or can you get one for me. I don't do Amazon anymore.

Not that I blame you, but, as smschulz earlier wrote: No sense in cutting off your nose to spite your face.

In this case you may not have to, however. B&H photo has it in stock for the same price: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c..._managed_indoor.html (smschulz beat me to the punch)

I got my last network switch, an EnGenius EWS5912FP, from Walmart, of all places Same price. Same delivery time.

Ordered today a Lutron Casèta Smart Bridge from Apple, via the veteran's discount portal.

Best Buy or NewEgg sometimes comes through, too. Not this time, though.

With NewEgg and Walmart you have to exercise the same care as on Amazon. Sometimes the seller is not them.

We're letting our Amazon Prime sub expire, but I'll be keeping the account and I'll still buy from Amazon when I've no other reasonable alternative.