WiFi Ubiquiti UniFi Home Set up advice

[eddie1]

Anyone here using Ubiquiti UniFi WiFi extenders ?
How easy are they to set up for home use if your not an IT specialist ?
Thx

[swisstony]

Do you mean UniFi access points like these?
https://www.ui.com/unifi/unifi-ap/

They work best if most of your network equipment is from the UniFi range ... and you need the Unifi Controller application to be running all the time...

Adding the Access point to an existing Unifi network is straightforward.

In general the Unifi configuration is not consumer focused. But there is a lot of on-line help if you have some basic IT expertise.

[eddie1]

Thanks
I'm interested in this set up

Ubiquiti UniFi AP AC Lite Indoor Access Point


but may be better off with netgear orbi or similar where less IT Knowledge required to set up

[rfrazier]

I thought that you were talking about Ubiquiti mesh, which I don't use. I have two Ubiquiti AP AC Lites (Access Points) and one Ubiquiti Edgerouter X.

You actually only need the controller program running when changing settings, provisioning, etc. Otherwise they are happy to run on their own.

One AP is connected directly to the Edgerouter (which connects to the Virgin Media router, used in modem only mode). The other Ubiquiti AP is connected to the router via a power line adapter. I also have a power line adapter for an old printer which doesn't have wifi, and a powerline adapter with wifi (tp-link, I believe) in the shed. The second Ubiquiti AP I'm using over powerline could be used in a mesh setup back to the one directly connected to the router, but I don't use it that way.

They may be a bit more cumbersome to set up, but the defaults are generally good.

I think that their products made for mesh are intended for the consumer segment of the market and are more or less plug and play, although I've not used them. When we moved here in 2016, one of the first things I did was to set up this network. I've spent surprisingly little time having to mess with it. I occasionally upgrade firmware, which is always a heartstopper*, but haven't had any real gliches.

*The real heartstopper was last night, as I upgraded from Virgin 100M to 200M (for the extra upstream bandwidth, 100M is plenty of downstream for us). It would have been a bad time for things to go south, but it seems that that upgrade worked okay.

Best wishes,
Bob

[Captain Morgan]

I belive that the “domestic” Ubiquiti offering that is a orbi equivalent is the Amplifi range.

[cyrusir]

yes, the unifi line is more aimed at the prosumer, amplifi is the home user.

Generally the unifi APs are wired not meshed, although you can mesh if needed.

[reecie]

Simplest is probably the Dream Machine which has all the separate components in a Unifi set up in a single unit https://eu.store.ui.com/products/unifi-dream-machine if that is what you want.

You can also read how one guy got on with using the Unifi APs here https://arstechnica.com/information-...with-pro-gear/ Though he probably went too far down the rabbit hole

[eddie1]

Thanks
How would the dream machine compare to google nest Wi-Fi or Netgear orbis Any idea ?
That review is informative thanks but scarily OTT for what I’m after.

[reecie]

Thanks
How would the dream machine compare to google nest Wi-Fi or Netgear orbis Any idea ?
That review is informative thanks but scarily OTT for what I’m after.

Normal rule of thumb is switching from any BB provider supplied wifi to a "proper" make will immediately make the wifi work better. The Dream machine is most likely that in spades but you pay for it. You may not even need a Nest or Orbi as a decent single wifi point if it has the coverage will probably beat a mesh system unless the mesh points are either hard wired at the back or are tri-band with a dedicated back haul. But if you need to reach a location at the extremes of a single AP adding another hard wired Unifi AP would be better. But you are comparing professional/prosumer equipment with consumer. If you access to an Apple laptop it has the ability to check your coverage so you can see where things drop off and maybe even move the AP to see if you can improve things. See https://www.imore.com/how-use-macos-...ings-your-area

[rfrazier]

You don't need a Mac to check wifi strength. I use WiFi Analyzer, an open source android app (I got it from f-droid).

Best wishes,
Bob

[andyjay]

I have a standard Sky router which was giving pretty rubbish Wi-Fi, so spent the money on the Ubiquiti access point and 8 way POE switch and the whole house is now solid for Wi-Fi. I was able to position the AP in the middle of the hall (on the ceiling) and cabled ready for an additional AP upstairs. When the single AP has been tested, I’ve not found any dead spots or problem areas. Walking away from the house, I can pick up WI-Fi about 50m up the road, and the whole garden is covered. The router has had it’s pathetic signal turned off and during the current crisis the Wi-Fi has been outstanding.

When I was putting the cables in, I also put in hard wiring for TV and Sky box along with some power line adaptors. I think it was well worth the money and Bob is right, the updates are always a bit of a moment, but so far never had a problem, but I’ll confess, I’ve not been brave enough to run any updates under the lockdown. If it works, it’s good enough!

Would I put this in again, absolutely, it is stable and strong signalled. It is simple and just works.

[mylofitz]

Got 3 indoor Ap’s, 1 external, usg, switch and cloud key. All work seamlessly. Not difficult to use and can be as simple or as complicated as you want. I just don’t mess with the advanced settings.