Recommend device to act as wireless access point?

[pete6032]

My Wifi router is in the basement and I have trouble getting a signal on the 2nd floor. I want to run a network cable up to the first floor and set up a device to broadcast Wifi. The router cannot be moved from the basement. What type of device do I need to do this? This network is only for Wifi, no big file transfers or anything like that.

 

[frowertr]

https://store.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ac-lite.html

Can't go wrong.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

https://store.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ac-lite.html

Can't go wrong.

Pretty much this.

Also, their store page apparently forgot to add the ac speed (5 GHz Speed 867 Mbps). This is effectively an 1200 Mbps wireless ac Access Point (300 Mbps @ 2.4Ghz + 867 Mbps @ 5 GHz). If you want faster, they have the AC Pro model for 1750 Mbps total throughput.

 

[pete6032]

Why can't I just buy a refurbished router with access point feature? Looking to spend as little as possible. As I mentioned, it will only be used for Internet connections.

 

[frowertr]

Why can't I just buy a refurbished router with access point feature? Looking to spend as little as possible. As I mentioned, it will only be used for Internet connections.

You can do that. You would just use it as a switch/AP and not a router. Disable any dhcp on it and plug your LAN into one of LAN ports on that secondary router/AP. Leave the WAN port disconnected.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Well Ubiquiti is the best of the best for consumers (it's actually entry-level enterprise gear), but you definitely can go cheaper. N models are available for less, and you can even get a used model from Ebay.

Otherwise, pretty much any consumer router will work, but it just won't be as strong as the Ubiquiti. TP-Link is a decent budget brand.

 

[frowertr]

^

I actually use a Ubquity AP in my home and don't even own a wireless router. The coverage is so much better and it can be placed anywhere on ceiling where you have ran Cat5e. Looks like a low profile smoke detector.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Yep, OP could probably disable wireless on his router and mount the Unifi AP in the basement for full coverage of the house.

 

[JackMDS]

Why can't I just buy a refurbished router with access point feature? Looking to spend as little as possible. As I mentioned, it will only be used for Internet connections.

If one needs only Router then it is OK since Not much change in the last few years Router wise.

On the other hand it is day and night when it comes to old Wireless vs. New. I.e, old Single Band b/g/n vs. Dual Band a/b/g/n AC.

 

[destrekor]

If one needs only Router then it is OK since Not much change in the last few years Router wise.

On the other hand it is day and night when it comes to old Wireless vs. New. I.e, old Single Band b/g/n vs. Dual Band a/b/g/n AC.

Which one should also mention that you can get all that in a standard consumer wireless router, but it'll cost at least 2x that of the Unifi AC model.

I'm in the planning stages of a new network setup in my house, and I'll be ditching the standard router and wifi package and will be building a Sophos VM (firewall and router) and will simply wire up that Unifi AC Lite model.

I'm looking at affordable 12-24 port managed switches, and I might even find myself getting one of the Unifi switches for my network. I'd like a Cisco to get more practice in Cisco's iOS, but for the most part it's only a matter of syntax, and many places use the wide gamut of switches (be they a Dell shop, Juniper, HP, Cisco, or whatever other brand). And with that in mind, I'll just be grabbing the most feature-complete but affordable and low-power switch I can get. I'll probably just buy a stand-alone PoE injector for the Unify AP so I can ensure everything is running as low power and quiet as I can get it.

 

[sdifox]

Which one should also mention that you can get all that in a standard consumer wireless router, but it'll cost at least 2x that of the Unifi AC model.

I'm in the planning stages of a new network setup in my house, and I'll be ditching the standard router and wifi package and will be building a Sophos VM (firewall and router) and will simply wire up that Unifi AC Lite model.

I'm looking at affordable 12-24 port managed switches, and I might even find myself getting one of the Unifi switches for my network. I'd like a Cisco to get more practice in Cisco's iOS, but for the most part it's only a matter of syntax, and many places use the wide gamut of switches (be they a Dell shop, Juniper, HP, Cisco, or whatever other brand). And with that in mind, I'll just be grabbing the most feature-complete but affordable and low-power switch I can get. I'll probably just buy a stand-alone PoE injector for the Unify AP so I can ensure everything is running as low power and quiet as I can get it.

Off lease commercial grade switch?

 

[Phynaz]

^

I actually use a Ubquity AP in my home and don't even own a wireless router. The coverage is so much better and it can be placed anywhere on ceiling where you have ran Cat5e. Looks like a low profile smoke detector.

POE to run it?

 

[frowertr]

POE to run it?

Yes. Comes with its own injector but if you had multiple APs you would use their PoE switches: https://www.ubnt.com/accessories/toughswitch/

Some of their models aren't 802.3af compliant so you have to use the above switches or their injectors. If you applied the regular 48V to certain ones you'd cook them (if the switch would even apply power in the first place). I have no idea why they built them like that. I guess to sell more of their custom switches.

 

[Phynaz]

Thanks

 

[Binky]

Although not as good as wiring an AP, you could try a wifi repeater on the first floor. 802.11n repeaters are in the $20-$40 range and some lower end AC repeaters aren't much more. A liberal return policy would let you test this in your own environment without much cost.

 

[sdifox]

Although not as good as wiring an AP, you could try a wifi repeater on the first floor. 802.11n repeaters are in the $20-$40 range and some lower end AC repeaters aren't much more. A liberal return policy would let you test this in your own environment without much cost.

repeaters are horrible.

 

[Binky]

repeaters are horrible.

Saying one thing is better than another does not prove that one is useless. There is always something better.

A repeater can probably get a (slower, more latency) wifi signal to the 2nd floor, all for a very low price with very low time investment. Like I said, if you go this route, get one from a store with a good return policy since you might not like it.

 

[sdifox]

Saying one thing is better than another does not prove that one is useless. There is always something better.

A repeater can probably get a (slower, more latency) wifi signal to the 2nd floor, all for a very low price with very low time investment. Like I said, if you go this route, get one from a store with a good return policy since you might not like it.

Should be relatively easy to drop a line from main floor to the basement. Add a WAP on main floor is going to fare much better than a repeater.

 

[frowertr]

Repeaters are last resort. You halve your bandwidth every time you add one.