Whole house wifi

[W9TR]

This is very useful information. Thank you!

I'd add one other thing.
11.) Don't use add on Wi-Fi 'range extenders' - because they they don't work well for all devices.

One question I'm curious about is the use of a single high power AP vs. a set of access points running lower power.

Since handoffs are a real challenge and are very device dependent, isn't it better to avoid them by using a single higher power AP if it provides the coverage you need?

Managed AP's are a different story, I've used the Luxul managed AP solutions and they work very well, with no handoff issues.

Also love what Ruckus is doing but haven't used their stuff in a few years.

My perspective comes from being in product development on the device side of WiFi so I'm always looking to learn more about the AP side.

Tom

[antipop]

Why are they all so ugly? I like the design of the Apple router but I'm unhappy with the range and the lack of update for so long. Now they're discontinued and I'm looking for a viable replacement.

I don't need anything too complicated to setup and manage either.

[AudioNut]

My Apple Airport Extreme plus one Airport Express extender covers my little house quite nicely.

[Chad.Wagner]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Tried both

Get the best Asus router; covers my large home easily.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The ASUS RT-AC5300 Wireless AC5300 Tri-Band Gigabit Router has the same hardware as the ASUS RT-AC3100/RT-AC88U Wireless-AC3100 Dual Band Gigabit Router.

The 5300 has dual 5 GHz and a single 2.4 GHz. The 3100 has a single 5 GHz and a single 2.4 GHz. This means the 5300 can have more devices running at 5 GHz but their performance is otherwise similar.

Since most of my wireless devices still run at 2.4 GHz, I went with the AC3100. The RT-AC88U is the same unit with more wired ethernet connections.

Unfortunately, I still need two in my home, one configured as a wireless access point hard wired to the other, to reach every where in my home.

I started with just one using an older ASUS router connected to the cable modem, but I found the older router was locking up and could not handle the bandwidth that the AC3100 was sending it.

I think networks need to be planned and unfortunately are only as good as your weakest components. This has become apperant as I start streaming 4K and have all of my Blurays ripped to several NAS'. I have purchased several gigabit switches that can prioritize by port to avoid data hiccups.

[antipop]

Originally Posted by AudioNut

My Apple Airport Extreme plus one Airport Express extender covers my little house quite nicely.

Julian, I believe I've visited your house but you weren't there

I have two Airport Extreme but I still have lags in the bedroom (despite my home not being very big). I could feel it even when tranferring data to the NAS.

[scirica]

Luxul system with 3 WAPs going in tomorrow. Expecting 150mbps 5G throughout the house by noon!