+25 votes
by (2.1k points)
I know this gets asked often, so please bear with me. We just sold our 112 year old starter home and are moving into a home that is only 35 years old. I knew that I didn’t want to go beyond smart bulbs in the old house, but now I am trying to plan for the new house. And my biggest concern? WiFi coverage. We currently have a Nighthawk R8000 and it has been the biggest turd I have ever owned when it comes to WiFi. It CONSTANTLY loses connection, meaning it will broadcast the signal, but not the actual internet. And sometimes it takes 5-10 hard reboots to get it running again. When it works, it works ok, but we have 1 gig down and it peckers out at about 300mbps. So please, for the love of everything holy, help me keep my sanity and advise me on something that is STABLE and can support SOLID speeds. We have roughly 30 connected devices, but the majority of that is smart bulbs which I intend on slowly converting to z-wave switches. Anyone else balling on a budget? What are your thoughts? I don’t want another POS router.  
I know this gets asked often, so please bear with me.

15 Answers

0 votes
by (2.1k points)
Ubiquiti is the way to go. Unifi equipment, dream machine or an Amplifi HD kit. That order is highest to lowest in cost. Totally depends on budget.  
by (110 points)
@harod My Unifi system has been great
by (2.1k points)
@harod budget it about $500 for this
by (2.1k points)
@harod could you just point me in the right direction? I don’t know why but all of these newer mesh WiFi systems confuse the hell out of me.  
by (3k points)
@gallup1 One of the nice things about Unifi is you can start with an AP and just keep adding stuff and control it all from a single interface. If you can run cable I'd avoid mesh and just stick as many wired APs in there as it takes. I've have 10 wired APs in my Unifi set up but I'm covering 3 buildings and a few acres. I'm averaging around 100 WiFi clients connected at any given time from bath scales to cams streaming 24/7. Plus 87 full time wired things. The big thing about Unifi though it makes it pretty easy to sort where the problem is when there is a problem.  
by (610 points)
Another vote for Ubiqquiti from me. Great, solid coverage, good interface. I run the controller on my NAS, ran Ethernet in the basement for first floor for the PoE WAPs, did Ethernet over powerline to get to the 2nd floor.  
by (2.1k points)
@goof3 I never thought of Ethernet over powerline!  
by (610 points)
@gallup1 no problems with it so far. Had to get signal to big garage a hundred or so feet away so used an old Orbi + satellite for that. Then Ethernet out to the chicken coop.  
by (2.1k points)
@goof3 I’m not even sure where to begin? And there are sooo many access points? Which one do I get?  
by (610 points)
@gallup1 I got the UniFi In-Wall HD because they have ports in them so I can hard wire other things like the Phillips Hue hub.  
by (1.1k points)
I vote Ubiquti as well, I have an edgerouter (ER-POE5) and 3 AC APs. I never need to reboot due to connectivity issues.  
by (1.1k points)
Power over Ethernet is the way to go (for me) and I bought all my equipment cheaper than new (though not much) on eBay. I holds its value because it's good stuff.  
by (2.1k points)
My only concern with him going unifi line is, it takes some network background. Not the easiest to setup and manage if your not familiar with networking. Now an amplifi HD system can be setup in 5 minutes by anyone.  
by (2.1k points)
What square footage is the new home?  
by (2.1k points)
@harod 1, 500 sqft that does not include attached garage or basement
by (2.1k points)
@harod I have spent the last three hours watching YouTube videos. I have networking experience, just none with this brand. I’m really wanting the dream machine pro and I do have some IP cameras as well
by (2.1k points)
@goof3 can you clarify what the in wall HD is? I was having trouble finding info on it. I have all the regular access points figured out now.  
by (2.1k points)
Is there network wires ran throughout the home or do you have the knowledge to do so? Best network will always be direct wired APs.  
0 votes
by (4.7k points)
Costco sells a TP LINK WIFI 6 mesh network if you are a member. Check it out at costco. com
0 votes
by (670 points)
There are very few homes that you can properly cover with just a wireless router. Plan for WAP's. Either mesh or hardwired but you will need more than 1. You have to plan for blanket 5G coverage. 5G does not go nearly as far as 2. 4.  
0 votes
by (1.1k points)
Mesh technology is getting better everyday with better options. Some of the best listed above but what are your needs in regards to speeds and clients. Some of the solutions above are enterprise capable solutions.  
by (2.1k points)
@kutaisi we need a steady 40 mbps to 5 TVs, 100mbps to 3 Xbox’s and the rest of just for smart home security and about 4 Wyze cams.  
by (1.1k points)
How strong are your IT skills. For such a small home one of the prosumer devices seems perfect amplfi HD
0 votes
by (2.1k points)
I have heard a lot about ubiquiti. Could someone PLEASE just point me in the right direction on what to buy when starting from scratch? 2 story 1, 500 square feet with a large garage and basement. And HEAVY data traffic
by (2.1k points)
@gallup1 Your ISP modem in bridge mode connected to USG (Ubiquity Router) connect it to an Eight Port POE Switch ( UniFi 8 port 150W POE), then two UniFi 802. 11 AC Pro centered in ceiling on each floor. That is what I recommend based on your description. If you provided square footage of each floor that would be helpful.  
by (2.1k points)
@acinaciform I don’t have a square footage per floor, however I do have a budget of $500 for this project. I would say downstairs 800, upstairs, 700, and I want to cover a two car garage and a large back deck
by (2.1k points)
@gallup1 So this would likely work. You could start with one Access Point installed in the ceiling centered in the your main floor of your home. You also need Cat6 cabling to connect it up. Then a spare PC to configure it using UniFi controller. There is a learning curve. But, once it’s running you are done. I have one AP in my 600 Square foot garage with loft. It is connected to the 1100 square foot house via a P2P gigabit wireless wire from Mikrotik. The house has one AP and is two floors. I have a separate AP for the backyard. Never an issue.  
by (2.1k points)
@acinaciform you had me until you mentioned the p2p gigabit wireless wire. Can you elaborate?  
by (2.1k points)
@gallup1 you will not need one. My garage is detached and sits 100 feet from the house. So instead of trenching cat6 between the garage and house I installed a wireless high speed link.  
by (2.1k points)
@acinaciform gotcha. Thank you for the info. Never even hear of it. I do plan on having the modem in the garage.  
by (2.1k points)
@gallup1 no problem. Let me know if you need any help. Pictures of the existing wiring and layout are also helpful.  
by (2.1k points)
@acinaciform we move in two weeks. I will for sure be back on for advice. The garage has a loft as well and easy cable chase. Thank you for all of your input.  
by (110 points)
@gallup1 I totally support @acinaciform on the choice of Ubiquiti. It's just the best you can get, but a bit pricy. Once you have it installed and experience how good wifi can get, you will definitely think it was with the money. The good thing is that you can aways expand the system with additional switches and AP's as your requirements change. Now I'm really fascinated by the USG ability: intrution prevention system IPS that block unwanted traffic. If you are too, remember to choose the right one as the small USG caps the max bandwidth to around 80mbit if you enable threat management. With time you can switch to the new Dream Machine Pro which can handle 3500 mbit when IPS is enabled.  
by (2.4k points)
@gallup1 just start with a dream machine.  
0 votes
by (2.1k points)
UniFi or nothing.  
by (170 points)
@gallup1 No, AmpliFi is the one that DOESN'T need every AP to be hardwired. They bounce off each other until it finds the hardwired one. UniFi APs all need to be hardwired.  
by (170 points)
So if you can run an ethernet cable to each place, get UniFi. If you can't, get AmpliFi (or Google or Eero or one of the others).  
by (170 points)
I've had a Luma mesh for years now, but they are essentially out of business. They were bought by First Alert and the system is on life support.  
by (1.7k points)
Not strictly accurate. Amplifi is their mesh range for plug and play consumer type stuff. Unifi does mesh too but on a proper scale. Look at the new UDM and it's mesh repeaters as a perfect example of unifi mesh options.  
by (170 points)
@tendentious Yeah! I just noticed that they do mesh now. I didn't notice they added it to the UniFi product line up. Good to know. Thanks!  
0 votes
by (1.1k points)
Secondly is the home wired for cable.  
0 votes
by (1k points)
Second the unifi suggestion. leave the mesh toys alone
by (2.1k points)
@manichaeism are the AP’s all hardwired though?  
by (2.4k points)
@gallup1 you can have an AP use wireless uplink, but it cuts your throughput in half, at best. For 1500 sq ft you only need one well placed AP, or maybe two depending on floor plan.  
0 votes
by (390 points)
I have google wifi mesh in 2 houses and love it. No issues at all and easy to configure.  
by (390 points)
I have 3 pucks in a 3200 sq foot house and 2 in a 2200 sq foot house on 4 levels. Small footprint but no connectivity issues. 2 TVs streaming. A couple of computers. 4 busy arlo cameras, Rachio Irigation controller, Flume water sensor, a Rainforest Eagle and a couple of Raspberry pis.  
0 votes
by (150 points)
I bought the eero mesh system. Been TERRIFIC
0 votes
by (610 points)
I went through all sorts of routers including D-Link, Linksys, and all sorts of other brands including nighthawk, after getting a Google WiFi I've never had issues and don't think I'll go back to anything else, even with 1 router I got amazing coverage but purchased 2 more pucks to get a solid connection in my basement. Give it a try!  
0 votes
by (2.4k points)
Ubiquity AC pro Access point, gateway USG and 8 or 24 port unifi switch
by (200 points)
@mastrianni, I have a USG and an AC Pro access point sitting around that I don’t currently have set up (still using the old D-Link 810L). I find the USG to be confusing, and I don’t like how it requires separate hardware to access the management interface. I do, however, very much like the access points and have used them in residences and businesses alike. Would it be pointless for me to ‘upgrade’ to the dream machine? Would that just combine the USG, AP, and management interface (Cloud Key, which I don’t use) into one unit?  
by (2.4k points)
@filch I have all mine in 1 software and nothing special. I have since then merged them to the cloud key
0 votes
by (410 points)
As far as you not getting 1 gig. Is your cable modem rated for 1 gig?  
by (2.1k points)
@vendee948 yes it is.  
by (410 points)
You can login to your modem (not router) and check the signal of your channels. If you have a gig modem you should have like 32 downstream and 8 up. If you are not getting your speeds you will have one that is probably out of spec for a reason. Are you seeing wifi or ethernet cable via lan? If wifi there are a whole range of things that could be causing the speed issue.  
by (410 points)
Usually when those channels are out of spec its an issue with noise on your system. One time i had issues and it was the wall outlet that my cable was connected to. The nut on the inside was really loose and was causing noise. Tightened it up and boom perfect speeds. Also splitters are a huge issue. Sometime you need to cap an empty one on a splitter cause you get bleeding. I would start by looking at your modem signals first. You can look online to see what range they should be within.  
by (2.1k points)
@vendee948 the issue isn’t so much the speed as it is the connectivity. I mean, I can live with 300mbs down two floors away from the router lol. What I can’t deal with is no connection.  
by (410 points)
So if you are dropping connection it's because you are dropping signal. Think of it like electricity. Your light goes out your check the bulb. Bulb is good, then you check the fixture the bulb goes into. Fixture is good, then you check the wiring. Same with internet, it's just it's signal instead of power. Signal though is made with power. The more power the stronger your signal. If your modem isn't sending a strong signal to your router because of noise, then wouldn't your router then be sending out a weaker signal because it's receiving one? Bottom line you have interference (signal noise) or a bad modem or router. There are literally a hundred things that could be causing it. My deal is start from the beginning then trace out. What is the use of checking the bulb or the lamp wiring etc. when you need to just check to see first quickly if the lamp is plugged in. If your modem is rated for 1gig (which means it has the appropriate number of streams 32down 8up usually) and they are all within spec for signal power and noise reduction. then you can go to the next step cause you know that the modem isn't the problem. The next step is the router. Plug in something directly to lan port of router and check speed should get 1gig right? Nope, only if the ethernet cord is 1 gig rated and the device networking card is 1 gig rated. Even then you are still bound to signal strength of the modem. and what security measures you have on your router etc. I'm 100% not saying it isn't your router. What i will say is that router out of 34, 000 reviews on amazon gets almost a FULL 5 stars. It's a good router and shouldn't be your issue.  
0 votes
by (230 points)
If you are looking at unifi switches go with the gen 2 switch's . The 16 and 24 port are fanless so great for home use.  
0 votes
by (1.7k points)
Unifi dream machine all the way. Having installed a few now, they are so tidy compared to buying separates. Well worth the investment.  
by (810 points)
+1 for UDM . perfect router and a starter for unifi family. and if/when your needs grow it's easy to expand with range beacons, wired access points or mesh units.  
by (200 points)
@tendentious and @unbelief, I have a USG and an AC Pro access point sitting around that I don’t currently have set up (still using the old D-Link 810L). I find the USG to be confusing, and I don’t like how it requires separate hardware to access the management interface. I do, however, very much like the access points and have used them in residences and businesses alike. Would it be pointless for me to ‘upgrade’ to the dream machine? Would that just combine the USG, AP, and management interface (Cloud Key, which I don’t use) into one unit? The software and system are one and the same?  
by (810 points)
@filch yes. you are correct. UDM combines USG, AP, cloud key and a switch plus it has better processor than USG. But if you already have most of it just install UniFi controller on any computer (pc/mac) and connect together. You can buy standalone version also or put it on a server. Controller doesn’t have to run all the time so for small house it’s not necessary. Managing for the first time it can be a little confusing but after 25-30 minutes you won’t want to get back to “traditional “ router.  
by (1.7k points)
@filch, the management is done in the controller software, it is good for ubiquiti to have this separate from the router etc as more features and hardware support are just an update away. The controller software just keeps getting better and better. You can run the management on a cloudkey, on a local PC or server or you can install it in the cloud on your own machine or pay to hook it up to someone else's controller. This is why it's so versatile. The controller only needs to be running to make changes so can be run on your laptop and just open it when you want to make changes. That said, when the controller is running all the time, you can make use of the IDS and IPS systems but you might not be interested in that. Firewalls in general can be confusing to people that are not used to them, especially as rules that you write can be very specific or very broad. Crosstalk solutions have a really good you tube channel that does some great tutorials on how to get started with the basics and progress from there. I would strongly advise you spend a while and persevere with the controller, once you get used to it, you will never want to go back to crap hardware again  Also, once you understand the controller, adding more devices is really quick a d easy as you already know your way round.  
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