Best way to cover a large building?

pauldavis123

A friend asked me to do the networking on a house he has down the country as I help him with his tech all the time.

He has one internet connection with the operator's wifi modem and a ubiquity AP set up elsewhere in the building using CAT6 to extend coverage. I set this up ages ago but the internet has grown more important recently!

This covers about half the place and rather than run loads more CAT6 wires to the access points I was wondering is there a better way to do it is?

Wirelessly is preferable as long as it's robust.

Obviously, the cost is a major concern

pauldavis123

Anyone?

RangeR

Are the internal walls concrete or stud partition?
This will be your biggest hurdle in putting up wireless AP's without cable backhaul.

The next big question would be, are there any large dense [mainly metal] objects [TV's, Microwaves, hard wood chairs, tables, furniture, cabinets] blocking from the existing AP wo the proposed AP locations?

Are there any competing wifi signals from other neighbours?


The best recommendation is to put in one or two more unifi AP's and hardwire them back, just because you have one in already. They don't have to be hardwired back to the router but you can daisy chain them.

Next best is to put in a wifi mesh. There are many. I have Google Wifi [3 points]. Others have used DECO.

These meshes work wired or wireless [your preference]. If using wireless backhaul, they create the backhaul on a different channel so as not to interfere with the usable connection to devices. But this will only be as good as environmental conditions allow.

However, you can test the wireless backhaul then add cable if it's just not reliable.

pauldavis123

OK, thanks for a great post!

Looks like they will be wired as the walls are super thick.

Two more access points ordered.

wonski

I recently used TP link (over the power socket/wired) to extend range by connecting another access point directly to it and worked a charm.

At least saved me from running the cables.

They do need to be on the same circuit, though.

Very cheap solution.

It is an old technology now so mesh systems are the future.

babelfish1990

pauldavis123 wrote: »

A friend asked me to do the networking on a house he has down the country as I help him with his tech all the time.

He has one internet connection with the operator's wifi modem and a ubiquity AP set up elsewhere in the building using CAT6 to extend coverage. I set this up ages ago but the internet has grown more important recently!

This covers about half the place and rather than run loads more CAT6 wires to the access points I was wondering is there a better way to do it is?

Wirelessly is preferable as long as it's robust.

Obviously, the cost is a major concern

He should switch off WiFi in the ISP modem, and use Ubiquiti APs to cover the whole house. If he leaves WiFi on in the ISP modem, it will interfere with the Ubiquiti APs, and he won't get seamless handovers on mobile devices moving between zones (802.11r - fast roaming).

Alternatively, if his ISP is Eir, and if he has the Eir F3000 modem, they offer their own brand mesh APs, that work with the F3000. https://www.eir.ie/smartwifi/