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Eir router 16 wireless connections

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  • 16-02-2020 1:24pm
    #1
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭


    Hi,

    Just added three yi cameras to our house and discovered that the eir router can only handle 16 wireless connections. How have people here got around this limit? Seems very low in this day and age where everything is connected.

    Thanks


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    #2
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    Hi,

    Just added three yi cameras to our house and discovered that the eir router can only handle 16 wireless connections. How have people here got around this limit? Seems very low in this day and age where everything is connected.

    Thanks

    Best solution is to go for seperate wireless access points, using something like unifi uap devices. Ideally, that would involve

    Wiring from your router to your AP or a number of APs
    Turning off the wireless in your existing router, or even replacing it with a non wireless router such as the ubiquit USG


    Lots of benefits if going the above route if you can, even aside from increasing the number of wireless clients your system can handle, imrovied coverage, throughout and reliability for example.

    Particularly important if you have lots of streaming devices, like security cameras operating over your wifi


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    #3
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    Running new cables would be difficult but I could use power line adapters.
    Could I just buy a new router and use the eir modem in bridge mode?

    How many devices would a new router manage?


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    #4
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    Running new cables would be difficult but I could use power line adapters.
    Could I just buy a new router and use the eir modem in bridge mode?

    How many devices would a new router manage?

    Can you describe the type of house, sq area, is it a bungalow, dormer etc ?

    Power line is a sticky tape solution, how is coverage in the house in general through your existing single router ?


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    #5
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    Dormer bungalow. Coverage ok in general but patchy in bedrooms as router in sitting room at the other end of the house


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    #6
    Chet T16
    Registered Users Posts: 2,320 ✭✭✭Chet T16


    16 seems an odd number. Have you many wired devices? Vodafone has a 30 device hard limit, Sky Q has 50.

    I'd stick a couple of Google Wifis in


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    #7
    donspeekinglesh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,862 ✭✭✭donspeekinglesh


    I used to have trouble when I tried to have more than 20 devices on the network when I had an Eir router, but 4 were wired.
    Switched to Google WiFi and now have up to 30 devices connected at any one time and no issues.


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    #8
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    donspeekinglesh wrote: »
    I used to have trouble when I tried to have more than 20 devices on the network when I had an Eir router, but 4 were wired.
    Switched to Google WiFi and now have up to 30 devices connected at any one time and no issues.

    Just looking into that. How much did it cost?


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    #9
    STB.
    Registered Users Posts: 5,380 ✭✭✭STB.


    cwboy wrote: »
    Hi,

    Just added three yi cameras to our house and discovered that the eir router can only handle 16 wireless connections. How have people here got around this limit? Seems very low in this day and age where everything is connected.

    Thanks

    I suspect you are using the 2.4Ghz band for your cameras.

    Use the 5Ghz band for your other devices, like phones etc.

    Is the Eir router one that has the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands ? Mine is.

    You could also get a cheap second router, Give it the LAN on the Eir, give an IP in the 100s and an SSID and run length of CAT 5 to it (up into attic maybe). Make sure your cameras connect to that.


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    #10
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    STB. wrote: »
    I suspect you are using the 2.4Ghz band for your cameras.

    Use the 5Ghz band for your other devices, like phones etc.

    Is the Eir router one that has the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands ? Mine is.

    You could also get a cheap second router, Give it the LAN on the Eir, give an IP in the 100s and an SSID and run length of CAT 5 to it (up into attic maybe). Make sure your cameras connect to that.

    My phone is on the 5ghz. If I got a cheap router for the likes of the Google homes, Chromecast, smart lights and cameras would there be any hassle with them on a different said?


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    #11
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    Dormer bungalow. Coverage ok in general but patchy in bedrooms as router in sitting room at the other end of the house

    Genuinely, with a dormer bungalow there would be a way of running a few cat 6 cables about the place. Would you have a section of the attic basically that runs all the way down from one have to the next ?

    You would need to run just one cable up to that point, then a small switch and you can feed out to 2 APs near either Gable end. A far better solution than a single router, or Google WiFi/mesh networking.

    Consider mesh networking is really only extending coverage, not capacity .

    With an ap, for example my setup I have 2 x unifi APs. With these APs I have configured a seamless wireless network throughout the house, with 3 seperate networks as follows

    Wexfordman home (for all the family
    Wexfordman iot (for all smart devices, smart speakers, steaming devices cameras etc)
    Wexfordman guest (for guest access, no pwd required, but secure).

    All of the above work in 2ghz and 5ghz layer.


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    #12
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    wexfordman2 wrote: »
    Genuinely, with a dormer bungalow there would be a way of running a few cat 6 cables about the place. Would you have a section of the attic basically that runs all the way down from one have to the next ?

    You would need to run just one cable up to that point, then a small switch and you can feed out to 2 APs near either Gable end. A far better solution than a single router, or Google WiFi/mesh networking.

    Consider mesh networking is really only extending coverage, not capacity .

    With an ap, for example my setup I have 2 x unifi APs. With these APs I have configured a seamless wireless network throughout the house, with 3 seperate networks as follows

    Wexfordman home (for all the family
    Wexfordman iot (for all smart devices, smart speakers, steaming devices cameras etc)
    Wexfordman guest (for guest access, no pwd required, but secure).

    All of the above work in 2ghz and 5ghz layer.

    That setup is interesting. The unifi aps are expensive enough. I have used them and know they are good.
    How many devices could this setup take.


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    #13
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    That setup is interesting. The unifi aps are expensive enough. I have used them and know they are good.
    How many devices could this setup take.

    The APs, go for about 90 euro each, I am estimating 2 would suffice.

    Don't forget that if you were to look at powerki e type solutiin, they are not that cheap either, and woefully unreliable.

    You could get one unifi AP so, get a really long run of cat cable and test it in different locations to see how it performs and where best to position it with reasonable access for running cable.


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    #14
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    wexfordman2 wrote: »
    The APs, go for about 90 euro each, I am estimating 2 would suffice.

    Don't forget that if you were to look at powerki e type solutiin, they are not that cheap either, and woefully unreliable.

    You could get one unifi AP so, get a really long run of cat cable and test it in different locations to see how it performs and where best to position it with reasonable access for running cable.

    Can I ask which unifi you have?


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    #15
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    Can I ask which unifi you have?

    I have 2 x unifi AP AC LR (originally got one LR thinking it might do the whole house, butbhad to go for the second.

    I also have the USG and a cloud key, but they are nice to have, not essential.


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    #16
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    The Unifi AP AC LR is a great device. I have it covering a large two storey house.
    It doesn't cover the extension because of the thick exterior walls so I used a Unifi AP AC lite connected over ethernet for that.


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    #17
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    Can I ask which unifi you have?

    I have 2 x unifi AP AC LR (originally got one LR thinking it might do the whole house, butbhad to go for the second.

    I also have the USG and a cloud key, but they are nice to have, not essential.


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    #18
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    Do you know if power is needed for the unifi or will the eir modem be able to power it via the cat 6 cable?

    Might try one ap and see it it covers the house.

    So all i need is the ap and a long run of cat 6?


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    #19
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    Do you know if power is needed for the unifi or will the eir modem be able to power it via the cat 6 cable?

    Might try one ap and see it it covers the house.

    So all i need is the ap and a long run of cat 6?


    They are powered by Poe, and the Poe injector comes with the ap.

    You will set it up with a laptop/PC using "controller software "
    In order to configure it, the laptop needs to be connected to your wired Lan as far as I remember.

    I purchased a cloud key controller, which is basically lan connected controller that allows you connect and configure remotely from anywhere .

    The unifi suite of hardware is excellent, I started with just an AP, but eventually moved to 2 x APs a USG and the cloud key controller .

    A Poe switch is on the wishlist, but very pricey


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    #20
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    Thanks for your help. Ap and cable ordered. Looking forward to some attic crawling now!!


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    #21
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    Thanks for your help. Ap and cable ordered. Looking forward to some attic crawling now!!

    Enjoy.

    From memory, it's a while since I did it without the cloud key controller, but a few setup things to know.

    1) A unifi device is configured via a controller
    2) The controller can be a PC, a physical cloud key device, or an App on your phone .
    3) Once your device is configured with a controller, it can only be viewed or edited from that controller, ie, it is tied to that controller .

    So, probably first time, use the app, but if you expand and go further then you might want to look at other options.


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    #22
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    I did read on amazon that the app was easier to set up than the softward. Will try that first.


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    #23
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    I did read on amazon that the app was easier to set up than the softward. Will try that first.

    Yep, it's easier, but I think it has a few restrictions, but unlikely to be a problem for just one device .


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    #24
    ED E
    Registered Users Posts: 36,166 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    Chet T16 wrote: »
    16 seems an odd number. Have you many wired devices? Vodafone has a 30 device hard limit, Sky Q has 50.

    Binary, have a think on that.


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    #25
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,358 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Sorry to hijack a thread but can you connect a Unifi AP directly to an EIR router? Any details would be great


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    #26
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    lordgoat wrote: »
    Sorry to hijack a thread but can you connect a Unifi AP directly to an EIR router? Any details would be great

    Hi,

    Yep, you absolutely can, that's was the first thing I did . I just got one so, and installed it. I disabled the router wifi, as it wasn't providing any additional coverage.

    Later i added a second so, and I upgraded to a unifi USG router at the same time.


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    #27
    lordgoat
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,358 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    wexfordman2 wrote: »
    Hi,

    Yep, you absolutely can, that's was the first thing I did . I just got one so, and installed it. I disabled the router wifi, as it wasn't providing any additional coverage.

    Later i added a second so, and I upgraded to a unifi USG router at the same time.

    Brilliant, thanks as ever Wex.

    Might drop you a PM on the how to in a few days time once I know when I can install


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    #28
    cwboy
    Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭cwboy


    I bought the Unifi and have it up in the attic but the speed seems to be very poor. I have it wired back to the router with cat6. The cable run is long. Could this be showing things?
    I googled and that said a long run shouldn't affect speed.


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    #29
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    cwboy wrote: »
    I bought the Unifi and have it up in the attic but the speed seems to be very poor. I have it wired back to the router with cat6. The cable run is long. Could this be showing things?
    I googled and that said a long run shouldn't affect speed.

    How long is the run, as long as it's below 100m, I really wouldn't worry.

    What speeds are you getting, on 2ghz and 5.8ghz ?

    What is your coverage like, when you say in the attic, is it a bungalow or 2 story ?

    The thing about these AP's , is they are OMNI antenna, so radiate ate 360 degrees, but the antenna pattern radiates outwards more than downwards, so if you have it too high, you will find the coverage underneath would be or could be fairly poor.


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    #30
    dam099
    Registered Users Posts: 1,081 ✭✭✭dam099


    wexfordman2 wrote: »
    The thing about these AP's , is they are OMNI antenna, so radiate ate 360 degrees, but the antenna pattern radiates outwards more than downwards, so if you have it too high, you will find the coverage underneath would be or could be fairly poor.

    Would the Unifi's not be designed to radiate downwards (as well as outwards) as they are meant for ceiling mounting? I can see being in an attic not being great on the next floor down as presume the assumed placement point in their design would be the ceiling below. I would have expected them to radiate like an upside down cone.


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    #31
    wexfordman2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭wexfordman2


    dam099 wrote: »
    Would the Unifi's not be designed to radiate downwards (as well as outwards) as they are meant for ceiling mounting? I can see being in an attic not being great on the next floor down as presume the assumed placement point in their design would be the ceiling below. I would have expected them to radiate like an upside down cone.

    Yes, they would radiate downwards, but if you think about it, typically, mounted at ceiling height, they don't need to radiate much in a downward direction where you typically have little more that a few metres of free space loss, most of the power would radiate outwards where you have both distance and objects to compensate for.

    Directly underneath the antenna is probably where you have the least power being radiated, and if you place the antenna too high, or above ceiling/roof you are going to have too much loss IMHO.


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