I've started looking at an RPi (or even a PyBoard) to start playing with getting an IoT (Internet of Things) house working.
Would anyone know of any good routers that would be a good fit for many Wifi connected modules?
So far at the very least it would be:
- Central server (RPi or Pyboard)
- Phones and tablets which will have access to it (would cook up a simple app for that) - about 5-10 devices
- 2 Google Homes
- 4 sets of Phillips Hues
Also see below to understand how many WAPs you will need in real life. A conservative rule of thumb is 30-40 clients per radio per WAP. Latency begins to deteriorate and collision rate increases with increasing number of active clients. Since IoTs don't constantly communicate, more clients may be supported satisfactorily than the rule suggested.
I would go for an asus rt-AC68u and a couple of unifi WAP, which is the setup I have, and is relatively cheap. I put merlin software on the Asus, which is supported OS router software with additional features.
I would avoid the unifi routers, they have severe feature limitiations and require command line input for stuff that the Asus does in a gui.
This setup will give you all the features a home owner needs and good range. I run my router with the wifi off and just rely on the unifi stuff, but if you have a small place the asus might be fine by itself. I also have put in network cabling so my server, pc, tv and other devices are largely connected via cable. Only my mobile devices are on wifi.
If you get this up and running but still want more features, then pfsense may be the go. But unless you are in IT, pfense might be a steep learning curve. I am tempted to go with pfsense, but at least if I do I can tinker with it and then revert to the asus if the pfsense isn't 100% working.
Some like to tinker (including me) but I also sometimes just want to come home and watch netflix whilst I surf the web on an ipad, without worrying about whether my system has fallen over, needs a reboot or upgrade, or why I am suddently bandwidth limited.
Melbourne Uni connects +700 apps in smart campus drive
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/melbourne-uni-connects-700-ap…
pfsense/opnsense for routing, will handle 1000+ clients depending on hardware. Ubiquiti UniFi for Wi-Fi, will handle 200+ clients depending on the model.
Philips Hue system does not use Wi-Fi. You don't need to count them. Just one IP address is used for the bridge.