Currently just got HFC and would like to upgrade my home wifi. Need some advice on what to buy, in terms of having the best setup for my home. I have no budget for this, but i'm willing to spend to make it future proof.
Setting up a Ubiquiti Wi-Fi system?
AmeJaieXD on 30/07/2019 - 00:41
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Ubiquiti UniFi nanoHD has replaced UAP-AC-PRO as the go-to access point: 4x4 802.11ac Wave 2, MU-MIMO.
Also an LR will not give your devices long range access, they may see and hold the connection but the devices antenna won't be able to reply. Only use LRs when you are meshing them over longer ranges and set them to disconnect devices that are too far away.
I run the controller in a Docker container on my qnap, but you'll see a lot of people advising getting a cloud key. If you want something quicker, easier and more stable, get a cloud key. If you're a tight arse run the Docker container or a raspberry pi.
or a raspberry pi.
Don't use a pi. I'm on my 5th rebuild of my pi controller now. Every time the device loses power, the SD card gets corrupted. Look at it the wrong way - corrupted. It's been horribly unreliable.
If you're just running a single UniFi AP then you don't need a controller. The NanoHD typically has much better signal strength compared to the usual crap that the ISP supplies so you might be surprised to find that one WAP may do the job. You can setup the WAP through the UniFi app on Android or iOS and that's it.
https://lazyadmin.nl/home-network/setup-unifi-ap-without-con…
If you want to add a second WAP then a controller is recommended. Controller doesn't have to be running all the time though so you can just install it on a PC. OR if you've got a NAS that can run Docker containers then set it up in a Docker. Personally I run the linuxserver/unifi-controller:latest container on my UnRAID NAS box. It's updated very regularly.
email/or online chat Ubiquiti to get their thoughts, they are there 24/7 & are very friendly
Depends how big your house is and if you've got multiple storeys or metal wall framing. My house isn't that big and one nano AC does the lot, although it would be nice to have a second one in a mesh I don't reckon I need it.
Don't bother with the cloud key, just run it locally on your PC till you have it set up and then you can shut the service down. Can always just use the Android app to set up. Personally my controller is running on a cloud server at Digital Ocean, if I need it I just make sure its running , occasionally I need to readopt the AP to the controller to manage it but once it is set up there is no real need to do anything more.
First you’ll need a router, I suggest an EdgeRouter-X for the best bang for the buck, or a USG if you want to control all your unifi gears from the same panel.
For wifi, it depends on your home layout. If you want future proof, buy UAP-AC-PRO as they have 3x3 MIMO, compared to 2x2 on the LITE or LR version. Just start with 1 AP and scale up to cover the whole house.
You’ll need to run a controller somewhere, could be on your laptop (it doesn’t have to keep running after you set it up). Or you could buy a CloudKey, it’s like a controller on a stick.
You will potentially need a switch, something like 16 or 24 ports with POE support will be sufficient for most home. If you don’t anticipate many wired devices, a 8-port would do too.