ᐅ Which Router Is Best for Our New Home?

Created on: 5 May 2022 12:31
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Manatarms123
Hello,

we are planning our new build with a developer and have an appointment with the electrician soon.

I am working on the LAN planning.

I will plan enough LAN connections for every room and also in the garage.

Should we use a mesh Wi-Fi router system, for example Netgear Orbi, Amazon Eero (one unit on each floor or in the most important rooms, which can be expanded as needed if there are coverage gaps) or something similar, or does it have to be an expensive PoE access point network?

I would say we are users with a higher-than-average standard.

I want to have good Wi-Fi coverage throughout the house so that I always have enough Wi-Fi on my phone for browsing.

A speed of 50–100 Mbps on the phone would be sufficient, but it should be stable (we will have a 500 Mbps or maybe only a 250 Mbps connection).

Do the access points have to be PoE devices mounted on the ceiling, or is that maybe a bit too much for us?

Or is a regular mesh router system (e.g., Netgear Orbi) enough for us?

Running the PoE cables will most likely be very expensive with the electrician (typical for developer projects :/ ).
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Pinkiponk
11 Jun 2022 07:43
Are you having any success with the providers? We (State of Saxony / Leipzig district) are in a situation where the fiber optic cable (as well as the copper cable) is already laid on the property and just needs to be brought into the house. We have already received an offer for over 999 euros (about 1,100 USD) from the provider, but since March, it has not been possible for anyone to come and install the cable inside the house. By phone and email, it takes a long time on hold before we finally reach someone who then tells us to refrain from further inquiries. How is it going for you or your providers? Here, they are playing "dead beetle."
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Reggert
11 Jun 2022 08:32
@Pinkiponk Order placed with the telecom provider in October 2021, June 8th was given as the appointment date, but it is still listed as in planning and they are currently investigating the cause.
The cable is 5 m (16 feet) away from the house.
My feedback was to expect 6 to 10 months until the connection is established.
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Manatarms123
13 Jun 2022 14:48
Which Wi-Fi access points would you recommend for me?
I would prefer to use a switch and router from the same manufacturer/system.

Unifi or TP Link Omada?

Or another system?
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Prager91
13 Jun 2022 14:51
Manatarms123 schrieb:

Which Wi-Fi access points would you recommend to me?
I would like to get a switch and router from the same manufacturer/system.

Unifi or TP Link Omada?

Or another system?

I have been using two ZyXEL Cloud WiFi 6 AX1800 access points for about 10 weeks now.
One is installed in the attic and one on the ground floor, and I am really very satisfied.

Installation is very easy, the access points are well-made and suitable for both wall and ceiling mounting.

The reception is very good, even though the access points are not placed in ideal locations (mounted on walls in the “corners”).

You can check the status of each access point via an app and also make various other settings (in my opinion, this is not necessary).

At around €80 per access point, they are also relatively affordable.

I would definitely recommend them!

My switch is from YuanLey and my router is a Speedsport Smart 4 – both work fine with this setup.
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Manatarms123
14 Jun 2022 07:48
What other recommended alternatives are there for access points?

Unifi is mentioned most frequently.

TP-Link Omada is also often mentioned.

Omada is always praised for its price-performance ratio.

Which access points would you recommend more? Zyxel, Unifi, or Omada? Or others?
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Jentopa
4 Jan 2023 14:29
Hello everyone,
I’m revisiting this thread because my question fits well here.
Following recommendations from here, I’ve decided on 3 Netgear WAX 218 access points (one per floor), even though they cost a bit more; possibly adding an outdoor access point as well. Now my questions:
  • Does the (PoE) switch need to be from the same manufacturer? Are there any advantages to that?
  • If I only have 3 PoE access points, can I connect them to a "small" PoE switch and use a non-PoE switch for the other LAN ports? Is connecting the switches straightforward?
  • What happens if, for example, a 24-port PoE switch—aside from costs and possible noise—is also used for non-PoE devices? Could that damage the connected devices?

Thanks a lot!