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 :/ ).
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 :/ ).
Have you read my previous post? One access point per floor can be enough, but it doesn’t have to be. It depends on the size and especially the walls.
Please plan a separate access point for the garden. When the door is closed, the windows block almost all the signal.
You can’t go wrong with any of the mentioned manufacturers. Just make sure to pay attention to the Wi-Fi standard and the speed in both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. So don’t buy very old access points just because they are 20 euros cheaper each.
Ubiquiti is centrally managed. Since you don’t seem to be very tech-savvy, I wouldn’t recommend it. The options can be overwhelming.
Instead, choose the Netgear WAX214 or WAX218. The 218 is significantly faster.
The setup is simple. Since you are planning so few access points, you don’t need special measures to prevent interference between them. The mentioned access points have a setup assistant. You open the website, enter the Wi-Fi name and password. Of course, there are more settings, but the assistant will help you. You do this for each access point. Keep the Wi-Fi name and password the same. Your devices will then switch automatically from one access point to another. With 5 access points, it can be done within 20 minutes. The first one takes the longest 😉
If you use 5 or more access points, I would recommend a PoE switch.
Please plan a separate access point for the garden. When the door is closed, the windows block almost all the signal.
You can’t go wrong with any of the mentioned manufacturers. Just make sure to pay attention to the Wi-Fi standard and the speed in both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. So don’t buy very old access points just because they are 20 euros cheaper each.
Ubiquiti is centrally managed. Since you don’t seem to be very tech-savvy, I wouldn’t recommend it. The options can be overwhelming.
Instead, choose the Netgear WAX214 or WAX218. The 218 is significantly faster.
The setup is simple. Since you are planning so few access points, you don’t need special measures to prevent interference between them. The mentioned access points have a setup assistant. You open the website, enter the Wi-Fi name and password. Of course, there are more settings, but the assistant will help you. You do this for each access point. Keep the Wi-Fi name and password the same. Your devices will then switch automatically from one access point to another. With 5 access points, it can be done within 20 minutes. The first one takes the longest 😉
If you use 5 or more access points, I would recommend a PoE switch.
M
Manatarms1239 May 2022 10:21Okay, so setting this up is not really different or more difficult than with regular mesh routers/repeaters or whatever you want to call them.
What other advantages does Ubiquiti offer?
I’m fairly familiar with the software.
I’m just not experienced with new construction where everything needs to be installed from scratch.
Should WiFi 6 be the minimum standard, or should it at least be WiFi 6E?
How can I determine in advance how many access points I will need and where, so that I can have the PoE cables installed accordingly? (PoE cables = Ethernet cables running centrally to the technical room to the PoE switch)
What other advantages does Ubiquiti offer?
I’m fairly familiar with the software.
I’m just not experienced with new construction where everything needs to be installed from scratch.
Should WiFi 6 be the minimum standard, or should it at least be WiFi 6E?
How can I determine in advance how many access points I will need and where, so that I can have the PoE cables installed accordingly? (PoE cables = Ethernet cables running centrally to the technical room to the PoE switch)
It’s exactly the same. What you’re referring to are mesh access points. These are access points that support mesh networking. Instead of being connected by cable, they use a significant portion of the Wi-Fi bandwidth to extend the network. As I said, good for retrofitting but not recommended for new builds.
If you’re already familiar with the software, Unify is great. You can copy the configuration from one access point to another and have a central overview. You can also trigger updates centrally. Most of the features Unify offers only work if you also use their switches and routers, so in this case, it’s not a big advantage.
A router is different from an access point.
In the Unify software, you can create a heatmap and enter walls and other obstacles, then position the access points. But this is still just an improved estimate. It’s better to install one or two extra cables. You first buy/install only the access points you think you need. Great if that covers your usage. If not, just add another one to an existing cable.
If you post a floor plan, we can help.
Wi-Fi 6 will be sufficient for many more years. It’s mostly about speed. Both access points I suggested are fast enough. The 218 is noticeably faster and would be my choice if I had to decide. For Unify, it’s still the NanoHD or FlexHD.
If you’re already familiar with the software, Unify is great. You can copy the configuration from one access point to another and have a central overview. You can also trigger updates centrally. Most of the features Unify offers only work if you also use their switches and routers, so in this case, it’s not a big advantage.
A router is different from an access point.
In the Unify software, you can create a heatmap and enter walls and other obstacles, then position the access points. But this is still just an improved estimate. It’s better to install one or two extra cables. You first buy/install only the access points you think you need. Great if that covers your usage. If not, just add another one to an existing cable.
If you post a floor plan, we can help.
Wi-Fi 6 will be sufficient for many more years. It’s mostly about speed. Both access points I suggested are fast enough. The 218 is noticeably faster and would be my choice if I had to decide. For Unify, it’s still the NanoHD or FlexHD.
M
Manatarms1239 May 2022 10:51I’m not familiar with the Unify software, but generally speaking, if the software isn’t particularly complicated.
If you use Unify access points (APs), should you definitely use their router and switch as well?
What advantages does Unify offer compared to Netgear?
Is it really necessary to mount the APs on the ceiling, or would wall mounting also be possible if the electrician does not want to install them in the ceiling?
Visually, the Unify APs look the best.
Unify also has a long-range version of their APs – what do you think about those?
If you use Unify access points (APs), should you definitely use their router and switch as well?
What advantages does Unify offer compared to Netgear?
Is it really necessary to mount the APs on the ceiling, or would wall mounting also be possible if the electrician does not want to install them in the ceiling?
Visually, the Unify APs look the best.
Unify also has a long-range version of their APs – what do you think about those?
For wall installation, there are in-wall models available. The UFO-shaped devices have a radiation pattern optimized for ceiling mounting. Mounted on the ceiling, the signal covers a wider area. When placed on the wall, you will have no reception in the room behind it.
A complete Unify system is great, but you should have some knowledge of network technology. The provider’s router then needs to be set to bridge mode. If you only have a modem, it’s simpler.
Long-range devices are slow and practically useless in Germany, as the transmission power is limited.
I think you would be better off with Netgear. It should simply work reliably, and you don’t want your network to become your hobby.
A complete Unify system is great, but you should have some knowledge of network technology. The provider’s router then needs to be set to bridge mode. If you only have a modem, it’s simpler.
Long-range devices are slow and practically useless in Germany, as the transmission power is limited.
I think you would be better off with Netgear. It should simply work reliably, and you don’t want your network to become your hobby.
M
Manatarms1239 May 2022 12:27Okay, so access points are usually preferred to be mounted on the ceiling to improve Wi-Fi coverage compared to wall-mounted models.
Is it possible to turn off the blue light on the nanoHD devices, or do they always blink?
I think I would be confident enough to configure that (as long as it’s not too complicated).
Currently, I have opened the ports on my internet provider’s router and set everything up. Most of the information can be found online anyway (and you only have to do it once).
I still don’t fully understand the advantages of a complete Unify system compared to, for example, Netgear.
What features does Unify’s software offer that others don’t?
I also saw that Unify offers a video doorbell. What do you think about it? (We are also considering installing a video doorbell.)
Is it possible to turn off the blue light on the nanoHD devices, or do they always blink?
I think I would be confident enough to configure that (as long as it’s not too complicated).
Currently, I have opened the ports on my internet provider’s router and set everything up. Most of the information can be found online anyway (and you only have to do it once).
I still don’t fully understand the advantages of a complete Unify system compared to, for example, Netgear.
What features does Unify’s software offer that others don’t?
I also saw that Unify offers a video doorbell. What do you think about it? (We are also considering installing a video doorbell.)
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