Which ubiquiti access point do i need?

[TheSign]

Hey,

I have many years ago setup 3 access points which was ubiquiti and they worked so well, even auto setup when i added more points, and i want to try this again, but i have been out of the game for over 5 years, and what i need now is also very different.

I want a better wifi for my house, im sick of having to swap between 2 wifi networks cos one cant cover my house and workshop.

Should i be looking at one point that is long range like Ubiquiti Networks UniFi 6 Long Range or should i be looking at 2 cheaper points. I already have lan cable at both ends of the house.
 

I have attached a photo that shows the placement of my 2 current wifi networks, the one closest to my workshop can just about reach since i use a stronger USB antenna, which i would to lose, since its not stable.

I am very dead set on using ONLY Ubiquiti. But i have to admit, i am pretty much the only user on the network, so this is why i may want to look into cheaper end and more devices over 1 long range. But i have no idea what i should be doing.

[Bad5ector]

1 hour ago, Pierre3400 said:

I have many years ago setup 3 access points which was ubiquiti and they worked so well

 

1 hour ago, Pierre3400 said:

I want a better wifi for my house, im sick of having to swap between 2 wifi networks cos one cant cover my house and workshop.

Maybe I am misunderstanding the question. If you already setup 3 access points that were Ubiquiti in your house but you have two wifi networks? Shouldn't that all be the same network? Not two. They should "mesh" together, so that you don't have to switch between two separate wifi networks. 

 

As for the wifi in your workshop, I assume you don't have a network drop (wire) already in place and are looking to piggy back off of a wifi signal from your house?

[TheSign]

You are misunderting, or i am not explaining correct. I setup a 3 access point network 5/6years ago at my old job.

Since then i have changed jobs and now i dont work in IT, and i have bought a house.

[Falcon1986]

1 hour ago, Pierre3400 said:

You are misunderting, or i am not explaining correct. I setup a 3 access point network 5/6years ago at my old job.

Since then i have changed jobs and now i dont work in IT, and i have bought a house.

So what do you have now in the house? And how are they configured? Also, do you have ethernet running to the workshop?

 

5 hours ago, Pierre3400 said:

Should i be looking at one point that is long range like Ubiquiti Networks UniFi 6 Long Range

LR is actually meant for wide-open spaces where there is little to no physical obstruction to wireless signals.

[wseaton]

If you are familiar with setting up Ubiquiti get a couple AP lites (their wifi 6 versions should be rolling out) and be done with it. They install the same way as your last experience. The controller is free provided you run it on your own computer. 

 

More APs always trump higher power APs unless client density is an issue, which it isn't here. Ive always felt LR type APs are a bit of a gimmick since broadcast strength is limited by the FCC and more often your client device and obstructions, not the AP. 

[TheSign]

I have ordered 2x AP 6 Lite. 

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

4 hours ago, Pierre3400 said:

I have ordered 2x AP 6 Lite. 

 

Bear in mind that AP only has WiFi 6 on 5Ghz, its still WiFi 4 on 2.4Ghz so doesn't benefit from faster speeds when you're out of range of 5Ghz.  Probably not a big deal (especially if you only use 2.4Ghz for IoT devices), but I consider it rather disturbing they do not make this clear in the marketing.

[TheSign]

On 4/30/2022 at 8:15 PM, Alex Atkin UK said:

Bear in mind that AP only has WiFi 6 on 5Ghz, its still WiFi 4 on 2.4Ghz so doesn't benefit from faster speeds when you're out of range of 5Ghz.  Probably not a big deal (especially if you only use 2.4Ghz for IoT devices), but I consider it rather disturbing they do not make this clear in the marketing.

Not an issue for me, i only use Wifi for my phone and TV, all my PC's are cabled.

That said, i love the APs, the range from one was enough to cover my whole house!

[Falcon1986]

Adding this here for anyone else interested...

 

While Ubiquiti doesn't make it easy for you to see their radiation pattern documentation for the new WiFi 6 APs, hearsay suggests that the LR versions have a slight antenna orientation change compared to the Lite/Pro, allowing the former to have a "wider signal cone" (therefore, wider range) compared to the latter. This allows power output to stay within the regulated limit but changes focus of the signal depending on the application.

[Alex Atkin UK]

6 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Adding this here for anyone else interested...

 

While Ubiquiti doesn't make it easy for you to see their radiation pattern documentation for the new WiFi 6 APs, hearsay suggests that the LR versions have a slight antenna orientation change compared to the Lite/Pro, allowing the former to have a "wider signal cone" (therefore, wider range) compared to the latter. This allows power output to stay within the regulated limit but changes focus of the signal depending on the application.

Which makes sense, LR "should" be focusing on a single elevation at the cost of less signal above and below.

[wseaton]

LR is still kind of a gimmick in my book and I've not found LR units do better than regular units.

 

There's a reason Ruckus with their beam forming tech costs a lot more money.