Current router on its way out... possible replacement?

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urbanracer34

New Member
Jul 4, 2014
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I'm not quite sure if this fits here, but here we go:

I have an old AirPort Extreme 802.11ac that the 5Ghz radio is going on it. Usually stuff on the 5Ghz band will randomly go to 6 Mbps speed and drop everything. I have verified this on 2 separate machines. When this happens the machines say "no internet." Luckily the 2.4Ghz radio is fine, and switching to it restores connectivity immediately.

I have FTTH 150/75 with the potential of increase all the way to gigabit. My family downloads and games heavily.

Here is what I was thinking for hardware:

UniFi Dream Machine Pro Enterprise Security Gateway Router w/ 10G SFP+ $570
UniFi 8 60W 8-Port Managed Gigabit PoE Switch $180
U6-Lite-US UniFi 6 Lite Access Point $150

That is my dream setup and what I think is best. I am welcome to other ideas.
 

seang86s

Member
Feb 19, 2013
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Is one access point enough to cover your home? Is it enough to handle all your wireless clients? You might benefit in adding an additional access point and theoretically splitting all your wireless clients between two APs and therefore, two separate gigabit connections.
 

urbanracer34

New Member
Jul 4, 2014
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Is one access point enough to cover your home? Is it enough to handle all your wireless clients? You might benefit in adding an additional access point and theoretically splitting all your wireless clients between two APs and therefore, two separate gigabit connections.
Yes, one access point covers my whole home, and yes, it handles all clients well.
 

coxhaus

Active Member
Jul 7, 2020
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I like Cisco small business solution. I run a Cisco RV340 router, a Cisco L3 SG350-10P switch and 2 Cisco WAP581 wireless APs setup in single point mode as 1 virtual AP. If a Cisco L3 switch is too difficult to configure then you can run a Cisco RV345P and a couple of Cisco wireless APs.
This will give flexibility on your home network. The RV340 router is very stable and Cisco keeps it up to date with free firmware updates. The last time I looked the cost is less than what you have above for my setup for my setup anyway.

We have a lot of Apple devices like iPhones, AppleTV 4K, and iPads. They work well with Cisco wireless.
 
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sic0048

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Dec 24, 2018
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I don't think there is anything wrong with the choices you have made. One of the biggest benefits to going with a "all Ubiquity" architecture is the fancy GUI you can use.

That being said, there are certainly much cheaper and more capable options out there. Personally I run a pfSense firewall/router on a HP thin client that I bought used on ebay. Between the device and a multiport Intel network card, I probably have $150 in it. I also have a 48 port POE switch that I bought used on EBay for about $110 (Aruba S2500). I then use Ubiquity access points for my wireless needs. When I first bought the switch, I had maybe 5 devices that were POE (but needed more than the 24 ports my old switch had). Now I have closer to 20 POE devices and I'm using probably 40 ports in total. Always plan for the future when you are buying hardware!

I don't have a single, slick GUI to look at, but I have a much more robust system at a fraction of the cost.

Don't be afraid to buy used networking/computer gear. Companies are constantly changing hardware which provides plenty of inventory for the resellers. It's not because the old stuff is bad, but because their needs change, or their lease runs out.
 
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gregsachs

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Aug 14, 2018
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You can get a USG-Pro or a USG3 for a steal, both will handle Gig as long as you aren't doing IPS. I run a USG pro I got for ~$100, a brocade 6450, and unifi aps. I previously had an Aruba S2500, those are nice too. I do have a few Unifi switches, the flex-mini at $29 is a good buy for managed switch, would be even better if it had POE pass through on a port. I also have a UAP-IW-HD that works as a switch. Honesty don't see much benefit of the unifi core, vs the firewall and ap for ease of maangement. Yeah, need to mess with CLI for the 6450, but that isn't very often.
I believe all unifi POE switches are currently OOS, as are the -6 access points. If you aren't going to go to Gig FTTH, -6 doesn't add much, and again could find -ac-pro units readily available on used market.