What I found when I bought a commercial-grade WiFi access point

Ubiquiti UAP-AC-LR wifi access point

 

I live in a "BC Box" home, a rectangular house designed to maximize the interior space. These homes put the natural gas furnace and hot water heater in the center of the house, in the basement, with sheet metal ducts and copper piping spreading tentacle-like throughout the home. 

My Internet service arrives via an ADSL cable in the basement, at a corner -- the worst possible location. For more than a decade, I battled to get a strong, reliable WiFi signal past all that metal in the middle of the house. A few years ago, I installed four WiFi access points, roughly one near each corner, with three connected by ethernet cables, cables that mostly are out of sight by snaking them through utility and storage rooms. The fourth one is a WiFi repeater.

(When we renovated the basement, I was clever enough to run a network cable through the ceiling, from one end of the basement to the other. But not clever enough. The year was 1999, and the network cable was coax with BNC connectors -- useless today.)

Problems
One drawback to four WiFi access points is that they employ four different SSIDs. Devices such as smartphones will disconnect from one, once the signal is too weak, and then automatically connect to the strongest one, but only once the first signal really is weak. So, I began looking for a single-SSID solution.

Another drawback to WiFi is that the network occasionally disappears as we watch streaming video (such as Netflix). My wife waits patiently as I work to reconnect. The access point second-closest to our entertainment room has a reliable signal, but isn't strong enough as it is just a bit too far away; the closest one has a strong signal, but isn't reliable. So, I began looking for a strong, reliable solution.

And then there is the son-in-law problem. When he comes to visit, he uses my otherwise-unused XBox 360 to play online multi-player games. WiFi speeds don't cut it, and so he strings an ethernet cable from the nearest access point, over a couple of doors, to the XBox. Thoughtfully, he unplugs the cable when he's done. So, I began looking for a wired solution. (I think I found one, but the equipment has not yet arrived for me to report on its success or failure.)

Solutions
I first looked into mesh WiFi, which offers the benefit of a single SSID, but these systems are really expensive, ranging from CDN$400 to over $500 for a set of three access points. I read in reviews that the hand-off between access points is not necessarily smooth. I suspect it's not as bad as using WiFi at the airport, where I'm forever having to manually reconnect, but still.

While researching mesh WiFi, I came across commercial-grade access points. These are ones used by businesses. You may have seen white boxes or UFO-like shells with blue lighting mounted near ceilings. That is them. Commercial-grade WiFi is much stronger than consumer-grade WiFi (I want signal strength!), provides far more granular control over settings (which I don't care about), and isn't all that expensive (bonus!).

Commercial-grade access point mounted on a ceiling

 

Now, commercial-grade WiFi has a bit of a bad rap, given the poor WiFi experience we have in hotels and airports, and on airplanes. This can be excused by the number of people putting a big load on the system; or the system being too weak to handle the numbers of users. It is just like an insufficiently-strong air conditioning system.

When it came to picking one to buy, I found it confusing, as the names are awfully similar between models that have awfully similar specs. Do I choose a "Pro" version (the most expensive one) or the "Long Range" version (it sounded more attractive to my needs, and it cost less). I puzzled over why the Pro would have a shorter range.

I finally picked the Ubiquiti UAP-AC-LR, I hoping it would provide a strong, reliable WiFi signal. Its claim of a 600-foot range (for my 50-foot house) promised strength, while the commercial nature promised reliability. Its multi-character model number translates as follows:

UAP = Ubiquiti access point

AC = newest WiFi band it supports (a, b, g, n, and ac)

LR = long range

I ordered the UFO-looking device for CDN$129 from Amazon.ca with free one-week delivery and it arrived in a Prime-like time of the next business day. (I noticed then the list price rose to $131, perhaps reflecting that price changing tactic Amazon is being accused of.) The price was $170 at BestBuy.ca.

 

 

Installation

Commercial access points use PoE, which, when I came across it first, I nodded my head at knowingly, noting to self, "Yet another TLA [three-letter acronym] that means something to the network guys." Then I clued in that PoE was important to me, because it meant "power over ethernet." I panicked: did I have PoE? 

It turns out it's a clever solution to providing power to network devices without needing to run two cables -- power and network -- through walls and ceilings. Ubiquiti provides the PoE adapter in the box. Excuse me: it's not an adapter; it's called an "injector". A regular power cable plugs into one end, and the box transforms the 110V to 24V. The other end has two ethernet plugs: 

Incoming (LAN): one plug is for the network cable coming from your router or Internet modem.
Outgoing (PoE): the other plug is for the network cable going to the Ubiquiti access point; this cable carries the 24 volts and the data signal. 

I was relieved: no special network cable is needed; in fact, Ubiquiti includes no network cables in the box, and just a short power cable. But attaching the network cable to the Ubiquiti is difficult, as the unit is round, the cable end is a long rectangle, and Ubiquiti squeezed the port into a tight location. Eventually I wormed it in. 

In short, the unit is hooked up just like any other access point: by plugging a network cable into your router (or ISP-supplied modem). The only tricky part is where to locate the access point. The ideal location is in the center of the house, on the top floor. This is because the signal radiates like a sphere; having it in the basement loses some of the possible range. But I can't do that. Mine has to be in the basement, so I fitted it close to the ceiling, centered in the house as much as possible. In my wife's shoe closet, as it happens.

A mounting plate is included for wall and ceiling installation. Mine rests on the upper shoe shelf. Installation instructions are provided on a single sheet of paper printed in 6pt font (I figure), almost big enough to be legible. 

Operation
There is no on-off button, just a reset hole. The unit turns on when the power is plugged in. You will experience panic, as the device does not react for nearly a minute. Then, finally, a circle of light begins to glow. (I had a bonus duration of panic, as I had not fully inserted the power plug.)

The device is configured through any computer connected to the network. (You don't attach a network cable directly to the access point to configure it, as with some other brands.) Software runs in a Web browser, and so works on any operating system. It has a ton of configuration and monitoring details, which quickly become overwhelming, and some functions are available only when you have other Ubiquiti gear.

Me, I was concerned only with a very few options:

• Setting a user id and password to access the configuration utility; Ubiquiti does not provide any defaults, thankfully, as vendor-provided ones are a security risk, such as the infamous 'admin' and 'blank' 
• Specifying the SSID name and password for the access point; again, no default for greater security
• Turning on guest mode 
• Moving the signal to a better, less congested channel

The first two were straight forward, although the software wanted yet a third set of uid and password for an account with Ubiquiti.

Guest mode is a nice addition. It has no password, so guests can access the Internet easily while visiting here. It provides access to only the Internet, with no access to the rest of my network and its computers. I could even set up "hotel mode," where guests are limited in the duration during which they have access, but I have no need for that.

This device broadcasts WiFi at two frequencies, which is standard these days for access points: 

2.4HGz is the older, more common frequency, sometimes called G2 nowadays

5.0Ghz is the newer, faster frequency ("G5," not to be confused with 5G), which delivers data twice as fast as 2.4GHz, but has the drawback of a shorter range (due to the shorter wave length). Another drawback is that a surprising number of devices do not support 5GHz.

Among the myriad of options, I could not find where to change the channel number. By default, the WiFi signal is on channel 1, which is pretty crowded in any neighborhood. Moving it to an emptier channel allows the signal to run faster, without interference -- kind of like a football rush. At one point I needed to turn off the access point, and when I turned it back on the WiFi had moved to nearly-empty channel 8. So I suppose it figures it out itself; I could find no online help on this topic. 

TIP: The Android app WiFi Analyzer is very helpful in seeing which channels are crowded and for monitoring signal strength in realtime.

Ubiquiti has an app that runs on Android and iOS devices, but it is in beta and so failed repeatedly on me. It has a much simplified interface, with just a sprinkling of options. 

Conclusion
This one unit replaced an older WiFi access point in the closet, as well as the repeater I had elsewhere in the basement. It is strong enough to reach even my shed at the far side of the yard (where I use an aging Android as my boombox). I have not had the Ubiquiti unit long enough to confirm whether the signal is reliable. Guest mode is handy addition. The number of options is overwhelming, and so I hope the simple phone app gets working soon. The price is half of what I would pay for a strong consumer-style access point. 

https://www.ubnt.com/products/#unifi

 

 

Comments

[M A]

You probably can find an ethernet over coax adapter.

[Ralph Grabowski]

I have ordered just such an adapter, and so I am waiting to see if it works!

[Ralph Grabowski]

Good luck!

On Wed, Jul 26, 2017 at 11:19 AM Ralph Grabowski <[email protected]> wrote:

I have ordered just such an adapter, and so I am waiting to see if it works!

[Shirley Hicks]

Thanks for documenting your Ubiquiti installation. Am adding a link to your writeup for my CompTIA A+ students.

[Pascal Dornier]

I have one of these as well to replace crap wifi in the Icotera router I got from my ISP. Good news - very stable wifi. Bad news - JAVA based config software. For home use a simple web interface would be easier. Ask Toolbar, anyone ?

[Joe]

You put the access point in a closet and a repeater in the basement? No wonder you have such terrible Wi-Fi access.

[Ralph Grabowski]

No choice: the ADSL line arrives in the basement, at one corner of the two-story house.

[Nate]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Although it's a year and a half late for your purpose, readers arriving here might be interested to know that *most* Wifi routers - even across different vendors - *can* be configured to share a single SSID and even smoothly hand off devices between them. Of course setting up routers like this (as true "access points") can be just as challenging as picking out the right hardware for a job. It's a different type of work: lots of research, googling, re-configuring device settings, and a steep learning for the novice. Still - it's worth trying if you don't mind using those tiny pin-hole reset buttons a lot and want to save some money (but not time). +1 for Android WiFi analyzer app. Love it.

[Peter]

You had 4 APs with 4 different SSIDs, AND wireless repeaters for a single floor 50-foot home?? No wonder your WiFi was shit before.

[Ralph Grabowski]

Four WiFi points for a 1/5 of an acre of land and to handle a house with central heating consisting of large galvanized steel ducts that like to block the signal.
Hence I am very pleased with the power of the commercial-grade Wifi.

[MG]

Hello, like the other person said you could try a coax converter, but that aside in case you haven't found out how to set the channel manually, you do this from the controller software devices>select the ap>config>radios

The reason why it switched to a different channel upon restart is because those APs are set to automatic by default, but does the channel picking on startup only.

You can even analyze the rf environment from the controller as well in order to choose the best channel for both 2.4 and 5ghz.

[Erlis]

One little known fact about unifi access points is you can run a basic unifi co figuration via the unifi app on any smartphone/tablet. It's totally simple. You open the app and to add/manage the AP you simply scan the qr code on the bottom of the AP. Easy Peasy

[Scott]

I must agree with one of the previous posters, four WAP using four distinct SSIDs is bad design. Two common scenarios that are properly designed:

1) If one WiFi access point is acting as the border router, set-up that device in 'router' mode, set your preferred SSID on that device. Then set-up all other WiFi access points/routers in 'Access Point' mode, set the SSID the *same* as your device acting as the 'Router', be sure to set each device's channel to auto (or if you know what you're doing and have done a proper SNR audit of your space manually set the channels to minimize interference). Your wifi devices will now seamlessly switch between WAPs using the same SSID.

2) If you have a different, non-wifi device acting as the border router, set-up all four WiFi access points/routers in 'Access Point' mode, set the SSID the *same* on all four devices, be sure to set each device's channel to auto (or if you know what you're doing and have done a proper SNR audit of your space manually set the channels to minimize interference). Your wifi devices will now seamlessly switch between WAPs using the same SSID.

And don't forget to audit your wifi SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), not just your signal strength throughout your entire space. There are other factors but are more complex and usually beyond nonRF engineers, but SNR is as important as signal strength for stable, reliable, fast wifi. You can have very high signal strength but if your SNR is under 20 db, your connection is going to be slow and likely drop/renegotiate constantly.

[Sean h.]

Yeah there’s no reason different access points can’t all use the same SSID on a single network. Spread them out so that there’s not too much overlap. Make sure any two adjacent ones are using distinct non overlapping channels (1, 6, 11). Works fine.

[Steve Locantore]

I am an IT consultant. Though a proper access point is the best solution it is also rather costly. I use the TP-Link powerline devices in my home. It uses your electric wires to build a network of both Ethernet and WiFi access points. No wires to run, just plug it in and configure the WiFi and you are done.

[Andy Coulson]

I'm pretty sure commercial APs aren't any more powerful that consumer ones - they all have to comply with the same regulations. Why don't you just get some of those ethernet-over-110ac-wiring adapters? Although I haven't tried them, I've actually read that they do a pretty good job getting bandwidth to hard-to-reach areas.

[Ralph Grabowski]

ethernet-over-110ac-wiring adapters work poorly -- slow, with too many dropped connections. I've tried two different brands of them.

They, in effect, extend the ethernet wiring, not the WiFi range. At the other end, you still need to add a WiFi box, so the problem still is not solved.

A commercial grade WiFi indeed does transmit more power than a home-use one, just as a commercial-grade GPS is more accurate than consumer models.

[Joe]

just install OpenWRT and mesh your APs together to a single SSID like the other poster said. never had problems with that

[Ralph Grabowski]

While using OpenWRT is a valid solution, it is too technically advanced for most people with WiFi in their home.

Note also that the point of my exercise was to get rid of WifI units down to a single, powerful one -- and not have a mesh of them!

[Nick deMolitor]

I'd also add people should try to stick with wifi channels 1,6 or 11 to minimise overlap. If somone picks ch8 your overlapping with 6 and 11. If you just pick say 6 your only overlapping with 6. The day wifi 6 (802.11ax) becomes ubiquitous, will be a good day.

[Ralph Grabowski]

Better than guessing at which WiFi channels are free is to use a WiFi utility on your smartphone, which will tell you which ones are less crowded.

I say "less crowded" because there are in apartments and other locations so many WiFi signals that they tend to crowd each other.

[Daniel]

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[Jim]

Ubiquiti is not enterprise equipment, it's barely a step up from consumer grade.