Switch and AP Recommendations

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JamesL

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#1502142 1-Mar-2016 14:08

Just FYI, looks like nicegear have the UAC AC Pro back in stock: https://nicegear.co.nz/wireless-equipment/ubiquiti-unifi-ac-pro-ap/

meesham

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#1502144 1-Mar-2016 14:21

Paul1977:

Thanks for the suggestions.

While you can get some good deals on ex-lease, anything that makes more than the slightest noise would be a bit annoying in a bedroom.

So am probably looking at buying a new web managed "smart" switch without a fan. Less management functionality, but it is just for a home network.

Looking at $300 max, has anyone used anything in this price range they would recommend?

I have a Zyxel GS1900 managed switch, it's 16 ports and importantly for me it's fanless, I have a home office and sits in the rack next to me. $197 at PBTech - http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=SWHZYX190016&name=ZyXEL-GS1900-16-16-port-GbE-Smart-Managed-Switch--

I run 4 VLANs on it and it hasn't missed a beat, the web UI is also pretty intuitive.

Earbanean

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#1502460 1-Mar-2016 21:09

meesham:

I run 4 VLANs on it and it hasn't missed a beat, the web UI is also pretty intuitive.

As a novice question , out of interest are VLANs managed on switches, rather than routers? Or is it a case that if the VLAN is defined based on hardware connections, then it's where the connections actually terminate. i.e. at either a switch or the router.

michaelmurfy

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#1502502 1-Mar-2016 22:27

I have a TP-Link TL-SG1016DE (16pt Gigabit Switch) that handles a few VLAN's as well as does port trunking for my server which runs a few VM's. Works incredibly well. I think I paid around $120 for it. For the Access Point I ended up going with the Xclaim XI-3 which for the price etc is really impressive since you don't need a controller (they have their own cloud controller). Range is excellent too.

For those interested here is a current view into my Network Cupboard (ONT is also installed in that cupboard) - Also, note the fan, I can sure make the ERL heat up at times!

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networkn

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#1502503 1-Mar-2016 22:30

xclaim is ruckus consumer device? I found only being able to manage it from 1 mobile device at a time was a deal breaker for me. I like my devices IP manageable from any device I can make a connection from. Having said that I currently have a Uni-Fi Pro which has 1 management console.

michaelmurfy

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#1502507 1-Mar-2016 22:35

networkn:

xclaim is ruckus consumer device? I found only being able to manage it from 1 mobile device at a time was a deal breaker for me. I like my devices IP manageable from any device I can make a connection from. Having said that I currently have a Uni-Fi Pro which has 1 management console.

They have a proper management portal now (called Cloudmanager) which also has a service provider management console for management of remote customer access points (you can also provide customer logins for management if required). You can manage it from any device (including mobile) via a web browser. It is quite neat and free and scales for any screen size. They've done an impressive job:

networkn

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#1502511 1-Mar-2016 22:45

michaelmurfy:

networkn:

xclaim is ruckus consumer device? I found only being able to manage it from 1 mobile device at a time was a deal breaker for me. I like my devices IP manageable from any device I can make a connection from. Having said that I currently have a Uni-Fi Pro which has 1 management console.

They have a proper management portal now (called Cloudmanager) which also has a service provider management console for management of remote customer access points (you can also provide customer logins for management if required). You can manage it from any device (including mobile) via a web browser. It is quite neat and free and scales for any screen size. They've done an impressive job:

Hmm interesting, I might see if I can get another to take a look.

We mostly sell the Engenius EAP350's but they have no management for groups of devices.

Does the cloud thing require a subscription or do you know if there is intent to do so for the future?

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michaelmurfy

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#1502515 1-Mar-2016 22:52

networkn:

Hmm interesting, I might see if I can get another to take a look.

We mostly sell the Engenius EAP350's but they have no management for groups of devices.

Does the cloud thing require a subscription or do you know if there is intent to do so for the future?

They state "Free" and given it is backed by Ruckus I don't think they're running out of money anytime soon to support it or to even start charging for it - they seem to have quite a sheer number of users. For you (being a service provider) their service provider portal would be ideal (and yes, it is free too). New features are rolled out quite often and my AP has an uptime of 3 months (since December). They're worth the money IMO (and no, this is not a paid endorsement by Ruckus to sell their products. I just really like mine as it keeps getting better).

I also have a Meraki MR16 (to the right of that photo) providing Free WiFi to the street via a separate VLAN. Meraki's are excellent with WiFi strength over a large distance whilst keeping the quality. I can safely say that the Xclaim betters that again as I can get 2.4GHz WiFi down at the train station around 100m away at 10-20mbit where the Meraki doesn't go that far. This does all depend on noise floor and a bunch of other factors but given I can see around 20 2.4GHz WiFi networks from my iMac I would say that is quite impressive.

networkn

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#1502518 1-Mar-2016 22:56

michaelmurfy:

networkn:

Hmm interesting, I might see if I can get another to take a look.

We mostly sell the Engenius EAP350's but they have no management for groups of devices.

Does the cloud thing require a subscription or do you know if there is intent to do so for the future?

They state "Free" and given it is backed by Ruckus I don't think they're running out of money anytime soon to support it or to even start charging for it - they seem to have quite a sheer number of users. For you (being a service provider) their service provider portal would be ideal (and yes, it is free too). New features are rolled out quite often and my AP has an uptime of 3 months (since December). They're worth the money IMO (and no, this is not a paid endorsement by Ruckus to sell their products. I just really like mine as it keeps getting better).

I also have a Meraki MR16 (to the right of that photo) providing Free WiFi to the street via a separate VLAN. Meraki's are excellent with WiFi strength over a large distance whilst keeping the quality. I can safely say that the Xclaim betters that again as I can get 2.4GHz WiFi down at the train station around 100m away at 10-20mbit where the Meraki doesn't go that far. This does all depend on noise floor and a bunch of other factors but given I can see around 20 2.4GHz WiFi networks from my iMac I would say that is quite impressive.

Thanks, I must admit as time goes on, ability to manage more devices in 1 place is proving to be a major selling point. Meraki stuff gives me serious e-wood but after talking to them and them telling me you had to pay a licensing fee for the hardware to continue working (AT ALL) I abandoned that idea, plus it's FRIGHTENINGLY expensive.

meesham

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#1502601 2-Mar-2016 08:52

Earbanean:

As a novice question , out of interest are VLANs managed on switches, rather than routers? Or is it a case that if the VLAN is defined based on hardware connections, then it's where the connections actually terminate. i.e. at either a switch or the router.

I'm not sure I understand your question, are you asking where the inter-VLAN routing happens? It would be the router (Asus RT-N66U running Shibby's TomatoUSB firmware), but I don't have any need for it. My networks are home, work, kids & guests, there's a few machines with interfaces on more than one network (eg the Squid proxy cache) but no routing between networks.

The Xclaim XI-3 looks interesting, thanks for that. I also looked at the Meraki gear and thought about doing the webinar to get the free one but couldn't be bothered in the end when I read about the license expiry - however I've read that people have got DD-WRT working on the MR12 and they're attempting to get MR16 working.

macuser

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#1502604 2-Mar-2016 08:59

I've got a Linksys SRW2024's which you can pick up on Trademe second hand for about $100-150 most of the time. You need a proper DB9 console cable though as the management interface is on VLAN1 and doesn't automatically have an IP address.

Supports VLAN, link aggregation, etc and is wire speed gigabit. It's basically a low end cisco and has a cmd line similar to Cisco IOS but functionally simpler.

Actually sorry, this might not be right as it's pretty loud and rack mountable so big too

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