Best way to connect an AP on the ceiling

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Best way to connect an AP on the ceiling

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chevrolux

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#2074746 17-Aug-2018 11:00

Looks no different to a Unifi AP in terms of room.

For unifi you need a sort of "slot" cut in the ceiling to be able to twist the AP on to the bracket.

Really quite simple, just mount the bracket, figure out where the cable needs to go and cut a hole, just dont go outside the circumference of the AP and it will be hidden.

I've done this more times than I care to think, and even in my own home recently - plenty of room to bend a Cat 6 in to the plug and mount it completely hidden. Dust is really not an issue

mdf

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#2074781 17-Aug-2018 11:58

That does look like a pain. Would you be able to mount it more towards a corner? If you got the sight lines right, you wouldn't be able to see up its skirt, so to speak.

A right angle ethernet cable might also help?

cyril7

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#2074792 17-Aug-2018 12:18

Hi, yes try rotating the WAP so that the rear of the WAP (where the cables are) is facing away from any visual approach. Also if you use pre made patch leads, then carefully cut off the cable boot, a bit of carefull use of a craft knife will get the boot off, this allows you to turn the cable at a sharp right angle bend with less restriction.

Cyril

CutCutCut

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#2074822 17-Aug-2018 12:47

mdf:

That does look like a pain. Would you be able to mount it more towards a corner? If you got the sight lines right, you wouldn't be able to see up its skirt, so to speak.

A right angle ethernet cable might also help?

Yes, I was thinking that might be the case. I might just have to hold it up on the ceiling where I was thinking of putting it and see what can be seen at the back. I did have a quick look for right angled, the only one I found locally was going the wrong way, but it might be worth pursuing.

CutCutCut

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#2074823 17-Aug-2018 12:47

cyril7:

Hi, yes try rotating the WAP so that the rear of the WAP (where the cables are) is facing away from any visual approach. Also if you use pre made patch leads, then carefully cut off the cable boot, a bit of carefull use of a craft knife will get the boot off, this allows you to turn the cable at a sharp right angle bend with less restriction.

Cyril

Yes, good point, that would probably help.

jonathan18

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#2074871 17-Aug-2018 14:05

So I went through this process a few months back with exactly the same equipment - if I remember correctly it's just two small screws per AP.

I had the electrician put in the cables, and he did drill a hole large enough to bring the plug through. But, yep, with simply placing the AP carefully the hole's not visible from below. To deal with air or other stuff coming through the remainder of the hole I used a quality product designed specifically for this purpose - a $2 shop 'whitetak" (ie, cheap copy of blutak); does the job fine, given it's not even seen.

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Tinkerisk

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#2074885 17-Aug-2018 14:29

Spyware:

There are none.

There are.

- NET: FTTH & VDSL, OPNsense, 10G backbone, GWN APs
- SRV: 12 RU HA server cluster, 0.1 PB storage on premise
- IoT: thread, zigbee, tasmota, BidCoS, LoRa, WX suite, IR
- 3D: two 3D printers, 3D scanner, CNC router, laser cutter

cyril7

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#2074890 17-Aug-2018 14:45

Unfortunately the large assembly required to make it tool less means it creates a larger assembly that is even harder to hide in the limited space.

Cyril

CutCutCut

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#2074891 17-Aug-2018 14:49

jonathan18:

So I went through this process a few months back with exactly the same equipment - if I remember correctly it's just two small screws per AP.

I had the electrician put in the cables, and he did drill a hole large enough to bring the plug through. But, yep, with simply placing the AP carefully the hole's not visible from below. To deal with air or other stuff coming through the remainder of the hole I used a quality product designed specifically for this purpose - a $2 shop 'whitetak" (ie, cheap copy of blutak); does the job fine, given it's not even seen.

That sounds like the ticket! I'll have to check my local dollar shops.

jonathan18

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#2074893 17-Aug-2018 14:52

I think our stuff came from Uncle Bill's - if you have one of them near you!

Tinkerisk

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#2074910 17-Aug-2018 15:07

cyril7:

Unfortunately the large assembly required to make it tool less means it creates a larger assembly that is even harder to hide in the limited space.

Cyril

It's for the far end of the cable and it requires a conduit.

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Tinkerisk

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#2075823 19-Aug-2018 15:30

Ok, I need to explain:

For my APs I use a conduit to the place of it. The cable is a long, flexible patch cable with the plug cutted off on the far end. So the remaining plug fits perfectly to the AP and the other end needs either a new one (the one I have linked in the previous post) or can immediately wired to a patch panel.

Too bad when work is finished with the solid wires already in place and no longer accessible.

Spyware

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#2075824 19-Aug-2018 15:36

Patch leads are stranded core and should not be punched into patch panel.

Tinkerisk

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#2075840 19-Aug-2018 15:56

Spyware:

Patch leads are stranded core and should not be punched into patch panel.

Right, but I soldered it in addition to a Keystone module.

CutCutCut

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#2075939 19-Aug-2018 21:43

I managed to get one up today. It seems ok, i had to cut a bit of the boot off as @Cyril suggested to be able to get it to comfortably bend into the hole I made. Just need to do the other one now.

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