AmpliFi HD the right wifi solution for 4 bedroom house?

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cunningdavid

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#273164 8-Aug-2020 12:37

Hello,

We have a Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-PRO which does well for what it's supposed to do, but the further parts of our 4 bedroom house have poor coverage.

In August 2020 is an AmpliFi HD a good solution to this problem, or are there better alternatives to consider?

A few years ago I tried a wifi range extender which is pretty useless. What makes the AmpliFi HD better?

Thanks in advance!

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#2536684 8-Aug-2020 12:46

Hi, so is there any cabling to the other parts of the house that would allow you to add another UniFi AP, this will be a far superiour solution than using wireless extentions.

Cyril

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#2536689 8-Aug-2020 12:57

Amplifi rocks. To my mind, the only downside is the relatively large mesh points that are restricted to being inserted directly into wall sockets - this is something Ubiquiti could have done better. Other than that fairly minor point, you get a fully-featured router with easy-to-use (& understand) features & solid WiFi coverage.

Amplifi would have to be the easiest & fastest mesh kit to set up too. When purchasing, you have the choice of including a second router or using mesh AP units.

There are many solutions available for domestic WiFi installs, there isn't one perfect product that dominates the market. However, for your stated requirements & especially considering that you're already a Ubiquiti user, I'm confident that you won't be disappointed with an Amplifi HD kit.

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k1w1k1d

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#2536694 8-Aug-2020 13:28

Consumer didn't rate this system very well

https://www.consumer.org.nz/services/wireless-routers/ubiquiti-networks-amplifi-hd-3-pack' target='_blank'>https://www.consumer.org.nz/services/wireless-routers/ubiquiti-networks-amplifi-hd-3-pack

Senecio

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#2536695 8-Aug-2020 13:29

I went AmpliFi HD but did it a little differently. My ONT is in the living room and one of my spare bedrooms is the den (TV, PlayStation, Nvidia Shield etc...). I have an AmpliFi HD router in the living room and a second router set up as a mesh point with Cat 6 backhaul back to the main router. This not only gives me great mesh coverage of the whole house and yard but also gives me another 4 Ethernet ports in the den for all the media gear in there.

I love the AmpliFi product. No complaints at all.

cunningdavid

79 posts

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#2536697 8-Aug-2020 13:40

cyril7:

Hi, so is there any cabling to the other parts of the house that would allow you to add another UniFi AP, this will be a far superiour solution than using wireless extentions.

Cyril

So if we add another AP would that make two separate wireless networks, or one seamless one?

cyril7

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#2536698 8-Aug-2020 13:44

Hi, if its managed by a unifi controller as opposed to the mobile app, it will be one seamless wireless netwrok on the same SSID.

Cyril

Edit: Dont get caught up on the "Mesh" term, its marketing hype, it simply means it will seamlessly backhaul via wireless, so does standard UniFi waps, its just not talked about, regardless a cabled backhaul should always be used.

l43a2

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#2536765 8-Aug-2020 16:52

k1w1k1d:

Consumer didn't rate this system very well

https://www.consumer.org.nz/services/wireless-routers/ubiquiti-networks-amplifi-hd-3-pack

I wonder how they tested? when I had this unit it was pretty good.

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sbiddle

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#2536769 8-Aug-2020 17:06

I really don't understand Consumer's testing methodology. How can "security" be a thing and how can it only get 50% for that?

Security (20%) – looked at whether the networks were encrypted, how easy it was to identify them by SSID, and the security of the network key/password.

I'd also love to know how they tested for "interference" on 5GHz, because if interference exists it has to be external interference therefore it's nothing to do with the hardware itself.

Seems like a review written by somebody with very little subject matter expertise.

cyril7

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#2536772 8-Aug-2020 17:37

sbiddle:

Seems like a review written by somebody with very little subject matter expertise.

Which is why I gave up on Consumer years ago, too much misguided and poorly researched infomation and conclusions.

Cyril

cunningdavid

79 posts

Master Geek

#2537890 10-Aug-2020 14:21

cyril7:

Hi, if its managed by a unifi controller as opposed to the mobile app, it will be one seamless wireless netwrok on the same SSID.

Cyril

Edit: Dont get caught up on the "Mesh" term, its marketing hype, it simply means it will seamlessly backhaul via wireless, so does standard UniFi waps, its just not talked about, regardless a cabled backhaul should always be used.

Thanks for that. I've installed the Unifi controller on my Ubuntu laptop, now just need to work out how to connect the existing AP to it. Presumably the wifi network stays up if the controller should happen to go down for a while?

I can cable a second AP through the attic so it might be the way to go.

cyril7

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#2538117 10-Aug-2020 18:14

Hi, the easist is to reset the existing AP via the hardware button beside the lan port and adopt it a new to the new controller.

Cyril

cunningdavid

79 posts

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#2538311 10-Aug-2020 21:38

cyril7:

Hi, the easist is to reset the existing AP via the hardware button beside the lan port and adopt it a new to the new controller.

Cyril

That was my thought, but if I reset the AP then the laptop with the controller immediately loses it's wifi network and connectivity :-) Trying to figure out how to solve that chicken-and-egg problem.

daunjan

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#2538315 10-Aug-2020 21:51

I'm using the Amlifi HD, the router is in the lounge with the two antennas in my garage and end room. coverage is the whole section, get 5ghz signal throughout.

Defiantly a worthwhile investment.

fe31nz

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#2538334 11-Aug-2020 00:05

cunningdavid:

cyril7:

Hi, the easist is to reset the existing AP via the hardware button beside the lan port and adopt it a new to the new controller.

Cyril

That was my thought, but if I reset the AP then the laptop with the controller immediately loses it's wifi network and connectivity :-) Trying to figure out how to solve that chicken-and-egg problem.

I do not believe you can adopt a UnFi AP over its WiFi. So if your laptop does Ethernet, then just plug it in to your network on that to set up the AP. If not, you may need to get an external Ethernet port for your laptop. Or if you have an old AP or WiFi on the router you can turn on again temporarily, connect via that. Or borrow another AP from someone. But you will need to do the adoption via the AP's Ethernet connection, however you connect the laptop to your network.

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#2538564 11-Aug-2020 13:19

FWIW I have been very happy with mine.

I have had routers and WAPs from every vendor under the sun in my 20 odd years of getting online and it has definitely been one of the better experiences - I am still running them today on my 2Degrees Gb fibre and very happy with the performance and reliability.

That Consumer org review seems veeeery dubious in its methodology, results and interpretation thereof.

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