Ceiling-mounted APs to replace Grandstream APs: Aruba IAP-315

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jonathan18

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#283823 14-Mar-2021 10:16

Hey there

We have a couple of Grandstream GWN7610s that currently provide WiFi throughout the house; TBH I've never fallen in love with them, having had reliability and set-up problems from the beginning. And these days we're getting little benefit (on wireless) from the 900/400 plan we're currently on (the free 2D upgrade). I'm over trying to tweak them to sort this out, so am looking for recommendations to replace both.

Requirements are for them to:

be reliable
be ceiling mounted (we have the cables in place already)
be POE-powered
have decent power and coverage
be ideally fairly modern so won't be looking to replace them in the medium-term
be a reasonable price
have not too complex a setup and maintenance process

Assume the most obvious brand would be Unifi; what models (or other brands/models) would people recommend?

Happy to look at s/h if anyone has something suitable.

Thanks for any suggestions/guidance.

Edit: Have ended up going with bargain-priced s/h Aruba IAP-315s as recommended by some posters below; the focus of this thread morphs into a discussion on this particular model given a number of GZ members have also purchased units from the same source.

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#2674178 14-Mar-2021 10:35

I think you're right on Unifi being the most obvious brand. Their APs will meet all of your requirements, except that installing their controller software does add a bit of complexity. You could get around that by using the cloud controller that michaelmurphy hosts, and offers to Geekzone users.

Unifi's WiFi 6 (i.e. 802.11ax) access points have just started arriving, and I'd suggest going for the U6-Lite, if you're not trying to cover a huge area with a single AP. I haven't tried it personally, but have the older 802.11ac version (UAP-AC-LITE), which works very well.

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jonathan18

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#2674187 14-Mar-2021 11:05

Thanks for the reply; I'm happy to use Michael's cloud controller if he's ok with that, and the help available here on GZ is ever-useful when things get confusing.

Yeah, it would make sense with going with the new models, provided it's not an enormous price premium (as it'll come at the cost of delaying a new receiver!). It's only a 140m2 house, but with the external HT/sleepout at the back it's a fairly long coverage area relative to its width. The image below shows the placement of the APs (yellow dots). Do you think 2x U6-Lites will provide adequate coverage?

froob

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#2674188 14-Mar-2021 11:21

Is that your vacuum cleaning map? :)

The newer model doesn't cost much more, but I gather it doesn't come with a power supply, so you might need to factor that in as well.

I don't know how comparable they are to the Grandstreams, but two access points to cover 140sqm sounds reasonable, and your placement looks good to get coverage to the sleepout as well.

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jonathan18

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#2674196 14-Mar-2021 11:38

How did you guess?!

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised to see the U6-Lite at around $200 each, which is fine.

Should I care (in the real world) that that the Grandstream has 'Dual-band 3x3:3 MIMO... maximum network throughput of up to 1.75Gbps' vs the specs of the U6-Lite (eg 2x2 MIMO)? My feeling is that any supposed lower specs will mean diddly if the unit actually performs as promises (given the Grandstreams have completely failed to live up to providing anything like decent throughput - eg at this point I'm getting 32/56 on a 900/400 connection, and that's not atypical!).

My sense is the key thing is coverage, and if it's clear two will give adequate coverage in our situation I'm happy...

Thanks for the advice.

Has anyone got any other suggestions before I press buy? It looks like they've not really come much below this $198sh price since release so probably no point waiting for a sale (PB Tech claims to have it on sale but still $35sh more.)

Scott3

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#2674197 14-Mar-2021 11:40

As other's have said, Unifi's WiFi 6 access points have moved out of their easily access program recently and would be the obvious pick. Usa links:

https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-access-points/products/unifi-ap-6-lite

https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-access-points/products/unifi-6-long-range-access-point

I don't think you would need the "Long range" aspects of the Latter model, but it does support 4x4 (rather than 2x2) which would make it more attractive than the lite version. Can always turn down the transmit power...

sbiddle

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#2674201 14-Mar-2021 11:58

I'm not sure why people are still so sold on UniFi as a solution when the past year has seen so many disruptive changes in the WiFi space.

You can buy an Aruba Instant On AP that is a true Enterprise hardware will beat anything made by UBNT at incredibly competitive pricing, or if you're not after the latest and greatest hardware you can look at Aruba Instant (local controller on the AP vs cloud) or Ruckus AP's for their unleashed firmware (local controller on the AP vs cloud) that once again beats every UniFi install hands down. Lots of last gen models are sold for incredibly cheap prices.

If you don't care about buying 2nd hand and don't care about WiFI6 then these Ruckus R710's for a $299 are an absolute steal for a 4x4:4 AP.

jonathan18

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#2674210 14-Mar-2021 12:45

sbiddle:

I'm not sure why people are still so sold on UniFi as a solution when the past year has seen so many disruptive changes in the WiFi space.

You can buy an Aruba Instant On AP that is a true Enterprise hardware will beat anything made by UBNT at incredibly competitive pricing, or if you're not after the latest and greatest hardware you can look at Aruba Instant (local controller on the AP vs cloud) or Ruckus AP's for their unleashed firmware (local controller on the AP vs cloud) that once again beats every UniFi install hands down. Lots of last gen models are sold for incredibly cheap prices.

If you don't care about buying 2nd hand and don't care about WiFI6 then these Ruckus R710's for a $299 are an absolute steal for a 4x4:4 AP.

@sbiddle: There are a number of Aruba Instant On models - which would you recommend for the home environment (especially, for my house, as per the diagram above)? Ideally looking to keep the price down below $300-350 per unit, but looking to provide decent coverage and (as much as I can) future-proofed specs. Would this model offer best bang for buck? Under $300 but with WiFi 6...

Happy to look at s/h, but I'd also need to find ceiling mounts for that Ruckus (as not supplied), so total cost is looking at well over $800 once POE injectors, mounts and postage are included. Also, difficult are these to set up for someone with rudimentary networking knowledge?

michaelmurfy

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#2674226 14-Mar-2021 14:00

To be perfectly honest 2x of these will suit you totally fine (or heck - even 3): https://www.gowifi.co.nz/indooraccesspoints/u6-lite.html

Note: They don't come with PoE injectors so either grab a small PoE switch or some injectors while you're at it else open up an offers and wanted thread as many people on here will have them laying around.

I've got a Cambium 802.11ax 2x2 access point in my house and am able to get Gigabit speeds no problems with my Wireless AX gear and ~500Mbit with my Wireless AC gear (however at $600ish per AP I wouldn't recommend it for your needs). While I have not tried the new Ubiquiti kit I'd expect to get similar performance but for that price also it is a very good deal.

You're also welcome to use my UniFi controller - it'll make things much easier for you.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

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jonathan18

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#2674230 14-Mar-2021 14:15

@michaelmurfy: Thanks for confirming that, and offering the use of your controller - quite likely to take you up on this!

The one aspect of the Arubas I do like is what appears to be a relatively easy set-up, and equally easy adjustments and monitoring via the app.

I run a separate SSID for the kids' devices, and sometimes it's useful to be able to (for example) enable them earlier than usual, or provide a bit more time in the evening - it's a hassle to do this via logging into the Grandstream's web interface - are adjustments like this possible via the Unifi app, or would they need to be done in a similar manner to the Grandstream?

It's not a deal-breaker either way, but just good to know how this sort of stuff would work.

Edit: I think I've answered my own question, in that my reading of this page is set-up using a controller can be done via the app, so I assume similarly adjustments to settings can be made via the same way? https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012360487-UniFi-Using-the-UniFi-Network-mobile-app

michaelmurfy

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#2674233 14-Mar-2021 14:24

@jonathan18 Yes, you can do this in the app:

It is a little nested but still easy to find. You could also manually enable / disable a SSID on demand if you'd rather do it this way.

If you get the Ubiquiti Dream Machine on-top of this then you're able to do full restrictions based on SSID (eg: turn on pr0n blocking) but this is adding to your cost as you'll need that along with Ubiquiti switches / additional access points however this is also an option for down the line.

jonathan18

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#2674235 14-Mar-2021 14:39

That's great to have confirmed - end result will be not only better wifi but easier management, so a win-win. The rest of the family will be happy with a more reliable supply line to give them their fix!

The last thing to confirm, sorry: Is there a chance my current PoE injectors won't be suitable for the Unifis? Unifi specs state 802.3af; Grandstream specs state 802.3af/802.3at compliant, but I'm not sure how to tell what my current ones are:

froob

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#2674293 14-Mar-2021 15:32

The specs for the U6-LITE say it wants a "48V, 0.32A PoE Adapter", and shouldn't be an issue that yours can deliver 0.5A.

The EU page for the U6-LITE recommends the U-POE-af injector, and you can see the specs for that injector on page 8 of the data sheet: https://dl.ui.com/datasheets/poe/PoE_Adapters_DS.pdf

From those specs, it looks as though both your injectors and that injector supply power on pins 4, 5 (+) and 7, 8 (-).

Unfortunately beyond that, PoE injectors are generally "passive" devices and don't strictly support the 802.3af/at standard. You probably want to look a bit more closely at the specs of your adapters vs the recommended ones, to make sure there isn't a difference that could cause an issue. I expect they will be fine, but don't have enough experience to confirm they absolutely will be.

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jonathan18

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#2674308 14-Mar-2021 16:12

Thanks for that research! It would make things easier if retailers also included links on the AP's page to injectors that are compatible.

GoWiFi's page for the 6 Lite has a link to one that has the same model number as the EU page you linked to, so I imagine that'll be the right one?

And then Paradigm's site has two listed with that same model number at different prices, so not terribly helpful...

(I was wondering if it may be easier/safer to just buy ones that I know will work with the Unifis, and sell my ones with the Grandstreams, that's all...)

froob

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#2674314 14-Mar-2021 16:26

No worries! I actually had to look up all that info a few weeks back, to find a compatible PoE injector for the Unifi In-Wall HD, which I installed for a friend.

I do think your current injectors will probably be fine, but if you don't want to risk it, I'd suggest getting a small PoE switch (as per michaelmurphy's post above), rather than new injectors.

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jonathan18

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#2674316 14-Mar-2021 16:38

Oh God, something else I'll have to get to grips with!
Is there much to watch out for to ensure it's a suitable poe switch? What sort of price are we looking at?
I can't see me needing additional poe devices, so is it worth getting the switch over using the existing/buying two new injectors? (Additional unpowered ports could be handy, assuming they can be used that way as well?)

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