Business WIFI Planning and Deployment
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When putting a new WIFI system into a building, how do you plan how many WIFI AP's you need and where they go?
I have a 1 level business that has WIFI right now in their server room that isn't doing the job. It's not the best place to put it, but since it's a Meraki Router With WIFI that's where it ended up.
I want to make sure I minimize cost, have a solution that works and that as they move laptops throughout the building will automatically hand off to another WIFI AP smoothly w/o interruption. Central management would be nice as well. Meraki has their access points but they are pricey. We also need guest WIFI. There will be about 20 clients on the private network and 15 on the guest (we make employee's use guest for their personal devices)
So, 2 questions here:
1 - How do you determine how many AP's you need and where you need them?
2 - What brand/solution do you use the most that won't break the bank?
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You've discovered several reasons there why Meraki can be a problem
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@ccwtech said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
2 - What brand/solution do you use the most that won't break the bank?
Nearly everyone in the community uses and recommends Ubiquiti. Way better than Meraki at a tiny fraction of the cost and you can manage them in a similar, centralized way.
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@ccwtech said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
1 - How do you determine how many AP's you need and where you need them?
Testing and guessing
But some things, like ceiling or high wall mounts are obvious starting places, and generally centralized. And look at wall materials and other interference.
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Which AP do you like the best? I was looking at the AC PRO's. I think I could stick 3 or 4 of them in and have pretty good coverage.
Does the AC Pro need 2 Ethernet cables or is that to daisy chain them?
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Three. Each end of the back hallway and one in the middle of the front hallway.
Turn the power down and walk you are done.
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@ccwtech said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Which AP do you like the best? I was looking at the AC PRO's. I think I could stick 3 or 4 of them in and have pretty good coverage.
Does the AC Pro need 2 Ethernet cables or is that to daisy chain them?
Just 1, the 2nd ethernet jack is just for adding network devices.
I use the AC PROs at home, and will be replacing the Sophos units at work with them before the current contract expires. I can replace the gear with Ubiquiti for less than the Sophos maintenance contract
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Do the Ubiquity units require a contract for management?
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@ccwtech said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Do the Ubiquity units require a contract for management?
Nope
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@dashrender said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
@ccwtech said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Do the Ubiquity units require a contract for management?
Nope
That's even better!
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@ccwtech said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Do the Ubiquity units require a contract for management?
Nope, I don't think any of us would recommend gear that pulled stunts like that. That you are totally free of those encumberments are reasons we all recommend UBNT so heavily.
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Just curious why nobody likes or recommends Mikrotiks?
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@tim_g said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Just curious why nobody likes or recommends Mikrotiks?
Is there a model that you would recommend?
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@scottalanmiller said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
@tim_g said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Just curious why nobody likes or recommends Mikrotiks?
Is there a model that you would recommend?
No, I don't work with networking equipment enough. I just know that (through experience) UBNT APs are the bees knees, and that MikroTik Switches seem to work well. Not so sure about the hAPs yet.
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@tim_g said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Just curious why nobody likes or recommends Mikrotiks?
IIRC Mikrotiks has a much bigger presence in Europe.
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@tim_g said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
@scottalanmiller said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
@tim_g said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
Just curious why nobody likes or recommends Mikrotiks?
Is there a model that you would recommend?
No, I don't work with networking equipment enough. I just know that (through experience) UBNT APs are the bees knees, and that MikroTik Switches seem to work well. Not so sure about the hAPs yet.
I think that that is the core problem, that not a lot of people have used them and don't know how they compare.
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It looks like they require a license for their OS?
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@coliver said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
It looks like they require a license for their OS?
MikroTic?
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@scottalanmiller said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
@coliver said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
It looks like they require a license for their OS?
MikroTic?
Yes.
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@coliver said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
@scottalanmiller said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
@coliver said in Business WIFI Planning and Deployment:
It looks like they require a license for their OS?
MikroTic?
Yes.
No not at all. They use RouterOS and is pretty nice.
The hAPs seem to be working well.
