[TriLUG] Off-Topic are WIFI routers just getting worse

[Dewey Hylton via TriLUG]

https://store.ubnt.com/collections/wireless
https://www.ubnt.com/distributors/
https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=unifi

ubiquiti makes carrier-grade stuff, and their software works extremely well.
your first step will be to setup the software, which works on linux (or
mac or windows). then create networks in the software. then physically
connect the APs and provision them. i also leverage the map functionality
using both floor plans and screenshots from google earth. user devices
can seamlessly hop from one AP to another, floor to floor, building to
building, state to state. one past customer has APs in 3 states from
east coast to west coast; one defined network, and things just work. i have
other customers with more APs that are only spread over roughly a city block
and i believe there is neither a nook nor a cranny in any of the 6 buildings
which do not have great, seamless wifi - both guest and private networks
leveraging different vlans and everything. and the software provides full
control of every connected device and statistics with graphs ...

ubiquiti's "consumer" stuff can be found here: https://amplifi.com/
it looks very interesting, though i've never used it. at least not yet. i am
considering testing this at the new house when my mother moves in a few
months ...

----- On Mar 23, 2017, at 1:20 AM, Steve Litt slitt at troubleshooters.com wrote:

> On Wed, 22 Mar 2017 21:57:35 -0400 (EDT)
> Dewey Hylton via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
> 
>> i haven't used a wifi router since the 802.11b days, because i've
>> built my own firewalls ... but i've used plenty of access points, and
>> what i've been the most happy with are the unifi models from
>> ubiquiti. i have them at the house, at the office, and have deployed
>> lots of them at customer sites ... their management software runs on
>> linux, and works very well.
> 
> How do I buy a machine that's an access point and nothing more? I'd
> love that. All that firewall stuff is just more complication making
> troubleshooting harder. Once I have an access point whose input is cat
> 5 and output that is ethernet over radio, my pfSense box in the corner
> does the rest.
> 
> SteveT
> 
> Steve Litt
> March 2017 featured book: Troubleshooting: Why Bother?
> http://www.troubleshooters.com/twb