Keep unifi access points or replace with something idiot-proof?

[Txom]

Hi,

I'm looking for advice on whether to replace the Unifi access points in our house with something easier for me to manage.

We 'inherited' the previous owner's IT guy when we bought this house, and he manages a system of Unifi APs remotely for us. Our set-up is Virgin Media hub > DrayTek POE switch > 3 Unifi APs around the house.

I'm very happy with how they work, but not so happy about having someone else managing our wifi access. I'm a bit uncomfortable being so reliant on him in case something goes wrong or we want to add/change anything.

I guess I have two options:

1) Take ownership of the Unifi stuff myself. I know almost nothing about this sort of thing, and my impression is that it might not be a good idea for me to take over managing it, as Unifi stuff isn't really aimed at people like me! But I just need it to work, I don't need to use any advanced features, so maybe I could get by...

2) Replace the Unifi access points with something a bit more plug and play, like a mesh setup. Is there something that would give me a similar level of performance to the Unifi APs, but is much easier for a non-expert to manage? The units would all be connected via Cat5E cable to the switch, but some of the access points aren't near a power socket so it would be handy to stick with something that uses POE.

Any thoughts welcome, thanks!

 

[Txom]

Thanks. So I could just have the controller running on the same MacBook Pro I use for work?

I'm currently using the Virgin Media hub in router mode with the wifi disabled. Is there any additional hardware that would make it easier to manage, like the Dream Machine? If I'm not spending anything to replace the APs, I'm happy to spend a bit on something else. I was also thinking about putting one more access point somewhere, and getting the Dream Machine would free one up for me. But if my current setup is easy to manage, that's great. I don't need a VLAN or anything else beyond basic wifi.

I know the SSID and password, but not the SSH credentials so it sounds like I'd need to do a factory reset if I can't get the site export. I'd just need to wait for a day when there is no-one else in the house so I don't have anyone breathing down my neck waiting for the wifi to be back up!

 

[Txom]

My unifi AP has been unplugged for the best part of a year because I noticed a significant difference in Internet speeds and connection reliability when connected to it, in comparison to connecting to our router directly.

The controller was run on a tower server alongside it. I'm not convinced I had it set up right so at least you have already had it professionally set up. Hopefully it should be OK for you to just take over.

I noticed that with the problems I encountered I didn't get much help from the Unifi forums and so I just disconnected the AP until I can be bothered to redo the network.

Our APs are definitely working OK at the moment, but I'd say there's a fairly high chance they won't be when I start fiddling with them. Maybe I need to look for someone to come over and walk me through the setup. I'm not convinced the guy we currently use would want to take time out of installing fancy home automation systems to teach someone how wifi works!

 

[Txom]

Or just ask questions on here. There's plenty of UniFi users here so there's bound to be someone that'll help you out.

Thanks. So I guess first step is to ask about a site export. I'll probably be back with more questions!