Question regarding Unifi setup (Modem, AP and controller over wifi?)

[edwardcasbon1]

Hi all,

At home we currently use the Tenda MW6 mesh wifi system to share our internet connection around the house. It doesn't seem to be too great when roaming, and also doesn't allow separation of LAN's for different ranges (e.g. one SSID for 2.4Ghz, and another for the 5GHz band).

So, I was thinking about using Unifi to replace my Tenda setup. All seems straightforward, apart from the fact that our modem is by the front door, and the rest of the kit (switch, patch panels, home server, HTPC etc).

Can I have my modem by the front door still, with a Unifi AP connected to it, and have the controller running on a Pi in the cupboard upstairs and have another AP connected to the switch in the cupboard to provide a wired connection to the rack? In essence, something like the below:

Modem > AP1 ))) AP2 > Controller

where AP2 provides a wired connection to the rest of the network?

I know Unifi does meshing and roaming quite well, and with the Unifi AP's I can hide them quite well, rather than using the Amplifi Mesh kit.

Any suggestions, advice, info would be great.

Many thanks,
Edward

 

[edwardcasbon1]

Thank you both. The modem is a Sky Hub (so modem, and router).

so I can have the modem/router connected to one AP, and the controller connected to a different AP (over wireless)?

How would I set it up to start with? Will the controller be able to see the first AP over a wireless connection?

Thanks,
Edward

 

[edwardcasbon1]

Other than the internet connection, everything is hanging off the mesh. All my equipment that feeds AV over IP is in a rack in a cupboard at the back of the house, and the master phone socket (no extensions) is by the front door at the front of the house with no easy/feasible way of running cable, so I have to rely on the mesh wifi to get the internet connection to the rack. I know, I know, in an ideal world it would be wired, or at least be terminated in the same location as the rack, but it isn't, and this is what I have to work with.

Thanks for all the help and info above. I'll take a look at the 4x4 AP's and price everything up.

 

[edwardcasbon1]

So, can the ethernet port on the Flex HD (http://dl.ui.com/datasheets/unifi/UniFi_FlexHD_AP_DS.pdf) be used to provide data FROM the wifi, rather than TO the wifi? I.e, can the ethernet port be used to provide a wired connection to other network equipment?

Thanks,
Edward

 

[edwardcasbon1]

I’d check if the tenda system is 4x4, if it is already I doubt you’ll get any better performance short of adding more nodes and getting them closer together.

Thanks, I'll check.

If the master socket is by the front door, can’t you run a cable externally up to the loft and then back down to your rack?

No, we don't want to run a cable on the front of the house, and there really is no simple option of running it internally either

Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[edwardcasbon1]

One job I do need to do is run the sat cable the previous owners installed through the loft and back down the same down pipe instead of around the outside of the house to get to the lounge on the opposite side.

Have you considered AV/IP or HDBaseT for example? Then you could have Sky box hidden away, and distributed over Cat6 to multiple locations.