Unifi Setup

S

smelly

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
103
I'm in the process of constructing a house and trying to figure out how I will wire up my wireless network. I've decided to go with Ubiquiti products as from the reviews I've read it performs well, the price is reasonable, and it looks neat.

I downloaded the controller software, loaded up my floor plans but I can't add the Unifi AP. I would like to place it on the floor plan to know how many would be needed and the best placement for it.

I'm going with the Unifi AP AC, haven't figured out the other parts yet. Is there a way to add it to the software, or if someone has ubiquiti products can take my floor plans and try it.

Ceilings between floors are concrete.
1st floor is ~2,500 sq. ft
2nd floor is 1,365 sq. ft with a ~1450 sq. ft. terrace.
3rd floor ~1000 sq. ft.

I think 2 Unifi AP AC in the center on the house, one in the ceiling on the 1st floor, and one in the ceiling of the 2nd floor should give me strong coverage everywhere, or maybe one in the center of the 1st floor ceiling is enough?

I'm coming from cheap $30-40 wireless routers so I don't know what kind of coverage to expect from something like this.
 
I'd go with 3 considering that your floors are concrete and 5GHz is going to die pretty hard through that concrete. Worst case, run the wires for 3, buy 2. Upgrade later.

Even if you're running AC, you'll still have devices that are only operating on 2.4GHz and 2.4GHz allows for 3 non-overlapping channels so going 3 APs would ensure full coverage for your 2.4GHz devices.
 
You can't add APs to the map until you add them to the controller, so you wont be able to see the range that way. In my experience, the range is pretty damn close to what the spec sheets say. Whether your devices have enough power to reach the same range, will be the deciding factor.

I just deployed 3 UniFi LRs to completely cover a 3-wing elementary school. One wing is 100' long, the other two are 150'.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I like the idea of running the wires in case I need it for the future. I was thinking of doing it but wasn't sure how many I could potentially need. Since its only one Ethernet wire per device (Poe), i'll do enough wiring for 4 devices and buy one at a time until I'm happy with the coverage, but if 1 is enough to cover a 150' wing I doubt I need more than one and two would be more than enough. Lot size is 150x75ft.

I follow the other thread on here discussing UniFi and go with the edgerouter and do some research on a switch.

Edit: I may just stay with Ubiquiti for everything and go with their switch (Touchswitch and router)
 
Last edited:
I've run into a very similar problem. I just bought a 3 story townhouse and with just one AP the wireless coverage is marginal. Unlike you I don't have the opportunity to run my wires before drywall is installed.

In May, I'm going to be attempting to pull cable down from the attic to the second floor ceiling and to the first floor ceiling. I'm going to set up three UniFi APs in a staggered formation (3rd floor middle, 2nd floor front, 1st floor back as that seems like it will get me the best coverage. I'm also going to stick with the regular UniFi APs for now. Once I get myself some Google Fiber then I'll upgrade to the ACs.
 
What is marginal, as in dead spots in certain locations or signal everywhere but not very strong signal?

I'll probably start with one in the center of 1st floor and one in center of 2nd floor, or the 2nd floor set one closer to the front of the house and have wiring done for one towards the back of the house. I'm not planning on much going through the 1st floor ceiling since it is 6" thick concrete. Since i'm going with multiple AP I may just buy a 3 pack of the regular AP's because the AC one doesn't support seamless roaming, and then upgrade later when it does.

Any recommendations on a switch that would work well? The toughswitch only has 8 ports which I don't think will be enough. Just the AP, router, and 2 security cams will take most of the spots and I still need some for the media center/xbox/pc.

I'm planning on using the PoE adapter supplied with the unifi products so I only have to run one Ethernet wire to each device.
 
smelly said:
What is marginal, as in dead spots in certain locations or signal everywhere but not very strong signal?

Any recommendations on a switch that would work well? The toughswitch only has 8 ports which I don't think will be enough. Just the AP, router, and 2 security cams will take most of the spots and I still need some for the media center/xbox/pc.

I'm planning on using the PoE adapter supplied with the unifi products so I only have to run one Ethernet wire to each device.
Click to expand...

I get a signal just about everywhere but it isn't very strong. There are also a rather large number of wireless networks broadcasting in the area. I think at last count there are over 40 within range on average.

My work retired a couple of Dell PowerConnect 2824 switches and I've been using one at home. It has worked well enough for what it is. But since I'm getting ready to collocate my servers at work, I don't really need a fancy switch at home anymore.

POE FTW!
 
Will any enterprise switch work for my setup? I'm looking to purchase a used 24 port enterprise grade switch, is there anything I should be looking for so that it is compatible with the unifi setup? I'm unsure if it needs to have a specific feature for the PoE to work or if the adapter that comes with the unifi device will allow me to use any switch.

I saw the powerconnect 2824 on ebay for prices around ~$140, a lot better than the toughswitch which has 8 ports for $180.

Thanks for the help.
 
smelly said:
Will any enterprise switch work for my setup? I'm looking to purchase a used 24 port enterprise grade switch, is there anything I should be looking for so that it is compatible with the unifi setup? I'm unsure if it needs to have a specific feature for the PoE to work or if the adapter that comes with the unifi device will allow me to use any switch.

I saw the powerconnect 2824 on ebay for prices around ~$140, a lot better than the toughswitch which has 8 ports for $180.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

The Unifi APs are 24V whereas POE is 48V. The ToughSwitches support both voltages. To use a regular 48V POE switch, you'll need to use adapters to step down the voltage.
 
/usr/home said:
The Unifi APs are 24V whereas POE is 48V. The ToughSwitches support both voltages. To use a regular 48V POE switch, you'll need to use adapters to step down the voltage.
Click to expand...

The UniFi Pro and UniFi AC support both ubiquiti 24v and 802.3af/at.
 
Thanks for clearing that up, so any enterprise switch that supports poe will be fine for my needs whether I go with the AC or the regular ones, but if you use the regular ones I need to use adapters, and if I go with AC I don't need the adapters.

I won't be buying the unifi devices for another 6 months so hopefully the AC gains the ability for seamless roaming by then.

I noticed the powerconnect 2824 is a 10/100 switch, I need a gigabit switch, so I guess I'm crossing that one off the list. I don't think I need 24 ports anyway, 16 should be fine.
 
Last edited:
The AC version need 802.3at (PoE+), the Pro uses 802.3af (PoE). This is due to the more power needed for the AC radios.
 
thanks. I'm thinking of getting 2 switches, one with poe+ and 8 ports for the unifi devices, and one for the rest of the house. I think it may come out cheaper as I don't need a 24 port switch with every port poe+.

Good idea or bad idea?
 
smelly said:
thanks. I'm thinking of getting 2 switches, one with poe+ and 8 ports for the unifi devices, and one for the rest of the house. I think it may come out cheaper as I don't need a 24 port switch with every port poe+.

Good idea or bad idea?
Click to expand...

If you're going to get a separate 8-port POE switch, you might as well go with a Ubiquiti ToughSwitch. As far as I know, it's common to separate POE devices onto their own switches in a network.
 
True, i'll start looking for one now, hopefully I can find one on ebay or craigslist for a lower price. Going separate opens up my options for the other switch.
 
I purchased 2 unifi ap's off craigslist to play with. They come in on Saturday so I didn't get to try them out yet.

I noticed I can load openwrt on it, has anyone done it, what are the advantages? I'll most likely stick with stock firmware for now.
 
I really dont see a reason to do that.

The unifi stock firmware is excellent, superior or at least on par with openwrt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top