Ubiquiti - UniFi Express

Mine is a bit overkill for most situations, I have a cloud Gateway Ultra, u7 pro, 2 switch lite 8s, u6 extender, and an Ap-ac pro for an area that the others don't reach. I still run an opnsense firewall and a pihole as well for dns. BUT if you just need something simple an express gateway is enough for most people, and you can add additional ap's to it if needed as well. It is slow but for how little you have to actually log in and change settings after it is configured it doesn't matter. I set my parents up with an express and two additional ap's and they've had zero issues since as well.

I would return the dream router get the Unifi express series either the regular or the 7s. put one in the cupboard and put another in the house they mesh.

The express is designed to mesh with other expresses. Ive installed a few for people that wiring is not an option.

Yes they can he was asking about a router. The expresses are meant to be meshed together like the tplink decos.

Mesh will have a potentially hard time with the concrete, wifi simply doesn't penetrate - so mesh will be problematic - placement would be key, the satellites need to have a good signal from the base to work well. You might get away with it by placing them near doorways etc. Many people use ethernet along the base of the walls, over doorway frames etc. and wire access points. Mesh systems do have the advantage of a central controller for the access points, so if you can wire them, your wifi experience would be a lot better. I am not a fan of Netgear, TP-Link Deco is popular in this sub, as is Eero (but there's the fact that it's Amazon and has a semi-subscription model. If you want to be a little more spendy, Ubiquiti UniFi has a great interface and good quality that should last. The UniFi Express models have a built in AP and can be meshed. The Cloud Gateway Ultras would be ideal with multiple access points placed around. (I am a UniFi fan) Asus is also mostly well thought of. I think the TP-Link Deco line would be the most affordable choice.

>I want them to be connected in to a seamless mesh network for seamless roaming. So, "mesh" has become an obtuse word in home networking. It's really just wirelessly uplinking to access points when cable can't or won't be used. Seamless roaming is built into wifi, it's not something that is only available in mesh systems - marketing hype has steered the understanding that way. You could set up three access points independently, with the same parameters (SSID, passphrase, security method) and your clients will roam amongst them as needed, seamlessly (meaning, no intervention required by the client to move). What mesh systems do bring is a unified management of access points which allows for certain enhancements to improve roaming (sometimes known as "fast roaming"). It's not super beneficial to home networks, but it's there. So if you're not buying a mesh system, using Ubiquiti UniFi or Omada - which both have a central "controller" - will provide those same features (and arguably better in some ways). Both of these are "prosumer" - a large step up in quality and features. Avoiding "the cloud" is maybe a good thing or maybe bad. With UniFi, you can set up access points standalone with an app that communicates directly with the hardware. Or, for a better setup, you would need the controller which allows more control and statistics. You also need to set up a userid with them, but you do not have to manage your network via, or have it connected to them - you can run it standalone. There are some benefits to the cloud access such as remote access to your controller. I run a full UniFi stack and it's been super reliable and easy to work with. I have a Dream Machine Pro, 5 switches and 4 APs. Since you mentioned PoE also, that's the way to go. I have my setup on a UPS, and everything is powered by a 16-port PoE switch. If the power goes out, everything keeps working off the UPS. The remote switches are also PoE powered, which is quite nice. Edit: spelling and some minor clarification

Just so you know, mesh doesn't bring roaming to wifi - any APs set up with the same authetication configuration (SSID, passphrase, security method) will allow wifi clients to roam amongst them as needed. Mesh uses what setups like Ubiquiti UniFi and commercial networking hardware use to allow *faster* roaming. UniFi would be my recommendation. It doesn't matter what your brother in law thinks.

UniFi - reliability, self-hosted, no cloud, no subscriptions etc.

UniFi has all the blocking and other features that you'd want. I have not tried it but it now also has ad blocking. At this point, I would never change. It's easy to maintain and upgrade etc. If something does fail, it's pretty simple to replace the component and keep moving. It's got a lot of enterprise type features that I like.

If internet doesn't matter, any mesh system should work for you. Hopefully, you could also use the wired networks already in place in the hotels, to utilize wired connections wherever possible. If I were you, I wouldn't look at consumer mesh systems though, but something more in line with Ubiquity UniFi access points, which can mesh together if needed, and one of their Cloud gateways to serve as the router, main access point and the management console.

Things like unify express are about 200 a pop. You get one of those and then standalone access points like i7 pro. And for wired devices you add some 2.5 gbe or 10 gbe switches.

Would really depend on the condition of your wiring, but PowerLine networking / HomePlugAV devices are pretty good for getting a network connection across your house without running any cabling. To that, you plug in another WiFi access point and set up your network. You could use the same network as the main one, even, so that you don't have to manually go through and add the new network to all your devices. Or, if you're using the plastic all-in-one from your ISP, you could turn off the wifi on that, and use a better router for your home network. Ubiquiti's Dream Router and Express models would cover your 1800sqft home very well. If you still had trouble with that one spot, you could enable mesh and add a U6 Lite near the problem area. It doesn't take many radios to cover a space that size. My 1700sqft home and 2.5 acre wooded property are covered completely in fast wifi from 2 access points in my home (U6 Lite and U6+).

Problem 1 you are using the ISP wifi. Those are usually crap and don't allow you to update settings much. Problem 2 the extenders are like mesh in that they are using your own wifi to resend signals. Info to consider: Are you using 5ghz or 2.4ghz signals? Everyone wants the faster 5 ghz but don't consider that these are more affected by walls. If you can use the 2.4ghz your signal will be better. Second you don't want a bunch of your bandwidth eaten up with "back haul" so you need your remote AP(access point) hardwired back to the router. I am a believer in putting the ISP system in passthrough and using your own router/wifi. Option 1 consumer grade. Asus. Get 2 put one at each end of the house. Run a wire between them, one will be your router, the other will be converted to just be an access point. You can set them up in mesh so it's one wifi network and devices can hop as needed. You cannot buy just an AP from Asus, but can get a better and lower cost device. TP link is also good. I avoid everything else. Option 2 Prosumer Get a Ubiquity unifi system. There can be set up simple or go full on and power a football stadium. For home you can get a single unit as the router or one that is router and wifi AP built in, then get a separate dedicated AP for other locations. You can update the AP s as new tech comes out without replacing the working router. GL

It's the way to go. I have 4 unifi aps in my house, a couple in the garages, a couple outside. All hardwired though, no lossy meshing. No kids and wife complaining about wifi.

Ubiquity is the best way to go. I installed Ubiquity in my home and in 3 family members homes. Has been rock solid for over 7 years now. The range and coverage is very good. I used 2 or APs for a 3,500 sq ft home and 3 for a 5,000 sq ft. Don’t mess with range extenders, total crap.

Not needed but I switch to Ubiquiti as wanted vlan support, ability to configure port forwarding and security and all same network equipment as easier to manage

Modular and stable. I’ll never go back to anything else.

Second. I just hard wired my UniFi and I’m blown away from the stability and speed.

Can you get it wired? I like UniFi as a system and MESH.

There is only one answer to this. Unifi. Once you go UI.com, you’ll never go back. Buy it once, buy it for life. You can update components as the tech changes.