Ubiquiti - Instant Wi-Fi System

Stability issues for certain clients, limits on client number (LOW limits) I have An Amplifi Instant setup just for my kid to not use Deco. It's speed limited, but we are off FiOS 300/300 and on Comcast. The app thing is just annoying. OH. You NEED a Router between ISP modem in bridge mode and Decos or your LAN goes down when the ISP does. Despite the Amplifi Instant being App based, I'd go with a modern one. I really need to get opnWRT working. Then, WiFi is AP only. I wish wifi worked in those rooms

Amplifi is on sale. It is a mesh network for home by Ubiquiti. Includes a router and two wireless AP’s. I have installed dozens of these and they work great. It is on sale for around $170.00. Usually it is $350.00. I just did one a few weeks ago. Now their whole house has no issues with wifi.

I still run an old Amplifi

I'd trust Beelink (along with the other mini PC makers; I love my Protectli and GMKtec gear) more than I would trust many of the no-name cheap PC makers on Amazon / Temu / etc. I have a Protectli mini PC with 4 ethernet ports running OPNsense as my home firewall. I split my traffic off into separate networks for my main gear (phones, desktops, laptops, etc) and my IoT or "smart" gear (security system, cameras, home automation, etc). I have a Ubiquiti Amplifi for my main LAN wifi router, and a TP-Link Archer A6 for my IoT wifi router. Both of these are plugged into the LAN ports on the Protectli. I turned off all of the advanced features (like DHCP or remote VPN) on the routers, and use the OPNsense for those functions instead. So the short answer to your question is yes, buy a mini PC to serve as a firewall and then buy a wireless router (ideally running OpenWRT) if you want maximum security and flexibility. Just keep in mind this comes with an increase in complexity and required troubleshooting skills. The line between "wireless router" and "wireless access point" can get a little fuzzy at times, because a typical home wifi router is actually a router coupled with an access point in the same box. For most people most of the time, that difference is meaningless; they just want to add wifi.

I picked up an AmpliFi for $50 on Craigslist. It’s been remarkably solid.

Ubiquity Amplifi. It's unfortunately end of life now and it appears Ubiquity is no longer interested in the home wireless market segment. Still works great though and you can often find the system used for cheap.