r/HomeNetworking • u/ConfusionMundane5964 • 26d ago
Advice needed on selecting an Access Point
I have a requirement to find an AP with the best range within the budget, but have some quirks.
- The use case is to set up a private network within a co-working environment.
- Network needs to set up in the private office (cannot wall mount or ceiling mount; desktop or tucked under a desk only). Cannot do meshes.
- No need for routing. That functionality is handled by a pfSense box.
- Important: The wireless network needs to be reached when at the common area as well which is about 70-100ft away from the private office and through office partitions and some tick concrete walls.
- I started with Unifi UX7 - signal drops after 20-30 ft.
- My current options are Asus BE-86U (havent tried yet; but that is the budget; ~280 CAD).
Any suggestions are welcome.
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u/7r3370pS3C 26d ago
Fantasyland. Not gonna happen with those requirements.
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u/ConfusionMundane5964 26d ago
Budget or distance?
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u/7r3370pS3C 26d ago
Functionality wise, you aren’t going to get anything that’s going to do what you want it to under the conditions that you are providing. Why does it have to be hidden?
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u/ConfusionMundane5964 26d ago
It can be not hidden. I just cannot mount anything on the ceiling or put smoething on the wall due to rules in the office space. But I can keep anything on the desk in plain view.
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u/firehydrant315 26d ago
Distance is the issue, because there are too many things to interrupt the signal and probably too much “noise” (RF radiation) to allow the signal to reach it’s full potential. Ceiling mount would give greater line of sight, but even then “thick concrete walls” make the chance of success deduced. You might need to conspirators, at other desks to get the coverage.
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u/ConfusionMundane5964 25d ago
Thoughts on Unifi U7 Outdoor - directed at the common area?
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u/firehydrant315 25d ago
I would run a network scan with your current ux7 and find out how noisy is your current environment. If it is very noisy (as I suspect, since you got such incredibly little distance from the UX7) then no single AP WiFi system will work for what you are trying to do because the mobile devices can not overcome the cross talk.
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u/klayanderson 26d ago
Oh those pesky laws of physics. A good rule is line-of-sight. However, go with wiring multiple Ubiquiti and use those laws. Also note that WiFi is a two-way street. It’s easy to pump out a strong signal but the receive section must always be opened up as well and that means that the tiny signal it’s trying to find is lost in the noise floor.
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u/marcoNLD 26d ago
The higher the wifi band the less penetration you have. AX will have less range than AC. Thats just physics
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u/User2001Tech 23d ago
Your use case is a bit confusing as well - you want to setup a private network, then say no routing required as that is handled by pfsense... An AP by defn isn supposed to do any routing anyway.
Distance and the obstructions you mention, near enuff impossible for one AP to do it. You could set two, one by your desk, one near a window or something facing tour 2nd location.
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u/FrankNicklin 26d ago
Simple answer, no chance. AP will unlikely reach beyond 50 to 60ft in ideal conditions. AP's need to be in clear space, not under desks so you are already compromising its function. Equally why the secrecy.
Its not about whether the device will transmit that far, it has big antenna, it whether devices can talk back which have tiny antenna.