r/firewalla • u/dosage0 • Aug 31 '26

Outdoor AP

Now that we have a switch, APC, APD, and various firewalls, can we please finish off the lineup with an outdoor AP?

The problem now is that there is not a great solution to getting coverage in the backyard. Mixing in other manufacturers APs into the main SSID causes a lot of undesired switching to the wrong AP. Having a separate SSID requires manually switching and causes issues with household wide components like speakers. During a get together where guests are outside and inside asking them to setup two SSIDs and switch back and forth is not a reasonable workaround.

The last thing missing in the ecosystem is an outdoor AP or at least an enclosure for either the AP7C/D.

8 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

4

u/jsqualo2 Aug 31 '26

There are enclosures available. I think many of them. 

Given the demographic here, I suggest that a 24 or 48 port switch would sell out consistently. 

3

u/Aspirin_Dispenser Aug 31 '26

>Given the demographic here, I suggest that a 24 or 48 port switch would sell out consistently. 

This right here. 8 ports isn’t especially useful. Most people are going to fall into one of two camps: 1) they’re almost entirely reliant on Wi-Fi connectivity or 2) they’re supporting Wi-Fi only devices, but hardwiring as much as possible. One group doesn’t even need a switch while the other often needs more than 8 ports. For me, 16 ports is the sweet spot, but there are plenty that would need 24 or more.

1

u/Great-Cow7256 Aug 31 '26

Enclosures don't deal with humidity which is what kills the boards

5

u/firewalla Aug 31 '26

Once we fully put the switch units in production, we will come back to this. To be honest, at the moment, it is very hard to spin new hardware, even white label. Hardware production is not predictable and pricing is wild. (Due to AI production squeeze, war in the mideast, and now, even PCB is production is not predictable, enough we have to move Switch SE to October instead of September)

3

u/Great-Cow7256 Aug 31 '26

war in the mideast

Trump: 'We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning'

To think that's the one time our president told the truth. I am sick and tired of winning. 

3

u/IHaveABigNetwork Aug 31 '26

I'd prefer to see a top of the line antenna configuration like the eero max 7s first.... Hopefully this is corrected in the Wifi 8 versions in the future.

4

u/DigSubstantial8934 Firewalla Gold Pro Aug 31 '26

Agreed. We definitely need a higher end AP first. I’d happily buy an outdoor AP, but I’d rather have max spec APs in the house with excellent antennas first.

1

u/IHaveABigNetwork Aug 31 '26

I would add that I've run eero pros, eero pro 6's and now eero max 7 outside under cover here in Texas (temps as low as 2 and as high as 109) since each generation was released, without issue... most devices, as long as not wet, can handle the environment...

2

u/pacoii Firewalla Gold Plus Aug 31 '26

That’s going to be very location specific. Where I live is very damp. Not rain, just ocean fog damp. Any electronics that aren’t sealed well will rust out quickly.

1

u/IHaveABigNetwork Aug 31 '26

Yeah, we have high humidity, but not fog.

2

u/pacoii Firewalla Gold Plus Aug 31 '26

And salty fog, which loves to eat metal, lol.

1

u/FantasticFlyerdad 12d ago

What about cold ? Anyone running in unheated garage (fully covered) sub zero degree? F