[rif]

Is a WAP what I should be looking for?

The current setup is an actiontec router with built in wifi (verizon fios).  The router part is fine for me. I'd like to turn off the built in wifi and hook a a WAP or whatever via ethernet cable for wifi duties.  I am familiar and comfortable with going into these types of devices and making changes.

[Peter J]

 On the advice of my IT guy son-in-law this is what I'm in the process of  doing.   I'll be doing similar to what you're describing  with this stuff:

https://store.ubnt.com/unifi.html

 From what I'm gathering this is a far better way to do a wireless network. It's scalable  and modifiable  so you can add to it if you need different coverage, add cameras or voip. Control software installs on your PC.

[mresseguie]

Could I persuade either of you to talk about this in a little more detail?

How is this different from simply plugging a wifi router into the modem that the cable company supplied?

Will this cure my 'wifi keeps dropping signal' problems?

TIA for any information.

Michael

[mcgsxr]

I have a Sagecom device (Bell in Canada) that is dual purpose.  Rather than shut off the built in wifi I added a 2nd router (wired to the Sagecom) that extends the coverage by broadcasting the same SSID and p/w.  This allows devices to roam between the 2. 

The combo provides excellent coverage for my 2100 square foot 3 level home. 

[tvyankee]

Hello.

So you have fios. Well the good and bad of fios is that it's mostly  hooked up via coax not ethernet to the ont . With this said if that is the way it is for you I would have fios change that for you over the phone. They just turn the port on.  They other thing is if you just have fios Internet service I would have them also have them put your modem in bridged mode then your router will be in charge. Then I would just get something like this. The reason you cannot put the your fios router in bridge mode when you have fios tv is it use your modem to get the tv guide from the Internet unlike cablessed or sat. This is i believe a big mistake on there part.

Edge router x and couple of there access points. Very fast and stable.

BTW Peter J is on the right track. Kudos to son in laws everywhere.

[rif]

Hi all, thanks for the input. For those of you requesting some more details:

Here's the setup: fiber comes into the house and into the ONT in my garage.  The ONT outputs a traditional 2 wire telephone setup and a coax. The coax gets split to go to various rooms. The coax, in addition to the digital video signal (and other data), has moca.

The one I'm interested in is in my family room, where the coax is split in 2 - one for the tivo (with cable card in lieu of a set top box), the other for the actiontec router which handles routing duties, dhcp, static ip assignment, a switch for 4 ethernet connections and wifi duties (ssid definition, security protocols  (ie wpa2), channel selecton, etc.

So when you say 'modem' is that the ONT or part of the actiontec?

Anyway I want to offload the actiontec's wifi duties to another device, probably hooked up to the actiontec through a Lan port. My question is basically what's the name of that device.  I think it's a WAP.

tvyankee - what is the advantage of using an ethernet connection to the actiontec in place of the coax?

[tvyankee]

Rif,

I believe the through put of Cat6 connection  is faster then Mocca 1.1 buy spec and there are really no routers that work on mocca. Also the throught  put on the Actiontec as a router will not be as fast as the router that i suggested. Ont is like a Modem and Actiontec is a router but with fios TV is a hard work around to to put the actiontec into bridge mode and have your tv work correctly.

Do you have fios only for internet and cable tv for TV viewing? because you say you are using Tivo as a cable turner and did not know that it works with Fios

[ACHiPo]

Edge router x and couple of there access points. Very fast and stable.

BTW Peter J is on the right track. Kudos to son in laws everywhere.

I'm interested in this as well.  I have Comcast and use their router, but need a router in my listening room for my Aurender and NAS.  I picked up a NetGear extension modem, but my desktop computer needs to be connected to the extension modem to transfer files to/from the Aurender, and I can't be on the internet at the same time.

I'm looking for a system that enables internet connectivity and the ability to transfer files to the extension router at the same time.  Will the UniFi do this for me, or do I already have what I need and it's user error?

Thanks!

[rif]

Rif,

I believe the through put of Cat6 connection  is faster then Mocca 1.1 buy spec and there are really no routers that work on mocca. Also the throught  put on the Actiontec as a router will not be as fast as the router that i suggested. Ont is like a Modem and Actiontec is a router but with fios TV is a hard work around to to put the actiontec into bridge mode and have your tv work correctly.

Do you have fios only for internet and cable tv for TV viewing? because you say you are using Tivo as a cable turner and did not know that it works with Fios

I think we're over thinking this. Imagine that I had a router that had no wifi capability.  What device could I plug into it, through a Lan ethernet port most likely,  that would add wifi.  I think that device is called a WAP?

[tvyankee]

Rif,

Correct. Or you can use a regular wireless router that you have laying around and make that an Access point as well. Some have a check mark in the wireless setup page to make it an Access point and some you just chane the IP address of the router to something like 192.168.1.254 then turn off your DHCP and connect the ethernet cable to a lan port on the back not the WAN port and make the Wireless SSID and Password anything you like.  I was just trying to give you some advice as to getting the best performance out of your network.

You want Actiontec to ack as your DHCP Server only and not the router upstream so there are no conflicts on your network.

It may sound hard but very easy really.

[tvyankee]

ACHiPo,

Do you have any kind of cable in your listing room? Cat5 or 6 or Coax?

[rif]

Doesn't sound hard at all, did I just jinx myself?  Anyway I'll buy a new AP. the extra routers I have lying around are  so old, they don't even support modern encryption standards.

[Peter J]

Could I persuade either of you to talk about this in a little more detail?

How is this different from simply plugging a wifi router into the modem that the cable company supplied?

Will this cure my 'wifi keeps dropping signal' problems?

TIA for any information.

Michael

Michael, I've been increasing my general Wi-Fi knowledge lately so I can shed light in some areas, but honestly I'm out of my depth in the conversation about fios, which is apparently a different kind of system. tvyankee appears to know his sh*t, so this is more of a wifi 101 dissertation.

After struggling with various iterations of wireless connectivity for a few years, I'm convinced that the best way to connect things is with Ethernet cabling, so in our house, if it doesn't move, I'm gonna hook it up with wire. Tablets, laptops, phones are mobile and need wireless. In addition there is much that can be done with wireless within a home. One can control such things as thermostats, lighting, etc. The list is constantly growing.

In our and apparently your system, there is a modem that connects  gear to the web, a router that handles traffic from different sources within the house and a wireless radio. The latter two are often combined for convenience, but it helped me conceptually to view them as separate.

Because they are in the same  box the wifi radio/router is often not optimally located within the house, so coverage is compromised. Generally the further one gets from the radio, the weaker the signal. There are things that can extend the range. In our case wifi/router in my office and an access point at other end of house. This shows up on devices as a two separate networks, although I've given them the same ssid and access password.

The Unifi ( I think this is considered a mesh network...or close) system ditches the wifi/router and puts access points (antennas) in more optimal positions to blanket the area in wifi signal.  They all appear as one network and seamlessly hand off to one another as device moves around house. They are controlled and monitored via a program on local PC or in the case of the Edge router, a more conventional  web interface. The router does router duty only.

In an effort to streamline our system, I'm moving modem and router close to cable entry point of house, then will use a switch (kinda like a hub) to distribute to hard Ethernet lines and access points throughout house. I'll be running Ethernet to shop via a conduit I laid when building, then install an access point there as well. My intent is untangle all the crisscrossing cabling under house and have more of a home-run setup. Should provide solid wireless access anywhere on the property. I'm tired of fooling around with ho-hum solutions, and this is my once-and-done plan.

 

[ACHiPo]

ACHiPo,

Do you have any kind of cable in your listing room? Cat5 or 6 or Coax?

No, only wireless in my listening room, and it would be tough to move my cable modem to my listening room.

[tvyankee]

Hey,

Ok so you have a cable modem and wireless router in one or is it a separate wireless router from the modem? Also you are saying you don't have a cat5 cable or a separate coax in your listening room?

let me know. 

Thanks

[ACHiPo]

Hey,

Ok so you have a cable modem and wireless router in one or is it a separate wireless router from the modem? Also you are saying you don't have a cat5 cable or a separate coax in your listening room?

let me know. 

Thanks

Cable modem and router in one.  No Ethernet cables in the listening room, just wireless.

[rif]

Ok, I've decided to get the ubiquity unifi access point (UAP, but not the newer ac model). Hopefully there are enough 'tutorials' to get me through the set up - there's some good info in amazon's comment section.

[rif]

Hello.

So you have fios. Well the good and bad of fios is that it's mostly  hooked up via coax not ethernet to the ont . With this said if that is the way it is for you I would have fios change that for you over the phone. They just turn the port on. 
 

So if I have them enable it so my Wan exits the ont and hits the router through ethernet cable instead of coax, can I ditch the Verizon provided actiontec wifi router and buy a non-wifi router, perhaps a ubiquity product to match my just purchased ubiquity ap?

[Peter J]

Ok, I've decided to get the ubiquity unifi access point (UAP, but not the newer ac model). Hopefully there are enough 'tutorials' to get me through the set up - there's some good info in amazon's comment section.

Looks like lots of help here too. I've been reading....and reading.......and reading

http://community.ubnt.com/t5/custom/page/page-id/Forums

In an effort to future proof (gees, why do I continue to think that's possible?) I've got these on order. Apparently in short supply

http://www.balticnetworks.com/ubiquiti-unifi-802-11ac-lite-indoor-2-4-5ghz-ap.html

[rif]

That's a really good price ($84)-amazon has them closer to $160.  Almost too good...is there a catch, lIke refurb?