WiFi Access Point Recommendations?

[Nycturne]

I’ve been using an AirPort Extreme since 2013 when they launched. I eventually moved to a dedicated router, picked up a second Extreme on clearance, and been using them as wireless access points. I’d like to get a bit more range as these don’t really reach out into the yard at all, but reliability is important. What I have been using have been basically set and forget for nearly a decade now. I get more downtime from the power company than I do from my wireless network.

Any thoughts on what wireless access points to consider for an Apple-friendly household?

 

[fooferdoggie]

reliable is the hard part. I have had a couple of tp-link that could not go 6 months. been using one of these and its been good.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WMMD6DD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Cmaier]

I use Synology, configured as a mesh (though you can use any of their stuff stand-alone).

Very reliable. No problems with wireless Time Machine, HomeKit, etc.

 

[Herdfan]

I’ve been using an AirPort Extreme since 2013 when they launched. I eventually moved to a dedicated router, picked up a second Extreme on clearance, and been using them as wireless access points. I’d like to get a bit more range as these don’t really reach out into the yard at all, but reliability is important. What I have been using have been basically set and forget for nearly a decade now. I get more downtime from the power company than I do from my wireless network.

Any thoughts on what wireless access points to consider for an Apple-friendly household?

I am running a TC with 2 Airport Expresses hardwired into the same network. Have great coverage all over the house and within 50' of the house. So good in fact my ATV & Roku are running on WiFi instead of hardwired.

Like for you, they have been the Ronco of the WiFi world, Set it and Forget it. Haven't been into the setup routine in years.

 

[Eric]

Hardwired is hard to beat, if you have (or can run cable) to another area of the house you can setup another router as an access point. I had an older router that was easy to add and we have great coverage throughout the house without relying on any mesh or any of that.

 

[Cmaier]

Hardwired is hard to beat, if you have (or can run cable) to another area of the house you can setup another router as an access point. I had an older router that was easy to add and we have great coverage throughout the house without relying on any mesh or any of that.

I have three synology routers that use wired back haul, and two more that use wireless backhaul. Nice thing about the synology boxes is you can mix and match easily like that.

 

[Citysnaps]

If you like (or are just curious about) futzing/tinkering with routers, switches, APs, and management software, I'd recommend Ubiquiti/Unifi. That's my main setup and it runs off a MacMini, which has been running 24/7 for 3+ years straight with zero downtime in a closet.

Three POE APs hardwired into a switch which runs into one router port. Plus seven outdoor POE cameras running hardwired into another switch which drives another router port. MacMini is connected to a third router port, and runs camera software (people detection, image storage, etc) and Ubiquiti software. Internet comes in on a fiber link to an ONT (optical network terminal), which is then wired to the router.

For backup, I have an emergency Eero AP/router I keep unpowered in a drawer, that's preconfigured to run as soon as it's plugged in - in case the other stuff goes to shit for some reason and I (or my wife) need internet access in a hurry. I'm very impressed with the Eero - plug it in and it just works. And it works very well, and is fast.

 

[Cmaier]

If you like (or are just curious about) futzing/tinkering with routers, switches, APs, and management software, I'd recommend Ubiquiti/Unifi. That's my main setup and it runs off a MacMini, which has been running 24/7 for 3+ years straight with zero downtime in a closet.

Three POE APs hardwired into a switch which runs into one router port. Plus seven outdoor POE cameras running hardwired into another switch with drives another router port. MacMini is connected to a third router port, and runs camera software (people detection, image storage, etc) and Ubiquiti software. Internet comes in on a fiber link to an ONT (optical network terminal), which is then wired to the router.

For backup, I have an emergency Eero AP/router I keep unpowered in a drawer, that's preconfigured to run as soon as it's plugged in - in case the other stuff goes to shit for some reason and I (or my wife) need internet access in a hurry. I'm very impressed with the Eero - plug it in and it just works. And it works very well, and is fast.

They definitely make good stuff, but stay away from their AMPLIFI line. I used those for about a year and I constantly had to reboot things.

 

[Citysnaps]

They definitely make good stuff, but stay away from their AMPLIFI line. I used those for about a year and I constantly had to reboot things.

I have also heard that.

If I were to do it over again, and didn't have the security camera stuff to deal with, I would be tempted to get three Eero APs and call it a day. They are fast and the coverage is really excellent. And setup is a breeze.

 

[Nycturne]

Hardwired is hard to beat, if you have (or can run cable) to another area of the house you can setup another router as an access point. I had an older router that was easy to add and we have great coverage throughout the house without relying on any mesh or any of that.

Everything is already on a wired backhaul, so that's not a problem. It's more swapping out one WiFi AP for a different AP. The AirPort Extremes have just been wireless bridges for years now, and still do the job pretty well.

If you like (or are just curious about) futzing/tinkering with routers, switches, APs, and management software, I'd recommend Ubiquiti/Unifi. That's my main setup and it runs off a MacMini, which has been running 24/7 for 3+ years straight with zero downtime in a closet.

Our router is a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter, and it's been set-and-forget after configuring it. Have to think a bit on how much coverage we can get with their APs, handling the PoE injection and that sort of thing. A pair of U6 Lites might do the trick. I could also swap out the central switch for the PoE version of the same managed switch and just bite the bullet on that.

I use Synology, configured as a mesh (though you can use any of their stuff stand-alone).

Very reliable. No problems with wireless Time Machine, HomeKit, etc.

Huh, I didn't realize they also made routing hardware. I'll have to read their docs to see how well they might handle being used in AP mode. A bit pricy for my purposes compared to competitors though.

They definitely make good stuff, but stay away from their AMPLIFI line. I used those for about a year and I constantly had to reboot things.

For sure. I wasn't seeing reviews on those I liked when I was looking at bringing in a newer router a couple(?) years ago.

 

[Citysnaps]

Our router is a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter, and it's been set-and-forget after configuring it. Have to think a bit on how much coverage we can get with their APs, handling the PoE injection and that sort of thing. A pair of U6 Lites might do the trick. I could also swap out the central switch for the PoE version of the same managed switch and just bite the bullet on that.

My router is also an EdgeRouter and agree it's a set and forget device - well-priced too. I use a Unifi Switch 8 driving the three APs and their power needs. The Switch 8 can provide up to 150 watts of POE power - more than enough and good for future expansion. I suspect there are other brands that could also work well.

 

[Nycturne]

My router is also an EdgeRouter and agree it's a set and forget device - well-priced too. I use a Unifi Switch 8 driving the three APs and their power needs. The Switch 8 can provide up to 150 watts of POE power - more than enough and good for future expansion. I suspect there are other brands that could also work well.

Our house is wired up with a full(!) 24-port switch at the heart right now. It's a Netgear switch, and there's a PoE-enabled version of the exact switch we have installed which makes it as close to a drop-in replacement as possible. Which helps because we are using LAG for a couple specific rooms.

 

[Herdfan]

Our house is wired up with a full(!) 24-port switch at the heart right now. It's a Netgear switch, and there's a PoE-enabled version of the exact switch we have installed which makes it as close to a drop-in replacement as possible. Which helps because we are using LAG for a couple specific rooms.

I am looking to get one of these for the new house. My Ra3 lighting controller uses PoE for both comms and power. The Netgear seems like a good one.

 

[Citysnaps]

My dilemma is the Intel-based MacMini that's used to run the security camera software and home automation software (24/7), and very occasionally the Ubiquiti configuration software.

First, I know that future OS updates, will soon become sparse. Not so worried about new versions, but rather security updates.

Also... it consumes a fair bit of AC power, and generates a noticeable amount of heat - again, running 24/7.

I suspect the bulk of that heat is due to the seven continuous security camera video feeds and processing the data to determine if a person has entered the frame. Thus I'm considering the new M2-based MacMini.

Would hope to see a noticeable decrease in both AC power and heat generated going to an M2 Mini.

Any thoughts on that?

 

[Nycturne]

I am looking to get one of these for the new house. My Ra3 lighting controller uses PoE for both comms and power. The Netgear seems like a good one.

Been using the GS324T since the start of the pandemic without any complaints when we moved everything to work from home (it's also when I got the EdgeRouter). I skipped the PoE version (GS324TP) the first time because we didn't have any need, and since it's mounted in a wall cabinet, the lack of a fan was a plus. But it seems like they've made changes to the fan logic since I last was in the market. I have no issues recommending Netgear's switches for home office.

Also... it consumes a fair bit of AC power, and generates a noticeable amount of heat - again, running 24/7.

Do you know how much? I have iStat Menus installed on my Mini server, and it easily pulls under 10W. But it is generally idle, and only gets over 50W when someone's logged into one of the dedicated servers and actively playing, or I'm doing maintenance. Knowing data about load will help get a better idea of what savings you can expect.

I would expect a decrease in heat going to M2 for sure, and power. Question is how much. Depends on the load.

 

[Citysnaps]

Do you know how much? I have iStat Menus installed on my Mini server, and it easily pulls under 10W. But it is generally idle, and only gets over 50W when someone's logged into one of the dedicated servers and actively playing, or I'm doing maintenance. Knowing data about load will help get a better idea of what savings you can expect.

I would expect a decrease in heat going to M2 for sure, and power. Question is how much. Depends on the load.

Just measured. It varies between 50-60 watts (perhaps due to activities in the camera frames).

I would have guessed more than that due to the 120 F temperature of the exhaust.

EDIT: Quiting the security camera software drops MacMini AC power down to around 11 watts. And has decreased the Mini exhaust port temperature from 120 F to 95 F. That's quite a drop!

 

[Nycturne]

Just measured. It varies between 50-60 watts (perhaps due to activities in the camera frames).

I would have guessed more than that due to the 120 F temperature of the exhaust.

EDIT: Quiting the security camera software drops MacMini AC power down to around 11 watts. And has decreased the Mini exhaust port temperature from 120 F to 95 F. That's quite a drop!

120F is under 50C, which sounds about right for the power draw, and so the CPU will be noticeably higher. Power draw after quitting the software sounds about right as well. That said, I'm not really worried too much about the longevity of this setup, if that's why you are worried about the heat.

Apple Silicon will be better here.

 

[Citysnaps]

120F is under 50C, which sounds about right for the power draw, and so the CPU will be noticeably higher. Power draw after quitting the software sounds about right as well. That said, I'm not really worried too much about the longevity of this setup, if that's why you are worried about the heat.

Apple Silicon will be better here.

Thanks...

It’s more about finding out if an M2 Mini running 24/7 would result in a lower electrical bill. And how much lower it would be.

Second, the 120 F exhaust temperature was a little bit worrying, especially with the closet door closed, and the resulting temperature rise inside the closet. Door open the temp rise is 2 F above ambient. I usually keep the door cracked open a foot or two. I’m leaving the door closed for awhile and will see what the rise is then.

Regarding costs…a quick calculation suggests the current Mini would use 40 kWh of electricity per month. At around 50 cents/kWh that would be $20/month. *Guessing* an M2 Mini would consume perhaps half that, or $10/month. Thus saving $10/month or $120 per year. Have to think about that. Don't think it’s worth updating for that reason alone.

 

[mr_roboto]

Mac mini power consumption and thermal output (BTU) information

Learn about the power consumption and thermal output of Mac mini computers.

support.apple.com

They haven't posted numbers for M2 yet, but M2 should be close to M1, and for what it's worth, the ratios between M1 and Intel idle and max suggest you might cut power to 1/3 of current rather than 1/2.

You can also determine this experimentally... far as I know, Apple still offers a 2-week full refund return policy when you buy from one of their retail stores in the US. Doesn't have to be anything wrong with it, you can just decide you don't want it and they'll take it back. If that's available to you, should be easy to buy one and test it inside the return window.

 

[cloudflare420]

If your house is wired already, rip out the Airports and get a UniFi system. I'm running 1 U6-Pro and 2 U6-In Walls off a UBNT PoE Switch. I also have three of their cameras. For this, you need a CloudKey.

Everything is rock solid once you get it up and running correctly. I've never owned anything as reliable as this set-up. Perfect wifi coverage and speeds throughout the house. No dead spots anywhere.