Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 Hey! Ok; my 'super luxury' HMO is almost complete. Wifi is provided via BT - router is in the hallway; so range will be restricted . What's the best way to boost the range (do the wifi range extenders really work?). Thought about the devlo plugs but that creates another SSID; would prefer just 2 (2Ghz and 5GHz) - tenant can then connect to which ever best suits them. Simple is best so tenant doesn't get confused. Router will be locked up so no one runs ethernet cables everywhere and damages the new decor. Any suggestions appreciated Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 When we were in the caravan, we set up an old spare BT hub to be a wifi access point. Hard wired tot he main router with am ethernet cable. It seemed to work well. Something similar for you with 2 or 3 of them? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 My Wi-fi extender definitely works. I can’t get Wi-fi upstairs properly without mine. Plugged in I get a decent signal albeit that the advice on here was that it potentially slowed things down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) Best solution, if achievable in your circumstances, is Access Points (APs) connected by ethernet (not wireless). APs ideally should have seamless roaming, like Unifi AC-Lite (below) or similar. They are not very expensive. About £70 each. If you go with that approach, you don't need anything else. You can turn off the wireless transmitter in the modem provided by the internet provider. It does take a tiny bit of technical knowledge to set up such a system up but I assure you that its very easy and there are people on here who can troubleshoot for you. For an HMO, you can also manage the network remotely with a little extra cost (about £70). An example of a suitable AP (you would need at least two): Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) Oh, and wifi extenders don't really work because roaming fails. The multiple dumb routers do not hand off the WiFi connection between themselves. The user ends up connected to a distant router when a better one is nearby but neither the router nor the connected device does anything to remedy the situation. (And that is to ignore the reduction in transmission speed of using a single frequency for both extending and data transmission.) Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) Oh and one last thought. I would imagine in this day-and-age and for an HMO, complaining about WiFi will be a perennial pastime for your tenants. I would think that investing in a good Wifi system (ethernet wired, not wireless, and mounted in the ceiling away from prying hands) would pay-off many fold. Add in remote management and you have solution that could well make your life easier. Not to mention that good WiFi could be a selling point for prospective tenants. In your case, I would avoid consumer solutions and instead go for a commercial solution like Ubiquiti Unifi. Its widely used professionally, including for large deployments. Every professional installer you speak to will know all about it. It takes a little getting used to be once setup its really just fit-and-forget. You can DIY-it easily. And its not expensive. Just a thought. Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Davies Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 Or a wired Ethernet socket in each room and let them sort their own Wi-Fi out as they like. It's what the hall of residence my nephew stayed in did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 18 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said: Oh and one last thought. I would imagine in this day-and-age and for an HMO, complaining about WiFi will be a perennial pastime for your tenants. I would think that investing in a good Wifi system (ethernet wired, not wireless, and mounted in the ceiling away from prying hands) would pay-off many fold. Add in remote management and you have solution that could well make your life easier. Not to mention that good WiFi could be a selling point for prospective tenants. In your case, I would avoid consumer solutions and instead go for a commercial solution like Ubiquiti Unifi. Its widely used professionally, including for large deployments. Every professional installer you speak to will know all about it. It takes a little getting used to be once setup its really just fit-and-forget. You can DIY-it easily. And its not expensive. Just a thought. So I connect an ap off the router ; turn off router WiFi . Daisy chain another AP of the existing one if I wish . That the type of arrangement? . Roaming then is automatic to which ever one would give you the best signal ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 I asked for WiFi recommendations a few months ago and five members recommended Unifi. I put in 2 AC Lites and the whole of my 4 storey house is covered seamlessly. Pretty simple to set up and works very well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) Just a thought I did not have cat 5 installed for this ; but did have it installed for Cctv . Can I from a bridge use the cat 5 to go to an AP and then chain to Cctv ? - or must it be a separate connection each ??? essentially run 2 devices ( Cctv and AP ) off 1 cat 5 ? . No socket nearby so *assume* remote switch could be powered by Poe - Cctv and AP plugged into that ; feasible ?? Edited October 3, 2018 by pocster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) 18 minutes ago, pocster said: I did not have cat 5 installed for this ; but did have it installed for Cctv . Can I from a bridge use the cat 5 to go to an AP and then chain to Cctv ? - or must it be a separate connection each ??? Probably. If you intend to run multiple devices from a single ethernet wire (e.g. CCTV camera and an AP) then all you need is for the cable to plug into an ethernet switch first, which acts as a junction box. There are loads available but something like this would do: Also keep in mind if you are without an ethernet network that you can use Unifi AC Lites using Powerline through your electricity wires. I don't have much experience of Powerline. I hear it can be a glitchy but it certainly can work. Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught Swapped the image for a cheaper item but just as suitable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 2 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said: Probably. If you intend to run multiple devices from a single ethernet wire (e.g. CCTV camera and an AP) then all you need is for the cable to plug into an ethernet switch first, which acts as a junction box. There are loads available but something like this would do: Also keep in mind if you are without an ethernet network that you can use Unifi AC Lites using Powerline through your electricity wires. I don't have much experience of Powerline. I hear it can be a glitchy but it certainly can work. You beat me too it ! just googled and found poe powered switch with Poe pass thru Perfect thanks ! . Have to ‘box it’ in so prying fingers don’t touch ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 You beat me to it @Dreadnaught The AC Lites are POE, power over ethernet, you will either need a separate ethernet power injector to power them or a POE switch. A cheap switch plus POE injector like this seems the cheaper option. https://www.amazon.co.uk/UBIQUITI-Networks-POE-24-12W-Ubiquiti/dp/B00HXT8LPW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1538588859&sr=8-5&keywords=poe+injector POE switch option https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-SG1005P-5-Port-Gigabit-Desktop/dp/B0769C24T1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1538588800&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=poe+injector&psc=1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 Good point. I forgot to mention PoE. Keep in mind that a PoE injector is included in the box with every AC Lite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 Good point, I forgot that as we have a PoE switch. Cheap TP Link switch is fine then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) 36 minutes ago, pocster said: So I connect an ap off the router ; turn off router WiFi . Daisy chain another AP of the existing one if I wish . That the type of arrangement? . Roaming then is automatic to which ever one would give you the best signal ? Yes. You don't need to "daisy chain". Just make sure the various APs are on the same ethernet network somewhere. Yes, roaming will be automatic. If you want remote access, add this to the network somewhere. Its entirely optional. Its not needed for initial setup. Its only for remote access (and pro-level monitoring). Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 1 minute ago, Dreadnaught said: Yes. You don't need to "daisy chain". Just make sure the various APs are on the same ethernet network somewhere. Yes, roaming will be automatic. If you want remote access, add this to the network somewhere. Its not needed for a basic setup at all. Its not needed for initial setup. Its only for remote access (and pro-level monitoring). What would I get too see with remote access ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) 4 minutes ago, pocster said: What would I get too see with remote access ? You can access everything about the wifi network. You can see who connected, how much data they are using, you can set all sorts of limits. Importantly, if you need to reset the network (fixes most problems) you neither have to visit nor instruct a simple-minded tenant what to do. You can reset it all remotely from you beach in a far off place (yes I remember your lovely photos ). Its entirely optional. Perhaps start without it. Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 Just now, Dreadnaught said: You can access everything about the wifi network. You can see who connected, how much data they are using, you can set all sorts of limits. Importantly, if you need to reset the network (fixes most problems) you neither have to visit nor instruct of simple minded tenant what to do. You can reset it all remotely from you beach in far off places (yes I remember the lovely photos). ? Sounds perfect for me . Will get it I love ‘controlling’ my properties remotely - saves SO much time - except when virgin screw up ( as of now believe it or not ) - so no access ? Holiday photos for 2 weeks of the year are why I work the other 50 weeks . Just wait until next year !!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) It wouldn't enable you to reset the modem provided by the ISP (which you will still need). I would recommend a remote activated smart switch as a solution for that except for one huge flaw. The smart switch wouldn't work when the internet is down (unless it is connected to the 3G network; I believe there are some switches that do). Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 2 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said: It wouldn't enable you to reset the modem provided by the ISP (which you will still need). I would recommend a remote activated smart switch as a solution for that except for one huge flaw. The smart switch wouldn't work when the network is down (unless it is connected to the 3G network; I believe there are some switches that do). I’m automating my house not the tenants ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfrdave Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 35 minutes ago, AliG said: The AC Lites are POE Be careful with this I think the lites are passive poe so only 24v which not all switches will provide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) 12 minutes ago, vfrdave said: Be careful with this I think the lites are passive poe so only 24v which not all switches will provide. Newer AC Lites, including all those currently sold, also support 802.3af/A PoE as well as 24V PoE. But do beware of that if buying second hand. There's a sticker on the box of the newer model, see the top left blue triangle: Edited October 3, 2018 by Dreadnaught 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 One further thought, if you want to spoil your tenants with WiFi coverage outside in a garden or open space, there are waterproof APs made be Uniquiti. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 2 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said: One further thought, if you want to spoil your tenants with WiFi coverage outside in a garden or open space, there are waterproof APs made be Uniquiti. I don’t know ! They’re gonna have a 50” tv with bt sports etc , dishwasher , tumble dryer , 2 ovens , 4 ensuites , cleaner twice a week - they’ve got enough ! ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now