I was wondering if anyone could recommend a wifi 6 POE wireless access point to use with my parent’s spectrum internet service. I want to move them off the rental access point/router, and ceiling mount the access point in a more central location. I am looking to add only one AP, so I don’t want all the overhead of Unifi.
Any suggestion in the $200 price range would be great.
Thanks
If you ditch the Spectrum all-in-one router/WAP, what are you going to use for routing, DHCP and other router functions?
I got an TP-Link Omada EAP620-HD about six month ago, fits right in your budget at about $105 (price then, probably more now), but it’s simply a WAP, no routing functionality so talks to my OPNsense router.
I also recently replaced a sister’s rental unit with an all-in-one Belkin RT3200 ($90 on newegg) a few months back. Reflashed it with OpenWRT and it works extremely well, zero issues reported since she installed it. It got her bufferbloat grade up from C to an A, without any loss in throughput, plus it’s WIFI-6. The peer unit from Linksys is the E8450, but even though they are the same hardware, I couldn’t find any for less than $150 when I got the Belkin.
I have a Unifi switch flex I was planning on using for POE and routing. I believe it will work fine without any software management. If not I can use an old router and a POE injecter.
So is it correct that the Omada EAP620-HD can be configured without additional software?
Yup, local management is one of the reasons I chose it. It’s pretty minimal, but really what is there to set on a WAP but some IPs and SSIDs…
I power mine from a 6-7 year old Cisco POE switch, which shouldn’t work as the switch is only 802.3af-spec and the WAP docs say it requires 802.3at (POE+), but it worked right away and has not complained since I plugged it in. I can’t say it will always work on af, but it’s working for me.
With those TP-LINK EAP devices you don’t need to run the controller software, I do believe it has most of the features without it. However, if you want to add a second access point, then you need to have the controller running if you want roaming between APs.
The other feature to have on those access points is a 2nd ethernet port, not all the units have them. Handy if you want to daisy-chain another AP of just plug in a wired device.
I’m a fan of the older Cisco Aironets. I run a 3602i myself. They are around $25 on ebay and support AC.
Thanks for the recommendations. I’m going to go with a
TP-Link TL-SG1008MP POE router and a TP-Link EAP620 HD rather than cobble a system together with old equipment I have on hand.
Any thought on whether adding a Netgate 1100 is overkill for a home network or if the spectrum firewall will be fine.
I think you are confusing the terminology. A switch is not a router. A router is usually a firewall and DHCP server. A switch links together multiple devices and can supply POE power. You need both. The TP-link SG-1008MP is a POE switch that can power the EAP620. You still need a router upstream from the switch. If you turn off the WiFi in the Spectrum wireless router that would be fine. However, a device running Pfsense (Netgate 1100) is excellent but will need more configuration. If you are not comfortable with networks it might be a bit more challenging. I’m comfortable with networking and have been running Pfsense for years but up to you if you want to have the additional capability.
Sorry poorly worded. My question should have been: “is Spectrum’s firewall adequate for a home network, or should I use a PFsense firewall”? I use Pfsense at my house as part of a full Unifi system, but am not sure if it is overkill for my parent’s house.
The advantage of Pfsense over consumer hardware is that the system and software are very stable and rarely need upgrades. Also, you can setup a VPN server to administer remotely in case changes are needed.