Ubiquity AP Choice

[Mike McCall]

Current configuration:

Cable Modem - Edgerouter X - Meraki MS220-8P Switch - Meraki MR18 AP (n only & connected to the Meraki switch)

I want to improve my WIFI by moving to an AC capable AP, as well as get some hands-on with a Ubiquity AP. The Meraki can then become isolated from the network and used strictly for the shop - until the license expires next year.

My first choice is the Ubiquity UAP-AC-PRO-US. It looks to have the best over-all performance for my budget & needs. Unfortunately the Edgerouter X has a single passive 24V POE (always on), while this AP requires 802.3af POE. It does come (when buying a single pack) with its own POE Injector, but that adds another outlet requirement to an already crowded supply. The biggest perceived advantage for me is the 5G throughput speeds of 1300 Mbps & coverage, and not having to upgrade as my network upgrades...at least for awhile.

The alternative is the UAP-AC-LR-US. While it's 5G throughput is 867 Mbps, its 2.4G throughput is equal to the Pro at 450 Mbps. I'm not sure about the coverage differences between the two. A significant advantage is it does not require a POE injector and will be happy running directly off the passive POE port on the Edgerouter X. This is probably the more sensible choice for the short term.

My Meraki licenses will expire next year and I'm not going to renew them. That means that while the need for the Pro AP isn't great at this point, the choice I make now may matter later when I replace the switch. I'm trying to do a little planning ahead. One option is the newer US-8-150W, which will directly drive the Pro AP and management of both can be accomplished via the UniFi Controller internally. If I look farther down the road than my immediate needs, it seems that the Pro AP is actually my better choice. Make sense?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Go for the AC LR model.....unless you have AC1300 clients that can actually take advantage of and you can utilize the extra speeds above 867.

You can pickup a couple of LR models for the price of a Pro. I have not sold any Pro APs...my colleague did a couple at some engineering firms with graphics laptops doing large CAD files across the wireless.

I'd pickup an LR now, or even a Lite....and then when the newer Wave2 models come down in price another year or two...get one of those.

 

[Mike McCall]

Go for the AC LR model.....unless you have AC1300 clients that can actually take advantage of and you can utilize the extra speeds above 867.

You can pickup a couple of LR models for the price of a Pro. I have not sold any Pro APs...my colleague did a couple at some engineering firms with graphics laptops doing large CAD files across the wireless.

I'd pickup an LR now, or even a Lite....and then when the newer Wave2 models come down in price another year or two...get one of those.

At $350, you really think the Wave2 will come down that far in price? That would be a substantial drop.

 

[Markverhyden]

I agree. An LR should do just fine. The price for the Wave2 will drop. But much depends on what else is coming down the pipe so it's hard to predict. I bought my AC-PRO about 2.5 years ago, little over $200 if I remember correctly. Now they are around $130.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

At $350, you really think the Wave2 will come down that far in price? That would be a substantial drop.

Yup, just like in the past when G came out after A/B, and N came out after G, and MIMO added stuff, and the first AC's...

We have an AC Lite in our office, got it from a freebie promo when the new AC line first came out since I'm on the Beta list. Does quite well.

Re-worded..do you really need more than 860 megs? Doing huge LAN transfers? Got AC1300 capable clients that can even utilize it?

 

[Mike McCall]

I agree. An LR should do just fine. The price for the Wave2 will drop. But much depends on what else is coming down the pipe so it's hard to predict. I bought my AC-PRO about 2.5 years ago, little over $200 if I remember correctly. Now they are around $130.

Gotcha. I agree that the LR is a better choice for now. I wasn't considering a Wave2 at all even in the future. So, I'll change my plan to an LR, with an eye on replacing the Meraki switch with something like the US-8-150W, which will drive either of the AP's. I can change the switch at any time, so all I'll need to consider is whether the Wave2 has come down enough for me. Of course, by then I'll be independently wealthy and the price won't matter.

 

[Mike McCall]

Re-worded..do you really need more than 860 megs? Doing huge LAN transfers? Got AC1300 capable clients that can even utilize it?

No I don't. But bigger ia always better, right?

 

[brandonkick]

I just picked up one of the Unifi AP AC Lites for the new house I bought a few months ago.

I had also just last week had an AC PRO that I picked up to replace some residential grade
wireless gear at a local business. I had a chance to test out the PRO here before I set up my
Lite, and for the $50 difference in price... I really think you'd be hard pressed to find many
situations where the PRO is worth it.

The deal is that you really need to be able to take advantage of the 5ghz networks, and they
have poor range and very poor ability to penetrate solid objects. The use case would need
to be short range, clear LOS.... to achieve that big ole beefy bandwidth that is rated on the box.

In your use case though, I guess if you can get the LR model and run the POE line straight from
your existing POE route and not worry about another injector... then sounds like win win to me.

 

[Mike McCall]

I just picked up one of the Unifi AP AC Lites for the new house I bought a few months ago.

I had also just last week had an AC PRO that I picked up to replace some residential grade
wireless gear at a local business. I had a chance to test out the PRO here before I set up my
Lite, and for the $50 difference in price... I really think you'd be hard pressed to find many
situations where the PRO is worth it.

The deal is that you really need to be able to take advantage of the 5ghz networks, and they
have poor range and very poor ability to penetrate solid objects. The use case would need
to be short range, clear LOS.... to achieve that big ole beefy bandwidth that is rated on the box.

In your use case though, I guess if you can get the LR model and run the POE line straight from
your existing POE route and not worry about another injector... then sounds like win win to me.

Yeah, that's where I ended up given the advice I received above. I appreciate the help!