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[Weaver]

I'm in the market for an new business-class wireless access point to replace my current ZyXel which doesn't do all the things I want and isn't fast enough. I'm wondering about using a router as a WAP, so tips much appreciated.

Split from other thread - Roseway

[psychopomp1]

If you want a true business grade WAP then Cisco WAPs are arguably the best out there but they ain't cheap!

http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/solutions/small_business/products/wireless/index.html-tab-AccessPoints

However Ubiquiti WAPs are almost as good as Cisco but without the heavy price tag. This one is Enterprise class and is reasonably priced at 133 notes:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/UBIQUITI-NETWORKS-UBI-UAP-AC-PRO-5Ghz-1300Mbps/dp/B016XYQ3WK

[Weaver]

Ubiquiti kit is what I've been looking at, but I hear there are problems with iOS, due to interactions or bugs on who-knows-who’s part, and I have several iPads so unless resolved this is a big no no.
    http://www.revk.uk/2016/08/iphone-unifi-dhcp-issue.html

If the seamless handover feature works (or whatever it's called) then this would be an absolutely killer feature in favour of these devices.

[psychopomp1]

Ubiquiquit is what I've been looking at, but I hear there are problems with iOS, due to interactions or bugs on who-knows-who’s part, and I have several iPads so unless resolved this is a big no no.
    http://www.revk.uk/2016/08/iphone-unifi-dhcp-issue.html

If the seamless handover feature works (or whatever it's called) then this would be an absolutely killer feature in favour of these devices.

I suspect RevK is using an older model because another person (Chris Boot) using the same UAP-AC-PRO which I recommended does NOT have the same issue:

I have a pair of UAP-AC-Pro units and have never had this issue. Mine are set up like so:

2.4GHz and 5GHz on different channels, e.g. 1 and 6 for 2.4GHz and 36 and 52 for 5GHz.

2.4GHz set to HT20 only, 9 dBm transmit power.
5GHz set to HT80, 20 dBm transmit power.
Avoid setting Min RSSI.

Disable both Band Steering and Airtime Fairness.

All my networks are WPA-PSK, set up as WPA2 Only and AES/CCMP Only.

I am also currently running a Unifi beta, which is behaving rather well. I'd be sorely tempted to give it a go if I were you. You definitely want Unifi 5.x though.

[Dray]

I think the iOS handoff problem revolves around whether it's accessing an 802.1x  business connection or a 802.11 residential connection. If the iPad is in business mode the hand off is configurable whereas in residential mode it is set to handoff when the RSSI falls below -68dBm.

[Weaver]

Features:

Essential: Multiple SSIDs: a must, which I'm using now, with separate profiles and security policies each.

Essential: I need a 'guest SSID', by which I mean isolation from the wired lan apart from permitting internet access applied to clients in one SSID, ideally plus inter-client isolation, although there might be a way of doing part of this with firewall rules, not sure how much of this is best treated as a router responsibility. I am already doing rate-limiting for guests, but they are not isolated from the rest of the lan currently which is totally unsatisfactory.

Essential: 5GHz and 2.4GHz operation, plus 802.11ac Wave 2 and MU-MIMO support

Essential: beam-forming or equivalent long-range features

Essential: Must be able to set up the security settings once only per SSID group and have them synchronised across the different radios in each SSID, as I do currently. I don't have to maintain two sets of security properties and clients one for 2.4GHz and one for 5GHz and repeated for different SSIDs as currently, with the ZyXel, relevant info is entered once into one security profile object and one MAC filtering list and these objects can be re-used.

Essential: seamless handover, or whatever it's called, where devices can roam from one WAP to another properly with zero hassle, of the type that Ubiquiti claim to offer, assuming it's real.

Important: I will need several WAPs to get enough coverage, including long-range outdoor access. Easy management of multiple WAPs would be important.

Essential: MAC filtering. Which I use currently. Really need an easier way to keep this up to date, ideally across multiple WAPs - important.

I don't need radius. I'm going to use WPA2 AES PSK, as currently.

Nice: Future proofing to future standards through software upgrades would be very nice, not practical if the radios are going to have to change.

Nice: multiple radios per band would be nice

Important: being able to edit config in a text editor and then upload it, and being able to back it up easily is important, as currently I have to edit everything using a horrid web UI and backup and restore is scary.

Nice: stats, logging and performance readings. Don't have any method of finding out what's going on wrt to performance and range problems currently.

If I can't find all of the must-haves in a single model, if it's too much to ask, then I'll use a mix of models.

[Weaver]

Admins: Thanks for splitting this thread off for me.

[Weaver]

What's the iPad business mode thing?

[Weaver]

RevK said that the iOS device just loses its IP address (can't remember whether it's an IPv4 or IPv6 problem) or something like that, or DHCP fails or I forget what exactly, there are quite a few posts in that blog relating to this.

He's tried various firmware updates, which have changed things but I don't think it's fully resolved yet.

[Pockets]

I was looking at the Unifi range recently as well.  It looks like the range on the Unifi AC LR is pretty good, so a single access point could be sufficient, avoiding any handoff issues.  But from your description, I suppose you're already sure that doesn't apply to you.

[Weaver]

I do need multiple WAPs, because I have six-foot-thick stone walls (no exaggeration) to deal with, so it's not just a matter of straightforward range.

[Weaver]

I realise that I really do want at least 802.11ac Wave 2 and MU-MIMO support too, as I don't want to be stuck with a lot of kit that quickly becomes outdated, as far as that's possible.

I'm not in a hurry, and I'm happy to wait if I can't get all my essentials yet. And as I said, I'm good with having mixed kit if it makes things easier, although that's all more management burden.

I have a demanding list not because I'm a mega-corporation, quite the opposite, but because the kit I've got already is good enough in most respects, apart from the guest SSID security thing which is one big hole currently. Also speed and ease of management are not really good enough right now.

[psychopomp1]

The TP Link EAP330 seems to tick all your boxes, their kit is generally very good:

http://uk.tp-link.com/products/details/cat-4908_EAP330.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-EAP330-Wireless-Gigabit-Ceiling/dp/B01DWGUY04

[Weaver]

The Cisco looks really good, the docs are excellent and so far I haven't seen to many things lacking from my list of absolute essentials, however the radios don't seem as up-to date as I would like, I didn't see MU-MIMO (maybe I wasn't looking properly) nor did I see the 802.11ac Wave 2 buzzword used, and more importantly I didn't see enough about smart roaming or whatever it might be called although some of the Cisco 500 series devices I looked at speak 802.11r. All my Apple devices speak 802.11k, 802.11r and 802.11v plus other good roaming-related features but the Cisco 802.11ac WAPs I found don't tick all these boxes, so Cisco might be out, which is a real shame, or I just wait.

Although I haven't worked out how to do the guest LAN thing yet from the Cisco docs yet. Regarding the guest SSID thing, this remains especially confusing as I think this is partly a router issue and I haven't thought it through yet. Also it might be simpler to simply put guests on a different WAP or even on a second router, which is easy because as I have a second Firebrick router sitting around doing nothing apart from being ready to act as a spare in the event of the next lightning strike, but then guests wouldn't get the same good coverage. There was an earlier thread where I asked for ideas about this matter.

The other nice thing about Cisco is that there's a UI emulator so you can play around with a simulated device before you part with your cash.

I'd also hope that the Cisco software is solid. Any buggyness at all is a showstopper.

[Weaver]

I notice looking back in this thread that the user who said he had no problems with Ubiquiti and Apple devices had disabled one important feature, airtime fairness which is a real shame if it was essential to cure the problem (and also band steering).

Another big plus with the Ubiquiti kit is that Andrews and Arnold sell it and support it, so I can get unlimited free hand-holding and if anything doesn't work then it's their fault (complete one-stop shop, zero buck-passing). And they know about the possible Apple issues.