I am currently in the market for some wireless access points and thought I’d get some suggestions here first. I am currently using some old eero pro’s as access points with a firewalla router. The firewalla isn’t old and I am happy with it so I am not looking to replace it with something at this time.
Are there suggestions for more privacy focused networking equipment? Or is that just a dumb question to ask?
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I’ll take a look at ubiquiti. I like to tinker but I don’t think my wife will like the internet cutting in and out while I try to figure out how to set it up or troubleshoot something.
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TP-Link omada series - clones of ubiquity at half the price, can run openwrt if that’s your thing. I’ve got 6 of those including outdoor ones covering the yard
Ubiquiti, but cut off from the Internet and manual upgrades if you’re worried about privacy
Ubiquiti is a solid choice. They require controller software to set up. You can run it on your computer, in docker, etc. You don’t have to run it 24/7 if you don’t want.
I have 3 different Unifi APs around the house and have no qualms with them. If I were going to replace them, I’d give Grandstream a serious look. They have built in controller software, or you can use their cloud management or run the software locally.
I’ve got two Ubiquiti APs and the standard Dream Machine and am quite happy with them too. Sure, they’re not the cheapest option, but they’re quite feature rich and expansion within the ecosystem is very easy.
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I have been nothing short of impressed with ASUS. I recently upgraded to an GT-AX6000 and it’s run circles around the other ones I’ve tried (TP Link AX5400 and Netgear). ASUS might also be one of the rare few that don’t gate features behind a subscription. Be wary of that.
Also many need accounts to set up. Again, ASUS doesn’t.
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If you want to look into enterprise grade equipment I recommend Ruckus with unleashed firmware. You can get older models r510 r610 from eBay for around 100-150 then flash unleashed by downloading it from official ruckus website. R610 requires more power so if you do PoE you need a switch that supports 802.3at 30w. R510 is less power hungry and suites most setups. You can do all sorts of network configurations with them. Meshing with other ruckus unleashed is supported. Guest portal, VLANs and client isolation. They are not the newest and don’t support wifi6 but are rock solid, support hundreds of devices and perform well in high congestion places. There are newer models but they are expensive r550 and r650. I used to recommend ubiquity equipment in the past but they are not the best for privacy focused deployment. Arguably the hardware of ubiquity AP’s are far inferior to enterprise gear like Ruckus or Aruba.
Sorry for asking, but what even is the use of having a Wireless Access Point? If you have a router then you should be all set, no?
Take this with a major grain of salt as I don’t know much about this. I think that a router isn’t always also a wireless access point. It could just be for wired connections like a switch. Please downvote and correct me if I’m wrong, I really know little about this.
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So it’s just like mini routers just dedicated to internet, with better quality and reliability, that connect to the main router when it’s near, but give you a stronger signal?
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More control. I can make a homemade PFSense router that gives me enterprise grade features like VLANS, VPN options and advanced firewall rules.
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Performance. A dedicated AP from Unifi or Armada is more powerful and stable than most consumer wireless routers.
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Price. Building a decent setup yourself actually pretty cost effective compared to high-end consumer routers.
It’s DEFINITELY NOT for everyone, but if you’re a nerd with some networking skills and time to spare you can make a baller enterprise-grade home network for under $300. My budget setup made from used components blows any $500 “premium” router away.
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I think the Firewalla may be able to broadcast WiFi (I’m not sure) but it doesn’t matter much to me because it’s tucked away in my utility room. I need a couple AP’s for my upstairs for all my wireless devices.
Apparently you can flash OpenWRT on some Unifi APs, though I’ve never tried it personally. I have a Unifi AP (with stock firmware) connected to my DIY PFSense box and it’s working great.
Been looking into using something like openwrt on a bananpi bpi r3
Openwrt isn’t privacy focused but it does give you a lot of flexibility
TP-link EAP 245 + openwrt.
All these openwrt folks have never hears of opnsense or what?
Because OP is asking about APs, not a router/firewall.
APs don’t run openwrt though. Openwrt is for a home router/firewall and AP combo. AP is just the wifi part and plugs into a router
There are a lot of APs that can be reflashed to run OpenWRT in AP mode.
I think this is the part I was missing thanks
AFAIK you don’t have to use it as a router. If you configure all the interfaces to LAN it should just act as a switch/AP combo.
At that point why not just use a ubiquiti/microtik ap though?
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OP literally said they were looking for APs to use with their router/firewall
They said they were looking for privacy-focused, open source options. So get a Unifi AP and flash OpenWRT on it, and that fits the bill.
