I switched Internet providers today (from ATT U-verse to TWC) and didn't want to pay the monthly fee for them to enable the router/wifi capabilities in the hardware they gave me (its all combined with their cable modem hardware). So even though they gave me the hardware, they have it disabled electronically unless you pay more - you can't even get to the device's configuration UI. LOL
When I previously owned my own router/switch/wifi hardware the all-in-one consumer junk they sell would always stop working in 6-12 months. So looking for something better I did a little research and settled on a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X and Ubiquiti AP-AC Lite access point. And the kicker is that these two together were cheaper than many recommended high end consumer all-in-one devices (from Linksys, Netgear, TP-link, etc) and offer MORE functionality AND the ability to add additional access points that can seamlessly expand coverage.
Given that this hardware is meant for more savvy network experts I was a little worried about how hard it would be to set up for a vanilla use case. I shouldn't have been. General steps were roughly:
I did notice that before and after hooking up the router that my new Internet connection had high bufferbloat (in the 800+ ms range at times - I used www.dslreports.com/speedtest to test). So I did a quick google search and enabled the Smart Queue Management on the EdgeRouter (which I believe uses a fq_codel algorithm). This was a simple matter of telling the router to use Smart Queueing and then setting my upload and download speeds. Some adjusting up/down of those numbers and re-running speedtest got me dialed in with a minimal buffferbloat (in the single/teen numbers) with minimal drop in speed (from 118 down/12 up to 109/11) - an acceptable trade-off IMO. Link to final test results: http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest/8479428
Setting up the access point was even easier. I hooked it up to one of the ports on the EdgeRouter (eth4 in my case) then installed the Unifi software on my server (only has to be running for setup and logging - the AP will still work without it running). I started up the software and it ran me through a wizard for initial setup that basically just asked to set the admin password then the SSID name and password. Took less than 5 minutes and everything was back up via wi-fi.
So for a "vanilla" setup I was pleasantly surprised with the ease with which everything got running. The EdgeRouter is capable of MUCH more complex functionality which I may or may not ever get around to using depending on need. So if you have heard of this company's hardware and were afraid it would be too advanced for you - think again.
I am not saying this is the bestest router/wifi hardware out there or that its the fastest, etc. Just that it offers good (actually EXCEPTIONAL) value with superior functionality and hopefully a longer life than most consumer targeted hardware.
When I previously owned my own router/switch/wifi hardware the all-in-one consumer junk they sell would always stop working in 6-12 months. So looking for something better I did a little research and settled on a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X and Ubiquiti AP-AC Lite access point. And the kicker is that these two together were cheaper than many recommended high end consumer all-in-one devices (from Linksys, Netgear, TP-link, etc) and offer MORE functionality AND the ability to add additional access points that can seamlessly expand coverage.
Given that this hardware is meant for more savvy network experts I was a little worried about how hard it would be to set up for a vanilla use case. I shouldn't have been. General steps were roughly:
- Change your computer's internet connection to have a static IP (this was the hardest thing to figure out on Windows 10 lol)
- Connect directly to the router's port 0 from your computer and hit the router's IP (192.168.1.1) to bring up the configuration UI.
- Update the firmware (downloaded beforehand)
- Run the Basic Setup wizard (for SOHO setups)
- Reboot the router
- Change your computer back to using DHCP (non-static IP)
- Switch the cable from your computer from port 0 to port 1 then attach a cable from the cable modem to port 0
- Reboot
- Enjoy
I did notice that before and after hooking up the router that my new Internet connection had high bufferbloat (in the 800+ ms range at times - I used www.dslreports.com/speedtest to test). So I did a quick google search and enabled the Smart Queue Management on the EdgeRouter (which I believe uses a fq_codel algorithm). This was a simple matter of telling the router to use Smart Queueing and then setting my upload and download speeds. Some adjusting up/down of those numbers and re-running speedtest got me dialed in with a minimal buffferbloat (in the single/teen numbers) with minimal drop in speed (from 118 down/12 up to 109/11) - an acceptable trade-off IMO. Link to final test results: http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest/8479428
Setting up the access point was even easier. I hooked it up to one of the ports on the EdgeRouter (eth4 in my case) then installed the Unifi software on my server (only has to be running for setup and logging - the AP will still work without it running). I started up the software and it ran me through a wizard for initial setup that basically just asked to set the admin password then the SSID name and password. Took less than 5 minutes and everything was back up via wi-fi.
So for a "vanilla" setup I was pleasantly surprised with the ease with which everything got running. The EdgeRouter is capable of MUCH more complex functionality which I may or may not ever get around to using depending on need. So if you have heard of this company's hardware and were afraid it would be too advanced for you - think again.
I am not saying this is the bestest router/wifi hardware out there or that its the fastest, etc. Just that it offers good (actually EXCEPTIONAL) value with superior functionality and hopefully a longer life than most consumer targeted hardware.
