Hi all, in the slow process of degoogling one of the key points for me would be to remove the pucks I have been using for a few years for the WiFi mesh network at home. I know of a few alternatives but not a single one that respects my privacy (not gonna get rid of google just to switch to amazon), that allows me control of the network locally without accessing some backend of some company or anything. I don’t quite need access from outside the network if that makes it easier to find some option.
Any ideas? I’m also slowly building the blocks needed at home for self hosting a bunch of stuff, and those would need to have access to the outside network of course. Maybe that needs to be considered too?
The best thing to do is to run a wired backhaul, if it’s remotely possible. MoCa or power line adapters are possible options but do your research and assess your own situation. Wifi is more complex that it can seem on the surface, and wireless backhaul adds its own nuance.
With higher end products you may find that you don’t need a mesh network - just one AP may solve the problem. All my neighbours have f’ing extenders which take up a ton of airspace and the houses are 30sqm footprint.
Ubiquiti makes the UniFi line which is prosumer. You’ll need several components; unless you’ve got more than 1gbps service, the UDM is a good starting point. They also make the amplifi line; I don’t think there’s a lot of positive feedback on those products.
Tplink is a Chinese company and therefore immediately suspect in some eyes, but their Omada line is pretty reliable. They also make the Deco line for more home-focused solutions. They’ve been in the news a bit lately, more so because people don’t change passwords from what I recall, but I wanted to mention it.
Alright! Thank you so much for the detailed answer. This has led me in the right direction, I had an inkling that given the old installation in the house I might be able to use something more adequate than WiFi. Now I finally know how to call it, MoCA. So I am going to spend some time checking where can I get in the house the wired access using this MoCA stuff, try and set up a couple access points or like you say just one good one. I guess I have a lot to consider now :)
So I was checking the whole line of ubiquiti, when you said you don’t think there’s a lot of positive feedback on those products, where you referring only to the Amplifi one?
Again, thank you so much, I finally feel I got the key knowledge I was missing to go forward.
The amplifi line is the plug and play line closest to the google/eero/etc. experience. It is specifically the one I was referring to which has less than enthusiastic feedback.
I neglected to mention Mikrotik. They’re a Latvian company that is also in the space. I think they’d be farther to the professional/complex end of the spectrum. Omada is in the middle, and Ubiquiti leans toward the easier to use side. They’re all going to need more work than google wifi, unfortunately.
The “other” site has a wealth of information; evanmccann.net is a good source for demystifying their product line as well.
Ah… Mikrotek sounds interesting, would love to support a small European company. They seem to have nice hardware…
Yeah, the other site x) since I removed my accounts is a pain to visit, if anything at some point I’ll do some search on the laptop to browse more comfortably.
Thanks for that other link! I have some reading to do… Lots to learn. Networking was never my forte, but alas, can’t trust any company and need to build things on my own… So be it.
Ubiquiti also offer a consumer/gamer mesh product but it is typically more expensive than their prosumer products, and less extensible.