Back to WiFi and Security Cameras

Have a client that has several problems – home has an issue with spotty WiFi and their cars are getting broken into in their driveway.

The house was built in the 1920’s with plaster and lath.  The entire home is a Faraday Cage.  (too much metal in the walls) Fortunately, there is some wired ethernet already installed between the first and second levels of the home.  We’ll install better, more powerful, Ubiquiti access points with a WiFi controller, creating one seamless wifi network across the entire property. Replace their leased Comcast cable equipment (reducing monthly bill) with a new, much better, cable modemrouterWiFi access points and a WiFI controller. All purchased from Amazon.

To deal with the security issue, we will install a security Digital Video Recorder, using their old mac laptop, some security DVR software and a pair of wireless 1080p WiFI ONVIF cameras.(which can be placed anywhere, as needed)

Install is coming up this weekend. We’ll keep you updated on how it goes!

how do I make my WiFi better?

Here is how we have improved our WiFi at multiple locations:

1. Replace consumer-grade WiFi gear with enterprise-grade gear

2. Add additional WiFi radios to increase coverage zones

Why replace consumer-grade Netgear/Belkin/Linksys/TP-Link WiFi gear with enterprise-grade gear? Because enterprise-grade WiFi gear will let you deploy multiple access points that will allow for seamless roaming from one access point to another. Consumer-grade access points don’t do that. In addition to roaming, the coverage provided by enterprise-grade access points is generally much better and will cover a larger area.

The gear we recommend is the Ubiquity UniFi line. The difference between the Pro and Lite versions of their access points are:

Lite version has a 2×2 MIMO radio and is indoor-only

Pro version has a 3×3 MIMO radio, is indoor/outdoor and has a 2nd ethernet port for connecting wired devices

The best news is that the cost of these Ubiquiti radios is the same or less than the consumer-grade radios they are replacing.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-802-11ac-Dual-Radio-UAP-AC-PRO-US/dp/B015PRO512/

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Dual-Band-passive-UAP-AC-LITE/dp/B016K4GQVG

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Cloud-Key-Control/dp/B017T2QB22/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1512180686&sr=1-2&keywords=unifi+cloud+key

The CloudKey controller is optional, you can run the UniFi controller on a Windows, Mac or Linux PC – or a Raspberry Pi

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG/dp/B00LV8YZLK/

the USG is a firewall/router that integrates with the UniFi Controller and allows you to manage everything from one user interface. Not required, but nice.

Replacing your current WiFi gear with an enterprise-grade set of gear will eliminate dead spots in your coverage and give you a reliable network you can trust.