Ubiquiti - UniFi U7 Pro (5-pack)

Unifi is no easier/harder than Omada. I'd steer clear of Mikrotik for Wifi unless you *really* know what you're doing.

Ubiquity hands down. Their WiFi 7 gear is reasonably priced too

You can build a much more reliable and scalable system for less money with much better components from Unifi. Consumer mesh is a joke.

Unifi by a country mile, and it's not even close.

UniFi is the most solid networking platform.

Unifi gear is not cheap. But I highly recommend it. I installed a wifi 7 pro AP the other day and it's fantastic. Their gear is great but the price tag reflects it. Highly recommend.

It was so good for me that when I accidentally messed up some wiring it was doing wireless back haul from an older udr to u7ap's and I only noticed it due to the app showing topology looking wrong. This is 2 story house with udr in basement and aps on the 2 above ground floors.

If that's the case get a ubiquiti Unifi system. Gateway plus access points. Best performance per dollar with a wired backhaul

Not wired. But I have wireless mesh with another U7 PRO and U7 Long Range. Works great

switch to unifi from google mesh. Much happier

I recently upgraded my APs to ubiquity U7 pro, I can really recommend an UniFi setup

Yes get that unifi pack makes sense. I'd probably get a unifi router too to get access to all the features.

Get into the UniFi ecosystem and don't look back.

Yeah it's mostly the U7 series I heard that there were issues with. Personally I didn't have the issue with my U7 Pro but I also run nanoHDs which my 2.4ghz devices were connecting to for all I know. Also I know for a fact I had trouble with some WiFi HomeKit accessories not connecting to a mixed-frequency network. I think it was eufy or Meross only had 2.4ghz radios and would time out and fail to add unless I switched to a 2.4ghz-only network. So in my case I have a 2.4ghz hidden SSID for iot devices. I assume it was trying to connect to the same exact network as my phone which was connected to 5ghz. This could have been fixed with a HomeKit upgrade maybe?

Ubiquiti unify is your best bet for a great mesh system. I have it on my small holding and have good coverage over 2.5 acres

I've used Unifi APs for years with my Firewalla. Another option you might want to investigate is the Firewalla AP7.

I dropped off my orbi 970 at UPS today to be returned in favor of my new UniFi stack. It's no comparison.

No Google wifi, yes unifi. Write it down.

Absolutely true. I just removed 4 Deco X75s (had zero issues with them - just wanted a more advanced setup with VLANs for a hybrid personal/business network) and 3 Google WiFi pucks (had some issues with these). Everyone talks about issues but I haven't had any with UniFi or with Tp-Link.

Get omada or unify. Either will make you happy. One ssid for users, one for guests.

I've had UniFi stuff in my house for 5+ years, and yeah, WiFi issues aren't a thing at my house, and there are no dead zones. I was a bit strategic around where I placed the APs, and I ran Ethernet to all of them except the one in the shed quite a ways from the house (that one is on mesh). I have solid signal anywhere on my property, and haven't had any issues in the entire 5 years. Haven't had any "need to reset the router again" moments at all with this. My parents have a UniFi setup as well, and no issues there either.

I second this. Went all in and couldn't be happier. Never had such good coverage and the control you have is insane!

Unifi is great. Complete control over your whole network.

Just so you know, mesh doesn't bring roaming to wifi - any APs set up with the same authetication configuration (SSID, passphrase, security method) will allow wifi clients to roam amongst them as needed. Mesh uses what setups like Ubiquiti UniFi and commercial networking hardware use to allow *faster* roaming. UniFi would be my recommendation. It doesn't matter what your brother in law thinks.

I use TP link Deco X95 2 nodes system at home and Unifi 7 at work works without any issues for over a year though we will replace Eufy at work as we rolling out our own cloud platform

Ubiquiti. Join the club. The more you get the more you want.

../../../../preview.redd.it/zfn21gdqkpje11bcb.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=d05d67faf408c3803282fe2ee0b6f84b32b6a222 I used to have a tp-link mesh system, which died just after the 2 year warranty was up. When comparing new systems, the Unifi was actually a decent price, way more features and control, plus much easier to expand and can handle hundreds of devices. We use these APs at the office, very stable/reliable. You dont need a switch, you could use poe injectors instead. Biggest draw back is running ethernet cables where you want them

You can build a much more reliable and scalable system for less money with much better components from Unifi. Consumer mesh is a joke.

>I want them to be connected in to a seamless mesh network for seamless roaming. So, "mesh" has become an obtuse word in home networking. It's really just wirelessly uplinking to access points when cable can't or won't be used. Seamless roaming is built into wifi, it's not something that is only available in mesh systems - marketing hype has steered the understanding that way. You could set up three access points independently, with the same parameters (SSID, passphrase, security method) and your clients will roam amongst them as needed, seamlessly (meaning, no intervention required by the client to move). What mesh systems do bring is a unified management of access points which allows for certain enhancements to improve roaming (sometimes known as "fast roaming"). It's not super beneficial to home networks, but it's there. So if you're not buying a mesh system, using Ubiquiti UniFi or Omada - which both have a central "controller" - will provide those same features (and arguably better in some ways). Both of these are "prosumer" - a large step up in quality and features. Avoiding "the cloud" is maybe a good thing or maybe bad. With UniFi, you can set up access points standalone with an app that communicates directly with the hardware. Or, for a better setup, you would need the controller which allows more control and statistics. You also need to set up a userid with them, but you do not have to manage your network via, or have it connected to them - you can run it standalone. There are some benefits to the cloud access such as remote access to your controller. I run a full UniFi stack and it's been super reliable and easy to work with. I have a Dream Machine Pro, 5 switches and 4 APs. Since you mentioned PoE also, that's the way to go. I have my setup on a UPS, and everything is powered by a 16-port PoE switch. If the power goes out, everything keeps working off the UPS. The remote switches are also PoE powered, which is quite nice. Edit: spelling and some minor clarification

If this is for just a single office and there's not a dedicated IT person with experience to manage it, then Unifi is a great entry level option that is relatively easy to configure and manage.

I setup my Luddite parents' multi building rural location with a UniFi system several years ago. It's been bulletproof ever since, no matter how they try to mess it up.

Had Netgear 6 for about 3 years. Going with Unifi 7

I don't know why availability would be an issue. All the items are in stock. This is what you would need for a "complete" setup. 1. https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/ux7 -- That's your main unit. They are just as plug-and-play as most consumer routers these days. 2. https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-wifi/products/u7-pro-wall -- Ubiquiti has a LOT of access points. I'm not sure what your ethernet cable terminates. If it terminates into a wall plate, then you may want one of the nice wall mounted ones. If it terminates in the ceiling or in a cabinet, then maybe you choose a different one. 3. https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/accessories-poe-power/collections/pro-store-poe-and-power-adapters/products/u-poe-plus -- That's the PoE injector for your second access point. To your questions... Configuration and management: Honestly if you're even slightly network savvy, it's so much cleaner and nicer than the other systems. The Asus / TP-Link stuff is now either typically locked in an app or has a crappy web UI with infrequent updates. Google WiFi is fine. I have it for my parents, but you don't get much control. At least it "just works" most of the time. Range: In my experience, much more than the Google WiFi Nest Pro. Similar to you, I installed that at my parents' house. I upgraded them from the previous Google WiFi system, and I found the range got a bit worse, but if you're in range, the speeds are much better. PoE Injector -- Most Ubiquiti stuff is powered by what's called "power over ethernet." It atually sends a DC current over the cable. It provides both power and data to the access point. For homes / businesses that require multiple access points, it's so convenient to just drop an ethernet line where you want to add the access point, versus needing a separate power source. Most mid-range or high-end Ubiquiti stuff has ethernet ports that are already "PoE enabled." With the device I recommended to you, the ethernet port there doesn't have PoE, so you need an "injector" which takes wall power and sends it through the ethernet line. An alternative device is the Dream Router 7. https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/udr7 -- One of the ethernet ports on this device is a PoE port, so in this case, you wouldn't need the injector. BTW - I agree it's awkwardly hard to tell if wired backhaul is working w/ the Google Home app. As I mentioned, I have it set up for my parents w/ 3 nodes, all wired, and I find it so frustrating how NOT intuitive it is. Like, they really hide the visibility of it. That being said, it DOES pretty much "just work" for my parents. You said you "added" the Nest Pro. Google doesn't allow you to run mixed mode. I'm assuming you have swapped both old units out for the newer Nest Pro, right?

Just tossed my netgear stuff for Ubiquity and couldn't be happier. My devices no longer connect to whatever random access point it happens to see even if there's a better one closer. Then they would get stuck on that one even after rebooting. So frustrating.

Second this. Unifi's work beautifully with my FWG. Once my FWG goes, I may switch router to them completely.

UniFi - reliability, self-hosted, no cloud, no subscriptions etc.

Oh man, this money can get you solid unify setup: [Gateway Max](https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/uxg-max?variant=uxg-max) 2 or 3 [U6 Access Ponits](https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-wifi/products/u6-pro) Or maybe something [in wall](https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-wifi/products/u6-iw)? Edit: formatting

I'll say the following: 1. If your main router/wifi has "2.4GHz quality issues", why not consider replacing that with something that works right? Seems silly to have physically separate equipment and access points for 2.4GHz/IOT. 2. Wifi "range extenders" suck. Especially if you're planning on using 5GHz for the backhaul. 3. Bear in mind that even with the "most solid" 2.4GHz wifi, it's common for cheap IOT home devices to just be flaky and crappy. You will not eliminate 100% of that behavior even with the best wifi. 4. Others are recommending Ubiquiti, and I have a full Ubiquiti system at home as well, but keep in mind that Ubiquiti makes dozens of different access point models - some are KNOWN to have issues with 2.4GHz IOT devices. For example the U7 Pro. So you can't just go to Unifi and "buy the best" and expect that to be rock solid either. You'll have to do your research. But if you go with Ubi, one nice thing is you can have your main wifi SSID on all bands (2.4/5/6GHz), and additionally have your IOT SSID broadcasting from all the APs as well, but only on 2.4GHz if you choose. And as others have said, you can apply network rules such as not allowing devices on that SSID to connect out to the network if you want.

Unifi mesh is one of the best implementations I have ever seen, not that my experience is massive. It does handoff fairly well and doesnt completely kill the speeds amd bandwith of the network. Most of the people I know with UI mesh setups are very happy with them. Hell, I know a couple of them who had a cable problem and didn't even realize they were on a mesh network for quite a while.

If your FTTP NTD is stuck in the garage, don't expect one giant router to cover the whole property. Even a high-end unit like the ASUS GT-AX11000 Pro will choke once you add 20+ meters, two walls, a wardrobe, and three doors. Wi-Fi 6 is good, but it can't bend physics. What actually works: Stay ASUS: Another GT-AX11000 Pro in AiMesh mode with 5 GHz-2 dedicated to backhaul. Identical hardware syncs better and avoids a lot of the "AiMesh nightmare" stories. TP-Link Deco X95/X90: Very solid tri-band Wi-Fi 6 kits. Great balance of throughput and reliability. Eero Pro 6E: Simple and stable, though be aware that features like advanced parental controls, ad blocking, and network security sit behind a paid Eero Plus subscription. Stock Eero hardware still covers fine, but the extras aren't free. Ubiquiti UniFi: Fantastic when you can run wired backhaul. Pure wireless uplink works, but it takes more tuning and often won't outperform a well-placed consumer tri-band mesh system. Placement > hardware. Don't leave your main router in the garage. Pull a short Ethernet run inside (adhesive raceways look tidy) and put your main node on the first interior wall. Add a second node halfway to the far corner, and if it's still weak, a third to finish the chain. On a 1 Gbps NBN plan, a good tri-band mesh should still give you ~400-700 Mbps at the far end. With one lonely router in the garage, you'll likely see <100 Mbps and dropouts. (Side note: I run FixIT Computer & Tech, a small IT shop in Port Angeles, WA. I see this exact situation all the time-new house, NBN box in the garage, and Wi-Fi disappointment. The fix is almost never "buy the most expensive router," it's smart mesh placement and making the backhaul work for you.)

UniFi has all the blocking and other features that you'd want. I have not tried it but it now also has ad blocking. At this point, I would never change. It's easy to maintain and upgrade etc. If something does fail, it's pretty simple to replace the component and keep moving. It's got a lot of enterprise type features that I like.

Unifi by a country mile, and it's not even close.

Brother in law upgraded his old nest to the new, both were flaky and dropping connected units. I gave him my deco X55 ax 3000 three piece set and he hasn't had any trouble, nor did I. I upgraded to unifi system for extra control/features.

All the unifi access points support mesh just fine. You can set "auto" or pick specific address points to use for priority 1 and 2. I have one of 4 APs with wireless uplink, and have no complaints. It's in my shed and has two wired security cameras attached that are constantly streaming. They also all support 802.11r/k/v for roaming and fast switching, regardless of wired/mesh uplink. These protocols make devices seamlessly switch APs as they move around, and without dropping connections. You can be on a video call and walk around without interruption.

There are many helpful people in r/Ubiquiti. They could assist with your choices.