Re: [PLUG] Mesh WiFi

I'll throw a +1 on the "search the ML for this topic" cause I'm pretty sure the only thing I talk about is mesh on here :) and I'll third Unifi as a good meshing wifi system. However, there are a few things to note. First off, read up on some of the Unifi EULA changes recently and note that some of the chatter spins wildly into conspiracy theory. Specifically the sending of data/traffic/stats back to Unifi. Even if you host your own controller (I use a VM, but a Pi will work great), there are still some phone home bits that have people concerned. You can easily turn off the usual "Send analytics back to Unifi" in the web UI, but there are some folks that think it goes deeper than that. Just saying look into it. I'm very much aware that I get their controller software and firmware updates for free, so I have to pay somehow. Others might not think that way or, if you're running this in a regulated business, be able to run with the possibility of "some" data getting sent back to the mothership. Secondly, and honestly more importantly, mesh has a few limitations that don't always get flushed out until you have everything setup. For instance, every jump you make with a wireless backbone slows your speed by half. So if you have a client that's very far away from a wired AP, adding one mesh AP is still very usable, but more than that to reach the client and you're starting to get thin on bandwidth.

While on the same subject, I've been super interested in https://phillymesh.net/ but never did anything about it. I have no clue if its still active, but I like the idea of building a citywide (or larger) mesh network that isn't specifically connected to the Internet.

-Chris T.

On Mon, Oct 26, 2020 at 4:15 PM Chad Waters via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:

I recently acquired an ubiquiti dream machine (UDM-base) and may expand with a POE switch and another AP in the future. The switch on board is not POE unfortunately.

Its runs Debian (stretch) under the hood and you have full access to it. I've "apt getted" a few network tools to troubleshoot (tshark, etc)

The support forums are full of complainers. Take everything you read there with a grain of salt.

On Mon, Oct 26, 2020, 2:52 PM Thomas Delrue via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:
Just as a general feelers-being-put-out... Does anyone have opinions or
experiences with Mesh WiFi products (e.g. Amplifi or Ubiquiti) for home use?
Which ones do you use and how (un)happy are you with them? How hard are
they to install, expand, or manage?

How much (as a range) did you pay for them?

Eager to hear what people have running...
___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
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___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion -- http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug