I need a new solution to my networking issues. I have a 2 story house with a finished basement. Currently I have Att gigabit fiber connected to a Netgear Nighthawk R7500v2 and Netgear WAC124 Wireless access point. The router is on the main floor with the access point on the 2nd floor. I think the router is just showing it’s age with random dropouts and we have always had certain locations with spotty wifi.
I have ethernet run to 3 locations in my house, one on each floor. I have been looking for a networking solution that would be low maintenance and solve our wifi coverage issues and dropouts. Mesh systems seem like they would be the easy answer, but I know that easy isn’t always best. I only want to spend around $300-400, so I think most Ubiquiti or enterprise level stuff is out.
Would a $100 Asus router on each floor be the best solution, or is there a better option? Thanks!
Flash the APs with OpenWRT. That’s what Unifi uses on theirs anyways. Disable wifi on the router or buy a dedicated one. Connect an AP in the basement via ethernet and one on the 2nd floor via ethernet.
https://openwrt.org/supported_devices
https://openwrt.org/supported_devices/432_warning
Plenty of tutorials/videos on different setup options, see which one works best for you.