Advice needed - Wireless Access Points or Mesh for Wired setup

[sgspurs]

I have setup 8 ethernet ports in Living room and bedrooms during the renovation. Some are spare and will not be used initially. In each room, i plan to connect wire directly to the laptops and also to provide wifi access.

Given that i have it wired up, i believe wired backhaul is better than wireless backhaul. In this case, should i still get the mesh which will act as a wireless access point or get dedicated WAP devices ?

Assuming I am subscribing to Singtel, it means the following :
1. Fibre TP -> ONR (since cannot use own router) -> Unmanaged Switch -> wireless AP device (in each room to provide wireless) -> laptop
OR
1. Fibre TP -> ONR (since cannot use own router) -> Mesh Main unit -> Unmanaged Switch -> mesh node (in each room to provide wireless) -> laptop

Thanks all !

 

[xiaofan]

I have setup 8 ethernet ports in Living room and bedrooms during the renovation. Some are spare and will not be used initially. In each room, i plan to connect wire directly to the laptops and also to provide wifi access.

Given that i have it wired up, i believe wired backhaul is better than wireless backhaul. In this case, should i still get the mesh which will act as a wireless access point or get dedicated WAP devices ?

Assuming I am subscribing to Singtel, it means the following :
1. Fibre TP -> ONR (since cannot use own router) -> Unmanaged Switch -> wireless AP device (in each room to provide wireless) -> laptop
OR
1. Fibre TP -> ONR (since cannot use own router) -> Mesh Main unit -> Unmanaged Switch -> mesh node (in each room to provide wireless) -> laptop

Thanks all !

Why do you want to subscribe to Singtel and use the ONR? Singtel ONR has pretty limited features (you can not even customize the DNS server) and may have problems with things like port forwarding.

Ref: https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/how-to-port-forward-on-singtel-nokia-g240-onr.6769665/
Ref: https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/singtel-port-forwarding-issue.6755972/

As for Wireless AP vs Mesh, mesh makes it easire for seamless roaming and you can use cheaper dual band mesh solution. But if you are looking at higher end solution like Ubiquiti Unifi APs, then go ahead.

 

[sgspurs]

Why do you want to subscribe to Singtel and use the ONR? Singtel ONR has pretty limited features (you can not even customize the DNS server) and may have problems with things like port forwarding.

Ref: https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/how-to-port-forward-on-singtel-nokia-g240-onr.6769665/
Ref: https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/singtel-port-forwarding-issue.6755972/

As for Wireless AP vs Mesh, mesh makes it easire for seamless roaming and you can use cheaper dual band mesh solution. But if you are looking at higher end solution like Ubiquiti Unifi APs, then go ahead.

Thanks for your help !

Yes, i am currently using Singtel. Previously was a ONT. Recently move to a temporaily place and they replace it with a ONR. Now that i am moving to a new place, am thinking of switching. Does Starhub still give ONT or also ONR ?

Probably not Ubiquiti Unifi APs - They are expensive ! but not sure if there are other cheaper APs options.

 

[xiaofan]

Thanks for your help !

Yes, i am currently using Singtel. Previously was a ONT. Recently move to a temporaily place and they replace it with a ONR. Now that i am moving to a new place, am thinking of switching. Does Starhub still give ONT or also ONR ?

Probably not Ubiquiti Unifi APs - They are expensive ! but not sure if there are other cheaper APs options.

Starhub and M1 are good options, they both provide ONT.

 

[TopGun]

Thanks for your help !

Yes, i am currently using Singtel. Previously was a ONT. Recently move to a temporaily place and they replace it with a ONR. Now that i am moving to a new place, am thinking of switching. Does Starhub still give ONT or also ONR ?

Probably not Ubiquiti Unifi APs - They are expensive ! but not sure if there are other cheaper APs options.

Unif APs are worth it. You probably need one in the living room and one in the MBR. Issue is with stock availability, An Wifi 6 Pro cost just $229 on Unifi SG site. It's performance will beat almost all consumer class wifi router.

 

[vibranze]

For Unify Wifi 6 Pro, is it necessary to mount it on the ceiling to provide the best coverage?

 

[sgspurs]

Unif APs are worth it. You probably need one in the living room and one in the MBR. Issue is with stock availability, An Wifi 6 Pro cost just $229 on Unifi SG site. It's performance will beat almost all consumer class wifi router.

What about other bedrooms ? Need separate APs ?

 

[vibranze]

I have a similar situation and created this new thread. Any advices would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[TopGun]

What about other bedrooms ? Need separate APs ?

Depends on the location of the AP and the walls. Drywall or structural. If the former, probably not. If the latter, then perhaps consider an in wall unit.

 

[berber]

If you want table top placement access points, they have the FlexHD or U6 Mesh options

 

[firesong]

What about other bedrooms ? Need separate APs ?

There are in-wall APs that suit the bedroom aesthetic, if you're interested in keeping it clean and still provide good coverage.

You can leave the ceiling-mount to larger areas like halls/dining and in-wall APs for rooms/study. The benefit of the in-wall units is that it mounts in place of your wall socket, and provides easy-to-access LAN points.

 

[the_guardian]

I recently moved in to my 5 Room BTO flat (114m2) and I'm using Asus XD6 Zen Wifi mesh connected to each other via Wired Backhaul. Mesh #1 is near the centre of the house close to DB Box while Mesh #2 is in BR2 (room next to MBR). Coverage is excellent, no dead spots around the house, I can even get signal from an open field in front of my block ~100m away (2.4GHz band). As XD6 is only dual band, it's recommended to use a wired backhaul.

Take note, I've elevated both my mesh units (recommended to get the best signal spread) using a standard speaker mount/bracket that costs $7 from Lazada as Mesh units typically can't be wall mounted. Also, I'm using my mesh as the router itself so I got the electrician to run a LAN cable from DB Box (where ONT modem is located) to where my Mesh #1 placement is.

My Network diagram:

ONT Modem > Mesh #1 WAN port
Mesh #1 LAN port 1 > Mesh #2 WAN port (Wired backhaul in BR2)
Mesh #1 LAN port 2 > 8 port Unmanaged switch > DB Box patch panel to connect all rooms Data Points (5 Data Points + 1 additional Data Point)

Sharing my setup and hope it helps.

 

[LoneTraveller]

I recently moved in to my 5 Room BTO flat (114m2) and I'm using Asus XD6 Zen Wifi mesh connected to each other via Wired Backhaul. Mesh #1 is near the centre of the house close to DB Box while Mesh #2 is in BR2 (room next to MBR). Coverage is excellent, no dead spots around the house, I can even get signal from an open field in front of my block ~100m away (2.4GHz band). As XD6 is only dual band, it's recommended to use a wired backhaul.

Take note, I've elevated both my mesh units (recommended to get the best signal spread) using a standard speaker mount/bracket that costs $7 from Lazada as Mesh units typically can't be wall mounted. Also, I'm using my mesh as the router itself so I got the electrician to run a LAN cable from DB Box (where ONT modem is located) to where my Mesh #1 placement is.

My Network diagram:

ONT Modem > Mesh #1 WAN port
Mesh #1 LAN port 1 > Mesh #2 WAN port (Wired backhaul in BR2)
Mesh #1 LAN port 2 > 8 port Unmanaged switch > DB Box patch panel to connect all rooms Data Points (5 Data Points + 1 additional Data Point)

Sharing my setup and hope it helps.

Pls kindly lower ur transmission power of ur 2.4ghz band to limit ur signal to within ur own house (5bars). This is to prevent u from interfering with other people network (and them interfering with ur network as well).

Be a good neighbor and avoid wifi congestion in ur neighborhood....

 

[cscs3]

Pls kindly lower ur transmission power of ur 2.4ghz band to limit ur signal to within ur own house (5bars). This is to prevent u from interfering with other people network (and them interfering with ur network as well).

Be a good neighbor and avoid wifi congestion in ur neighborhood....

Dont think all router support signal power adjustment. I think ASUS has it. Linksys my need to login some admin ID (which I forgotten as someone mention in this forum).

 

[LoneTraveller]

Dont think all router support signal power adjustment. I think ASUS has it. Linksys my need to login some admin ID (which I forgotten as someone mention in this forum).

As long as he is able to. I actually requested my new neighbors in my new 2 year old bto flat to do that via our chatgroup and its a happy neighborhood for these past 2 years wifi wise.

 

[loganrunning]

Dont think all router support signal power adjustment. I think ASUS has it. Linksys my need to login some admin ID (which I forgotten as someone mention in this forum).

true. some do but its hidden in 2nd or 3rd level menu.

 

[Mach3.2]

As long as he is able to. I actually requested my new neighbors in my new 2 year old bto flat to do that via our chatgroup and its a happy neighborhood for these past 2 years wifi wise.

It's a ruckus in my estate lol...

I turned off 2.4GHz for the main wifi network and use only 5GHz DFS channels where it's still relatively clear.

 

[BradenHeat]

As long as he is able to. I actually requested my new neighbors in my new 2 year old bto flat to do that via our chatgroup and its a happy neighborhood for these past 2 years wifi wise.

BTO with group chat !? NANI !? condo i can understand but HDB !? wu ya bohhhh

but are all the newer BTO so cui in terms of the building fabs ? got so thin ?

[ im still staying in those thick bricks so yeaaaa.... ]

It's a ruckus in my estate lol...

I turned off 2.4GHz for the main wifi network and use only 5GHz DFS channels where it's still relatively clear.

hmm how bad ?

 

[Mach3.2]

hmm how bad ?

According to the stats in my unifi controller, I have 1118 neighbouring access points in the 2.4GHz spectrum in the last 24 hours. car cameras often broadcast their own wifi networks too so I'd imagine a sizable portion of this "1118" belong to those cameras. This "1118" APs also include very weak signals that won't post a contention problem, so it looks bad but it might not actually be that bad lah.

Speed wise it's sub 100Mbps the last time I tried, whereas my 5GHz signal can still manage around 100Mbps+ even when the signal is weak. I found no reason to leave 2.4GHz on for the main network so I turned it off.

But to be frank even on a good day you're not getting above 100Mbps for 2.4GHz

New built BTOs basically have drywalls for most of the walls, less the structural beams and columns which are obviously made of reinforced concrete.

 

[BradenHeat]

Sub 100Mbps the last time I tried, whereas my 5GHz signal can still manage around 100Mbps+ even when the signal is weak. I found no reason to leave 2.4GHz on for the main network so I turned it off.

But to be frank even on a good day you're not getting above 100Mbps for 2.4GHz

New built BTOs basically have drywalls for most of the walls, less the structural beams and columns which are obviously made of reinforced concrete.

holy fk, no wonder theres folks here asking for wifi 6e and full 160mhz

theres no way to fix or make things better for the wireless in your house ?