TP link business solution

XiaoFu99

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If I use separate item. I presume it is ONT to router to Controller to Switch to AP?

yes. if you have a PoE capable switch, you will connect you oc200/300 there. if not, not much difference between er605 or switch since its going to be powered externally.

the oc200/300 just need to reside within your network and preferably with a fix IP.


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CoolRock

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I started with Omada some years ago, and moved onto Ruckus when I had a good deal during the pandemic period (snagged some company clearance stuff). Sis and I have two wall mount APs in our rooms, the rest of flat is served by a single ceiling mount. This ensures that, even if we were to close our rooms to work, wifi coverage is still great. Old flat, so the ceiling beams are great at blocking signals.

Once you have used proper wifi hardware, it's hard to go back to low-end consumer stuff. The higher end models are generally okay, but may also require more work.

Also, personally, "mesh" with a wireless backhaul is a no-go unless absolutely no choice (to cover dead zones). Where possible, leverage on cabled connections for maximum coverage. Deploy additional cabling as needed for the most optimum setup. Even for consumer hardware, I tell my friends who ask to use wired backhauls. All of them who eventually decide to plug in their mesh nodes, always thank me for the much improved performance - it's actually noticeable.

Personally, TP Link's routers are not great. Go with pfSense/OpnSense, or Mikrotik - the routing performance is better. Stick to using Omada APs and maybe their switch if you want management convenience.

what are you using now? how about vyos? :D
 

firesong

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what are you using now? how about vyos? :D
VyOS is a fork of Vyatta, the same as EdgeOS which powers the ERL3 that I mentioned previously.

Am now on Mikrotik. Switching between Mikrotik and OpnSense.
 

xiaofan

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VyOS is a fork of Vyatta, the same as EdgeOS which powers the ERL3 that I mentioned previously.

Am now on Mikrotik. Switching between Mikrotik and OpnSense.

Interesting that you also switched from pfSense to OPNsense. I actually do not see much benefits of OPNsense versus pfSense as of now. I had issues with both of them with Singtel native IPv6. No issues with OpenWRT or Asus using Singtel native IPv6.

But I guess I am not using either pfSense or OPNsense as my main router OS. I am still using OpenWRT more often than pfSense/OPNsense. Then I also keep using RT-AX86U as another router (two independanct home network).
 

CoolRock

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Interesting that you also switched from pfSense to OPNsense. I actually do not see much benefits of OPNsense versus pfSense as of now. I had issues with both of them with Singtel native IPv6. No issues with OpenWRT or Asus using Singtel native IPv6.

But I guess I am not using either pfSense or OPNsense as my main router OS. I am still using OpenWRT more often than pfSense/OPNsense. Then I also keep using RT-AX86U as another router (two independanct home network).

why not just vlan / network seg instead of having the need to maintain 2 router?
 

xiaofan

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why not just vlan / network seg instead of having the need to maintain 2 router?

If I can have two independent network, why not? It is especially useful since I can get two public IPv4 addresses and two /56 public IPv6 addresses.

Basically this is a loophole for SingTel ONT users (1Gbps plan or legacy 500Mbps plan, without paying for SingTel 1+1 Gamer Bundle plan) if the user inserts a managed switch after the ONT.

Officially, SingTel 1+1 Gamer Bundle is the only SingTel consumer Fibre Internet plan to offer two public IPv4 addresses with officially bridged ONR (one port bridged, three ports not bridged, two independent networks, two public IPv4 addresses).

As per a report, SingTel 10G plan's ZTE XGS-PON ONR users may be able to do the same if they manage to bridge one port (not officially supported by SingTel) -- two independent networks with two public IPv4 addresses.
 
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CoolRock

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If I can have two independent network, why not? It is especially useful since I can get two public IPv4 addresses and two /56 public IPv6 addresses.

Basically this is a loophole for SingTel ONT users (1Gbps plan or legacy 500Mbps plan, without paying for SingTel 1+1 Gamer Bundle plan) if the user inserts a managed switch after the ONT.

Officially, SingTel 1+1 Gamer Bundle is the only SingTel consumer Fibre Internet plan to offer two public IPv4 addresses with officially bridged ONR (one port bridged, three ports not bridged, two independent networks, two public IPv4 addresses).

As per a report, SingTel 10G plan's ZTE XGS-PON ONR users may be able to do the same if they manage to bridge one port (not officially supported by SingTel) -- two independent networks with two public IPv4 addresses.

got it. I would have just put it behind a single firewall doing dual WAN, just need to set 2 different static IP or change the Mac address on one of the WAN ports.
 

xiaofan

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got it. I would have just put it behind a single firewall doing dual WAN, just need to set 2 different static IP or change the Mac address on one of the WAN ports.

I would not do that for my use cases. I would like to have router redundancy since I like to play with the router settings and sometimes reboot is needed. I do not want my family members to be distributed when I am carrying out testing.

BTW, no static IP, only dynamic.
 
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firesong

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Interesting that you also switched from pfSense to OPNsense. I actually do not see much benefits of OPNsense versus pfSense as of now. I had issues with both of them with Singtel native IPv6. No issues with OpenWRT or Asus using Singtel native IPv6.

But I guess I am not using either pfSense or OPNsense as my main router OS. I am still using OpenWRT more often than pfSense/OPNsense. Then I also keep using RT-AX86U as another router (two independanct home network).
I shared in the pfSense thread. pfSense drops the IPv6 for StarHub. OpnSense does not.

Something in the code/implementation seems to cause that to happen.
 

elvintay07

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I spoke to the TP link Omada person. Actually just get 1 ER7212 3 in 1 router + 2 ceiling or wall AP can trash all the mesh system. And it cost around $700+. Best of all is just use the Omada app to install.

For those moving into new landed, condo or BTO with whole house lan can consider this no horse run solution
 

firesong

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I spoke to the TP link Omada person. Actually just get 1 ER7212 3 in 1 router + 2 ceiling or wall AP can trash all the mesh system. And it cost around $700+. Best of all is just use the Omada app to install.

For those moving into new landed, condo or BTO with whole house lan can consider this no horse run solution
Overly simplistic solution. You need to plan your usage case. Will doors be closed during work (cos of privacy, aircon, etc)? These things affect signal too. In addition to the walls and doors, your furniture and other home installations will also impede signals.

AP placements must be planned. The same with wireless mesh nodes, tbh. But in terms of overall network stability, the APs should have the edge. Ceiling mounted APs are preferred because they typically have the least obstacles, although ceiling beams block signals quite severely compared to drywalls. I've also seen people install in-wall APs low, and then block the AP using the bed, study table, or other furniture - which essentially makes the wifi signal useless for that room.

And because throughput is what is needed, disregard the 2.4Ghz signal heat map and focus on the 5Ghz and 6Ghz maps.

Check out the ceiling mount AP signal map (5Ghz, 2 ceiling mounted Ubiquiti) by @Mach3.2. He posted his map of a typical 5rm BTO, and it quite clearly displays the effect of walls, doors, and other structures that attenuate or even completely block wifi signals. His placement works for the majority of home users, but we still need to be mindful of the blind spots for some may still want to put a study/dresser table in the MBR blind spot, for example (which can be fixed by extending an in-wall AP to the MBR if needed).

Also, unless Omada has changed their software update policies (I haven't read anything about this), know that their strong obsolence policy remains in effect - don't expect security patches or updates once they have EOL'd your device even just by a simple version point number release. This was the key reason why I left Omada. This policy does not reflect the reality in the market segment their devices purportedly target, which typically has 5 or more years of software update support - even if slower.
 
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elvintay07

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Overly simplistic solution. You need to plan your usage case. Will doors be closed during work (cos of privacy, aircon, etc)? These things affect signal too. In addition to the walls and doors, your furniture and other home installations will also impede signals.

AP placements must be planned. The same with wireless mesh nodes, tbh. But in terms of overall network stability, the APs should have the edge. Ceiling mounted APs are preferred because they typically have the least obstacles, although ceiling beams block signals quite severely compared to drywalls. I've also seen people install in-wall APs low, and then block the AP using the bed, study table, or other furniture - which essentially makes the wifi signal useless for that room.

And because throughput is what is needed, disregard the 2.4Ghz signal heat map and focus on the 5Ghz and 6Ghz maps.

Check out the ceiling mount AP signal map (5Ghz, 2 ceiling mounted Ubiquiti) by @Mach3.2. He posted his map of a typical 5rm BTO, and it quite clearly displays the effect of walls, doors, and other structures that attenuate or even completely block wifi signals. His placement works for the majority of home users, but we still need to be mindful of the blind spots for some may still want to put a study/dresser table in the MBR blind spot, for example (which can be fixed by extending an in-wall AP to the MBR if needed).

Also, unless Omada has changed their software update policies (I haven't read anything about this), know that their strong obsolence policy remains in effect - don't expect security patches or updates once they have EOL'd your device even just by a simple version point number release. This was the key reason why I left Omada. This policy does not reflect the reality in the market segment their devices purportedly target, which typically has 5 or more years of software update support - even if slower.
What system u using now?
 

firesong

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What system u using now?
I mentioned above in #14.

Ruckus APs. Firewall is a Mikrotik (was pfSense and OpnSense for a bit), and I have a managed PoE+ switch. It's not SDN but it works really well.

Trialled UniFi for a bit (borrowed from a friend), but when the Ruckus came in, that was obviously a much better AP system.
 

elvintay07

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I mentioned above in #14.

Ruckus APs. Firewall is a Mikrotik (was pfSense and OpnSense for a bit), and I have a managed PoE+ switch. It's not SDN but it works really well.

Trialled UniFi for a bit (borrowed from a friend), but when the Ruckus came in, that was obviously a much better AP system.
Ok ok. The price point different. I think yours is Enterpise system. When I look at Omada or Unifi, my purpose is more like make house nicer with better coverage with nice ceiling AP etc. Not do office network
 

firesong

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Ok ok. The price point different. I think yours is Enterpise system. When I look at Omada or Unifi, my purpose is more like make house nicer with better coverage with nice ceiling AP etc. Not do office network
Omada is targeting deployment in office networks, not homes. Unifi likewise.

It's just that many of us have given up on the poor network reliability of consumer stuff. And when we realise the price points converge cos they're charging so much for mesh systems, it makes more sense for people who are serious about their network reliability to go with the better stuff.

Speed tests alone are not adequate benchmarks. Availability and reliability are not easily measured, but very quickly felt.

Also, I paid under $450 for my hardware in total. That's 2 in-wall, 1 ceiling mount, one PoE+ Managed switch, the Mikrotik box, the old $50 ERL3, the mini PC that I use for pfSense/OpnSense, and my RPi3b that used to serve as a controller - I gave that away to my cousin.
 

elvintay07

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Omada is targeting deployment in office networks, not homes. Unifi likewise.

It's just that many of us have given up on the poor network reliability of consumer stuff. And when we realise the price points converge cos they're charging so much for mesh systems, it makes more sense for people who are serious about their network reliability to go with the better stuff.

Speed tests alone are not adequate benchmarks. Availability and reliability are not easily measured, but very quickly felt.

Also, I paid under $450 for my hardware in total. That's 2 in-wall, 1 ceiling mount, one PoE+ Managed switch, the Mikrotik box, the old $50 ERL3, the mini PC that I use for pfSense/OpnSense, and my RPi3b that used to serve as a controller - I gave that away to my cousin.
Can share which model? Those I saw are like $500 for 1 AP. But you are right. Many of my friends are happy with 100mbps speed test because of their old big homes. New ones we better do a good job due to more wfh.
 

firesong

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Can share which model? Those I saw are like $500 for 1 AP. But you are right. Many of my friends are happy with 100mbps speed test because of their old big homes. New ones we better do a good job due to more wfh.
I also mentioned I got it from a company closing down during Covid. They were just clearing out their inventory. These were in almost brand new condition.

1 unit of Ruckus r510
2 units of Ruckus h320

About 550Mbps or so across the flat even with doors closed, so I'm happy. Has ever peaked at 600ish at one point of time.
 

xiaofan

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I spoke to the TP link Omada person. Actually just get 1 ER7212 3 in 1 router + 2 ceiling or wall AP can trash all the mesh system. And it cost around $700+. Best of all is just use the Omada app to install.

For those moving into new landed, condo or BTO with whole house lan can consider this no horse run solution

I tend to think the ceiling mount AP should be pretty good. Just no so sure about the performance of ER7212PC. The OpenVPN speed spec does not seem to be good which indicates that it is using a low end CPU.

I think XiaoFu99 is right and you may not like the ER7121PC router at all as it is underpowerd to do the job properly -- like it is trying to do too much but can not do well.

you got to be very patience with ER7212PC. boot up time is like 10mins or so and you can't perform a schedule reboot. rather slow Web GUI access as well.

strange switch/EAP ACL that doesn't seems to take effect. has to rely on gateway ACL. by default, newly created VLAN can talk to other LAN.
I think more popular option will be do it separately rather 3-in-1.

ER605 v2 comes with an upgrade in CPU and memory. together with an OC200/300, is another option with faster boot up time.

ER7212PC doesn't support wireguard and IKEv2 doesn't support proxy mode.

Similar feedbacks -- it is said ER7206 + a seperate controller is much better.
1)

My god the controller interface is so slow. I will consider deploying a virtualized software interface in the future on a pfsense box. Thank god that you really don’t need to access it after it’s set up.

2)

The 7121 runs pretty hot, 50% cpu+ all the time.
 

Mach3.2

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i have a feeling the er7121pc is doing software routing in CPU, the small packet routing performance is bad.

A cheap router with hardware offload will rinse it any day. :s13:
 
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