TP Link Omada Platform

[evildoctor]

Hi! I have just changed from Unifi to their platform. Just would like to setup a thread for TP-Link Omada users in SG. If you have any experiences or opinions regarding the product, please share it here!

 

[firesong]

I was on Omada, before moving off to another platform.

Pros and cons, I think. Omada is cheaper than Unifi - it's TP-link's attempt to enter the same space, and they've been trying a long time.

My main reason for moving out of the platform is a lack of long-term support. I feel TP-Link brings its consumer buying ethos to the Omada platform, which is supposedly targeted at the enterprise market. What do I mean by that? Software support is okay, for the first year and as long as the product remains "current". The moment they release new revisions or updated hardware, they immediately obsolete the older hardware without support (a no-no when enterprises would reasonably expect at least 5y of software support - security and bug fixes in firmware updates is particularly important).

Held my 3x EAP245 v1 for over a year without software support, even as the v3 gained plenty of updates in that time. Also, their controller update broke features they never intended to fix even after writing in to them, and they confirmed they EOL'd a product barely 2y after launch, recommending me to buy their v3 if I wanted support, which was very disappointing. Even Unifi does not play these software support games - they cannot afford to in the enterprise space. The tech refresh cycle for networking hardware isn't 2-3y in this target environment, unlike what TP-link seemed to imply in their reply to me. Home users can afford to replace hardware often, but even so typically do not change it every 2-3y also, what more something that's targeted in the office space that's usually deployed for 5y or longer.

 

[magix]

I was on Omada, before moving off to another platform.

Pros and cons, I think. Omada is cheaper than Unifi - it's TP-link's attempt to enter the same space, and they've been trying a long time.

My main reason for moving out of the platform is a lack of long-term support. I feel TP-Link brings its consumer buying ethos to the Omada platform, which is supposedly targeted at the enterprise market. What do I mean by that? Software support is okay, for the first year and as long as the product remains "current". The moment they release new revisions or updated hardware, they immediately obsolete the older hardware without support (a no-no when enterprises would reasonably expect at least 5y of software support - security and bug fixes in firmware updates is particularly important).

Held my 3x EAP245 v1 for over a year without software support, even as the v3 gained plenty of updates in that time. Also, their controller update broke features they never intended to fix even after writing in to them, and they confirmed they EOL'd a product barely 2y after launch, recommending me to buy their v3 if I wanted support, which was very disappointing. Even Unifi does not play these software support games - they cannot afford to in the enterprise space. The tech refresh cycle for networking hardware isn't 2-3y in this target environment, unlike what TP-link seemed to imply in their reply to me. Home users can afford to replace hardware often, but even so typically do not change it every 2-3y also, what more something that's targeted in the office space that's usually deployed for 5y or longer.

TPLINK normal standard. Once they release a new version you older device in older V (version) aren't getting any firmware update.

Tplink very poor in fixed firmware bug and issue. So i think Omada more for SME who doesnt care about security

 

[firesong]

TPLINK normal standard. Once they release a new version you older device in older V (version) aren't getting any firmware update.

Tplink very poor in fixed firmware bug and issue. So i think Omada more for SME who doesnt care about security

From personal experience, I agree. When I first deployed the 3 EAP245 units, I was quite happy with it since it was a pretty good improvement over the Asus routers I had used previously (multiple access points will always provide better coverage over a single "router").

However, the occasional instability, requiring regular reboots of APs (suggesting poor coding resulting in memory leaks), disappearance of features as they upgraded their controller (but never correspondingly updated the firmware due to forced obsolesce policies), made things quite untenable.

To share a situation towards the end of my 3nd year using the APs: I thought perhaps it was a controller issue, so I reset the network and tried to set it up from scratch, and there's this function to "Find AP" (when you click on the button, the AP's lights should blink to tell you which one you are configuring), but TP-link broke that - controller couldn't even trigger basic functions, and I did not keep an archive of older controller versions to roll back to. That's when I contacted them to report a bug, and was directed to replace my v1 EAP245s with v3 models at my own expense. After a lot of searching, stumbled upon some other forums or reviews complaining about the obsolesce and broken features and so I resolved to move out as soon as a reasonable opportunity presented itself.

The learning points while having 3 APs were useful though - and having Ubiquiti AC-Pro level performance for 1/2-2/3 the cost is tempting since the initial outlay is much lower. It taught me a lot about setting up my network at home, but I wouldn't go back to it or recommend it now. In terms of price, HPE prices have come down somewhat, and Ubiquiti's local distributors seem to be pushing more price-friendly options too (while having questionable firmware and software direction as a company).

 

[evildoctor]

That's what I read from the various forum. Hopefully they could step up their game and pour more resources into the product software. They have great hardware at great prices but what lacking is their software development. If they are serious about it, I believe they can be on par with Ubnt. Ubnt has dominated the market for far too long.

 

[TanKianW]

Platforms Comparison:



To be honest, still not a fan of either platforms. One tries to copy it, one tries to sink you into it.

 

[irbadboyz]

I was on Omada, before moving off to another platform.

Pros and cons, I think. Omada is cheaper than Unifi - it's TP-link's attempt to enter the same space, and they've been trying a long time.

My main reason for moving out of the platform is a lack of long-term support. I feel TP-Link brings its consumer buying ethos to the Omada platform, which is supposedly targeted at the enterprise market. What do I mean by that? Software support is okay, for the first year and as long as the product remains "current". The moment they release new revisions or updated hardware, they immediately obsolete the older hardware without support (a no-no when enterprises would reasonably expect at least 5y of software support - security and bug fixes in firmware updates is particularly important).

Held my 3x EAP245 v1 for over a year without software support, even as the v3 gained plenty of updates in that time. Also, their controller update broke features they never intended to fix even after writing in to them, and they confirmed they EOL'd a product barely 2y after launch, recommending me to buy their v3 if I wanted support, which was very disappointing. Even Unifi does not play these software support games - they cannot afford to in the enterprise space. The tech refresh cycle for networking hardware isn't 2-3y in this target environment, unlike what TP-link seemed to imply in their reply to me. Home users can afford to replace hardware often, but even so typically do not change it every 2-3y also, what more something that's targeted in the office space that's usually deployed for 5y or longer.
MSP

Sounds pretty cutthroat.

I mean for them to obsolete the hardware so quickly. Best to stay away from TP Link then.


Thanks for sharing your experience in detail bro.