Looking for a POE outdoor AP that I can put OpenWrt on and run multiple VLANs/SSIDs. Currently using Ubiquity Nanostation Loco and Picostation APs, but they only have 32MB of ram, so I am looking for something a little more future proof.
Budget is up to $150ish (USD) per AP, but less is always better.
Anyone have any suggestions?
I see that the TP-Link EAP225 3.0 may be getting close, but is it ready at this point?
Thanks
Aaron Z
Unifi AC Mesh would replace the Picostation. These are around $90. The EAP225 looks very similar and maybe a few dollars less but I have no experience with it.
Thanks, that looks like it will fit the bill nicely.
Aaron Z
EAP 225 is wave2. Is the Unifi AC Mesh also wave 2?
It is not, it is the old Ubiquity private label chip which seems to be just a re-badged wave 1 chip.
You mean eap225 is not wave2?
The Unifi AC Mesh is Wave 1. I don't know for certain about the EAP225 but references suggest it has a QCA9886 chip, which is Wave 2.
The internal photos of the EAP225 show aluminum electrolytic capacitors, which doesn't bode well for reliability over years of 24/7 operation. The AC Mesh is all ceramic capacitors.
Following up, have been running the Unifi AC Mesh for over a year now and it "Just Works" no reboots or shenanigans needed once it was setup.
Aaron Z
+1 for the (Unifi) Ubiquiti UAC-AP-M mesh sticks. Although I'm a long-time OpenWrt user, the Unifi Controller software (free, runs on Mac, Windows, Linux), PoE, meshing ability, reliability, and price (<US$100) make them a winner.
I actually have OpenWRT running on them, had some issues with their controller software when I last tried, perhaps I will try it again with the next round of APs.
The issue is that the APs need to connect 3 separate vlans to 3 separate wifi networks and when I did that it wouldn't talk to the APs.
Aaron Z