I am looking to replace my Linksys WRT3200ACM running OpenWRT with something more modern.
What is the best solution considering that 85% of my devices (around 50 devices) are on the 2.4ghz network and the house is about 100sqm on one level only?
I’m open to anything - ideally it should have external antennas connectors - but that’s just a plus.
Pice range I would say 250€ but I’m willing to go up to 350€ if it really makes a difference.
I really need something reliable as the smart home depends on it.
Price range is sky high.
One per floor: https://openwrt.org/toh/xiaomi/ax3600
See the extra radio to run sub-par wifi for sub-par devices.
There are others
I have never considered that there is also the option of having APs separate from the router. This would benefit me because I could more easily place the ap on the right place and leave the router hidden in the closet where the fiber arrives.
What are my options in your opinion, please?
Well I did that and with my current set-up I need a repeater which sounds crazy for 100sqm but the building is from 1933 (yes the year) and walls are very thick. Moreover the router/ap is now ok the ceiling and regardless of how I point the antennas the signal in the furthest point is non-existent.
Having a separate AP with PoE would allow me to put it almost in the center of the house (while I cannot do that with the router or I’d have to re-route a ton of wires as there are many eth devices).
What would you recommend as router and AP?
First check how many radios you need, like place 10y old obsolete router or mobile phone as AP in various corners and run surveys.
If you have a floor plan run the "raytracing" ie that no place from router has more than 1 structural or 2 normal walls.
Maxima would be filogic or x86 router connecting provider, then PoE switch, then PoE radios as needed.
wifi mesh is about connectivity at all, not so much about max speeds.
