Hello all,

Can you please tell me what you are using for your installations as far as wireless access points? What do you like (or dislike) about the access points you use, and what features would you like to have if you had the option to ask for them? I would love to hear about happy endings and horror stories - if you have the time and patience…

We use OnQ and have great luck.  They look clean when installed and we rarely have a call-back.

Bryan Werner

Advanced Multimedia Solutions
“Coulee Region’s Premier Technology Integrator”

http://www.AMSAudioVideo.com

We have been doing OnQ. I love that they cater to new-construction, are built-in (flush-mount), minimalist design, and are exceedingly simple. I don’t like that they are rather expensive (in the consumer world anyway.) Also even though the AP is ok, we have had some issues with OnQ’s router. We have had unresolved issues with extremely slow routing. In terms of functionality, it technically works, but terribly slow. Interested to know what everybody else is doing especially for structured panel setups.

I use the Pakedge – WAP-W3. If you’re looking for serious range then I’d recommend purchasing a Luxul power amp and then using that as your antenna on the wap-w3.

Thank you for your replies-

We actually tested PakEdge and range results are impressive, but these access points become problematic once you have more than three in a house - due to channel conflicts. I am not sure what an On-Q access point would retail for - but it sounds like its worth looking into. like PakEdge, It sounds like a good small installation solution, but what about a large property? Also, does anyone have tools to manage these units remotely?

matt172001 - 17 July 2009 08:32 AM

I use the Pakedge – WAP-W3. If you’re looking for serious range then I’d recommend purchasing a Luxul power amp and then using that as your antenna on the wap-w3.

I hear Control4 is encouraging their integrators to go the “Luxul” way, and I hear the real reason is because the 7” wi-fi panel will not roam, so they want you to use one access point for the house. Very bad network design if you as me - for several reasons. What say you?

NetworkEngineer - 19 July 2009 01:53 PM

We actually tested PakEdge and range results are impressive, but these access points become problematic once you have more than three in a house - due to channel conflicts.

Would you elaborate on what you mean by that?  There are 3 unique channels (1, 6, 11) that do not overlap.  The moment you add more than three WAP’s, there is going to be some channel overlap and the potential for some “channel conflict” regardless of brand.  Thanks

David,

You are correct; any basic network deployment with more than three access points will have channel conflict issues. So where is the balancing act? A few years ago some people at Cisco Systems sat down and researched an easy way to deploy, control and manage large Wi-Fi environments. They came up with wireless controllers.
Wireless controllers manage your wireless environment 24/7/365, essentially doing what no humans can do. Wireless controllers have built-in intelligence and are constantly balancing and optimizing the Wi-Fi environment. This includes wireless channel changes and radio signal strength adjustment (so if we have a highly dense environment of access points, it will turn the radios down and make them play nice). Controllers also keep a detailed log, allowing us to have visibility into the wireless world and thus give us the ability to troubleshoot issues to a very detailed level. Some other features:

- Firmware upgrade to all access points (controller holds firmware for all access point made by the manufacturer
- Programming: controller programs all our access points for us - so we are guaranteed unified programming (no mistakes and no wasted time)
- roaming: controller allows clients to roam seamlessly and “hands off” clients from one AP to another. (This does not work on Crestron 4xg and C4 7” Wi-Fi panel - as they are limited by the manufacturer and do not roam).
- coverage hole alarm: the controller will map out the environment and notify you if there are not enough access points in the house
- VLAN, Security and QoS: allows us to set multiple SSID’s with different traffic priority assignments
- Guest access: allows the homeowner’s guests to log into a secure site with a simple passkey (with a splash screen like the hotels) and then they only have Internet access.

There are more advantages, but that’s the gist of it…

We are in substantial agreement.  I believe your post I quoted was (unintentionally) slightly misleading as it made it sound as though it was an issue specific to Pakedge.  It applies to all WAP’s, OnQ, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear etc.  Only high end systems such as Cisco, Ruckus etc. offer the types of features you are mentioning.  We should also clarify for readers that just because some channel conflict might exist does not mean the end of the world.  Depending on needs/budget more than 3 access points without a central controller may work fine.  In such an instance the channels chosen for each WAP should be based on the channel of adjacent WAP’s.

Agreed David. At the same time having powerful access points in an unmanaged environment is causing this issue. This is exactly why Cisco’s new N access points are all lightweight (can only work with a controller) - they need to be managed and balanced otherwise the solution will not be flawless. Having said all this, it is hard to create a flawless network (one with no service calls) with single access points in a scenario where you need a large amount of them, or a high-density of them for high-bandwidth applications like voice. I personally believe that managed networks are going to become more common in residential environments. Remember ABS was also only installed in commercial jets when it was first introduced and now it’s standard in every Corolla…

Here is a “good” article”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/technology/personaltech/13basics.html?ref=technology

I wonder if the writer actually tried all these “recommendations”.

This topic always pops up on the Crestron Yahoo Group, aside from Cisco, many liked the Ruckus wireless solutions.

Casey,

Good to see the response on the forums. I actually know some of the guys posting there - extremely talented individuals. I will admit we actually work with them and have some responsibility for the Ruckus brand penetration…

We use Netgear Blue boxes, mainly the WG102. As long as you have the latest firmware loaded, the Access points are very reliable. We noticed though that the less thinking the access point does, the stable the installation is. in other words, try minimizing automatic settings (fix the channel numbers), specially if you have a touch panel or a remote control that works over wifi: Select a fixed non conflicting channel numbers.

Thank you for your response Mohamed,

I heard about this before (setting static channels and creating the famous beehive-like wireless deployment) and used it at our company for many years. The problem is that once you leave the house the client’s wireless system is static – it does not adapt to the environment (changing channels, radio power…). Thus, if a new neighbor moves in next to your client, and uses a wireless device that conflicts with your access point – it’s a service call waiting to happen.
We discovered that managed networks are the way to go. You can see my discussion above with David Haddad.
Off topic: How is business in Egypt? Your website is impressive. Who is your ideal client?

We are deploying the Ruckus WAPs with Zone Director 1000 controllers in our integrated system installations.  As mentioned the controller makes it possible for wireless panels like 8x to roam throughout the home with no signal drops or other annoying connectivity issues.  This is a bulletproof solution that goes in and is forgotten about as it just works.  Guest WIFI network is an added benefit.

In smaller systems we are using the Ruckus WAPs standalone.  They still report in to the remote server for remote management and WAN tracking and their range cannot be beat.

All Ruckus equipment is supplied by Access Networks who is an enterprise grade network provider to home integrators.  Good margins, pre-programmed drop in Cisco and Ruckus networking gear that can’t be beat.  Multiple VLan configurations and many other advanced configs are possible and done everyday by these guys.

Good luck.