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Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

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Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#51

Post by jedberg »

some-guy wrote: post #43
calinet6 wrote: post #3

Serious question: whose WiFi is not working, to the degree that they think, "I really need to get a modern router to make this Internet thing actually work." I'm seeing about a dozen fancy modern wifi routers all trying to solve a problem I'm not sure exists.

I had wireless issues in an urban area (Downtown Oakland) where every router I tried had 10% packet loss in the 2.4Ghz band (5Ghz band was fine, but less coverage). We got an Eero to try to fix the coverage problem (I lived with several housemates), but it didn't let us choose between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, it would switch dynamically. Certain IoT devices we had were 2.4Ghz and worked intermittently. No matter what router…

The 2.4 going out was probably whenever one of your roommates or neighbors used the microwave. :)

Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#52

Post by calinet6 »

xahrepap wrote: post #8
calinet6 wrote: post #3

Serious question: whose WiFi is not working, to the degree that they think, "I really need to get a modern router to make this Internet thing actually work." I'm seeing about a dozen fancy modern wifi routers all trying to solve a problem I'm not sure exists.

I had nothing but problems with typical consumer hardware. Having to restart routers all the time. Dead spots. When family would visit (both my wife and I have large families) they would connect at least 2 devices each to my wifi (tablet, phone, laptop, etc). My wireless would just tank. They would always ask me why my internet was so terrible. Last year I bought an Edge router and a higher end Netgear hotspot. Works…

I could be lighting a fire by saying this, but I've been using AirPorts for 5 years and haven't had a single issue.

Is the issue just that the non-Apple-customer market didn't have a good analogue?

Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#54

Post by ebf6 »

dragonwriter wrote: post #50
ebf6 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's different from saying "something usually only seen in expensive commercial installations". And it is still misleading, accuracy of some information has nothing to do with what someone is looking for (a self-contained, plug-and-play mesh network).

> But that's different from saying "something usually only seen in expensive commercial installations". No, its not. The fact that there are inexpensive alternative means by which it can be deployed, and by which certain segments of the population can and do deploy it, doesn't make it any less true that it is usually only seen in expensive commercial installations. > And it is still misleading if it tends to mislead…

>> But that's different from saying "something usually only seen in expensive commercial installations".

> No, its not. The fact that there are inexpensive alternative means by which it can be deployed, and by which certain segments of the population can and do deploy it, doesn't make it any less true that it is usually only seen in expensive commercial installations.

Well then they should have made that more clear. Expensive + commercial means, well, expensive, and commercial installation means proprietary and hard to access (which, by the way, is also untrue).

> I don't think it tends to mislead any group at all. I think that the group to whom the exceptions to the "usual" case accurately described here is relevant will be well aware of it and so not misled, and the group who is not interested will also not be misled by the accurate statement, even though they are likely to be less aware of the nature of the alternative.

Sorry, I edited my comment for clarity. Anyway I don't think it's right to just say that because a certain population can't be mislead, it means that the information itself is not misleading.

Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#55

Post by calinet6 »

cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #35
the_watcher wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about the internet not working in general. These routers are about dead spots in places that have functional internet already. It's a pretty common problem that absolutely does exist.

I live in downtown Manhattan and have that problem, but like OP asked, I don't think it's a huge enough problem to warrant a separate router just for the purpose. Most people simply use the router rented out from their internet provider (for free), and in most cases just make it work somehow (instead of buying a new device just for routing they would rather acknowledge that wifi doesn't work well in some parts of the…

Especially at the level of a $300-$500 investment, I'll add.

Sure, I might upgrade for $50-100 if it's more reliable.

Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#56

Post by fps »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #49
Animats wrote: post #42

Lots of vendors already offer this. It's pretty standard for commercial WiFi units. It's just slightly more expensive than dumb routers. * Eero: https://eero.com/ * Ubuquiti: https://www.ubnt.com * Cisco: http://www.cisco.com (sized for larger buildings) Does this new Google device come with the Google Fi feature which backhauls all your traffic to Google via a VPN?

No. It comes with pretty much nothing but a nice little price break. You get a 3-pack for $299. The Eero 3-pack is $499.00. This is a serious price break in this market, which is currently over-priced. You can get 3 Ubiquities for almost $300. A lot less user friendly, but $500 for 3 units is holding back mass adoption. Personally, for my home I need just two units. Shame there's no $199 2-pack yet. It would be an in…

Ubiquiti's Amplifi is $199 for 3 units.

Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#57

Post by [deleted] »

calinet6 wrote: post #3

Serious question: whose WiFi is not working, to the degree that they think, "I really need to get a modern router to make this Internet thing actually work." I'm seeing about a dozen fancy modern wifi routers all trying to solve a problem I'm not sure exists.

[deleted]

Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#59

Post by dragonwriter »

ebf6 wrote: post #54
dragonwriter wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But that's different from saying "something usually only seen in expensive commercial installations". No, its not. The fact that there are inexpensive alternative means by which it can be deployed, and by which certain segments of the population can and do deploy it, doesn't make it any less true that it is usually only seen in expensive commercial installations. > And it is still misleading if it tends to mislead…

>> But that's different from saying "something usually only seen in expensive commercial installations". > No, its not. The fact that there are inexpensive alternative means by which it can be deployed, and by which certain segments of the population can and do deploy it, doesn't make it any less true that it is usually only seen in expensive commercial installations. Well then they should have made that more clear.…

> Well then they should have made that more clear.

"Usually" generally means that they are exceptions, but they are less common. There's no lack of clarity here, you are just ignoring that word.

Re: Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system

#60

Post by robocat »

xahrepap wrote: post #8
calinet6 wrote: post #3

Serious question: whose WiFi is not working, to the degree that they think, "I really need to get a modern router to make this Internet thing actually work." I'm seeing about a dozen fancy modern wifi routers all trying to solve a problem I'm not sure exists.

I had nothing but problems with typical consumer hardware. Having to restart routers all the time. Dead spots. When family would visit (both my wife and I have large families) they would connect at least 2 devices each to my wifi (tablet, phone, laptop, etc). My wireless would just tank. They would always ask me why my internet was so terrible. Last year I bought an Edge router and a higher end Netgear hotspot. Works…

Ubiquiti Unifi Access Points just work.

I too have bought a variety of high end consumer devices (for a small business), and they all crash or randomly drop out.

Disable wifi radio on router, plug in Unifi AP, solid connection.

They are annoying to configure, but have been so worth it.

Apple AirPort has also been rock solid.

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