Jump to content
C4 Forums | Control4

Help, I want a faster internet in my home


tonyu1

Recommended Posts

Hi, I want to get better speeds in my home and don’t know what I should change first. The router, my access point, and have many dead spots too! I have an RE-2 router and a Luxul XAP-1410. I pay for 500gb speeds and am lucky if I get 200gb. My router and access point are both in the basement, and by the time I get to the 2nd floor the wifi is shit! I could use the router that my internet provider gave me but not sure how it would affect my Control4 system. I’ve been told to try Eero, Ubiquiti, and stay away from mesh. I need a little hand holding and given the right info without spending a fortune. I want to stay away from my dealer, money hungry!! Any thoughts how I could maximize speed and coverage the easiest way possible?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


31 minutes ago, tonyu1 said:

Hi, I want to get better speeds in my home and don’t know what I should change first. The router, my access point, and have many dead spots too! I have an RE-2 router and a Luxul XAP-1410. I pay for 500gb speeds and am lucky if I get 200gb. My router and access point are both in the basement, and by the time I get to the 2nd floor the wifi is shit! I could use the router that my internet provider gave me but not sure how it would affect my Control4 system. I’ve been told to try Eero, Ubiquiti, and stay away from mesh. I need a little hand holding and given the right info without spending a fortune. I want to stay away from my dealer, money hungry!! Any thoughts how I could maximize speed and coverage the easiest way possible?

WAN speed on RE2 apparently is limited to 300mbps throughput.. If you want to do it the C4 way, start by speaking to Access Networks maybe (they offer enterprise grade equipment) or go Pakedge RK-1 (900mbps throughput) if you want same brand. 

 

That being said, Ubiquiti should work (UDM or UDM pro). Eero 6 and such should also work, but, I try to avoid Eero personally (lots of people use it here though).

Whatever you do, please don't get Orbi.. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Andrew luecke said:

WAN speed on RE2 apparently is limited to 300mbps throughput.. If you want to do it the C4 way, start by speaking to Access Networks maybe (they offer enterprise grade equipment) or go Pakedge RK-1 (900mbps throughput) if you want same brand. 

 

That being said, Ubiquiti should work (UDM or UDM pro). Eero 6 and such should also work, but, I try to avoid Eero personally (lots of people use it here though).

Whatever you do, please don't get Orbi.. 

What if don’t want to go the C-4 way, is there an easy way to make this happen? Can’t I just get an Eero router with a few access points? Could I just replace the RE-2 myself and not get a dealer involved?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, tonyu1 said:

What if don’t want to go the C-4 way, is there an easy way to make this happen? Can’t I just get an Eero router with a few access points? Could I just replace the RE-2 myself and not get a dealer involved?

As long as the config is EXACTLY the same (wifi setting, DHCP, etc), technically, no dealer is required generally (unless you're using OvrC I guess). However...

Most Home automated home networks are generally fairly complicated. When I was an installer, it was incredibly common to come across networks with issues (such as network loops, because RSTP wasn't enabled properly, etc). 

Make sure you do it properly. No Mesh network. Dedicated router (manually turn off the built in router wifi EVEN ON A Ubiquiti UDM), use dedicated SMART/MANAGED Switches, and dedicated AP's is generally my recommended way.

Use proper managed / Smart switches. They're more expensive, but they're more expensive for VERY GOOD reasons 

There's a few extremely knowledgeable dealers I know who use Eero, so it seems to be a fairly solid product actually (although, I've never used it. I personally use Ubiquiti, but would recommend Access Networks for any high end property). The security features on the enterprise firewalls push the price up, but, could pay off for more wealthy clients (and definitely pay off for a lot of businesses. In fact, any business dealing with a lot of customer data should at a minimum, have basic IPS). A lot of people don't realise the level of security these enterprise routers provide these days (they can often even detect unknown Ransomware these days).. 

Thing is, you could always do it at the same time as a C4 firmware upgrade or whatever too to drop the installation cost. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for Unifi.

However, double check the specks on the UDM....  i think with the firewall features on you won't get the 500MB, you might need a UDM-PRO.

If you want to keep it cheap, use the ISP's router and get new access points. Also you mentioend the WAP is in the basement, can you get to other floors with wired new WAPs? The WAPs on other floors should be one of your goals.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/19/2022 at 2:45 PM, tonyu1 said:

What if don’t want to go the C-4 way, is there an easy way to make this happen? Can’t I just get an Eero router with a few access points? Could I just replace the RE-2 myself and not get a dealer involved?

You need to ensure the new network setup is exactly the same setup as the old one (same DHCP table, same wifi password/encryption and settings, etc, same STP settings, etc).

 

19 hours ago, ekohn00 said:

+1 for Unifi.

However, double check the specks on the UDM....  i think with the firewall features on you won't get the 500MB, you might need a UDM-PRO.

If you want to keep it cheap, use the ISP's router and get new access points. Also you mentioend the WAP is in the basement, can you get to other floors with wired new WAPs? The WAPs on other floors should be one of your goals.

 

UDM should be 850mbps MAX with IPS.. But, I'd generally recommend UDM Pro (as you shouldn't be using the Wifi built into the UDM anyway, as it doesn't seem to roam with the AP's in my experience). 

That being said, I'd avoid using the ISP router. Here in Australia, I've seen ISP's remotely reconfigure them (maybe when doing Firmware upgrades), and a lot of them are the cheapest possible router with serious bugs (I've come across some that don't even manage the DHCP table properly).

IMHO, do It properly with a router, dedicated Managed switch, and dedicated hardwired AP's. As a bonus, it means you'll be able to upgrade component-by-component as required in the future. It rarely pays off to go cheap

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/20/2022 at 1:38 AM, Andrew luecke said:

Here in Australia, I've seen ISP's remotely reconfigure them (maybe when doing Firmware upgrades), and a lot of them are the cheapest possible router with serious bugs (I've come across some that don't even manage the DHCP table properly).

Not just Australia...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.