RE: Unifi wifi AP's

["Phil Harris" <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

You're lucky Nigel ... We had an installer a while ago complaining
that our
kit was useless as it wasn't working right. The custom install kit that we
build is specced for a wired infrastructure (we don't support wireless
operation at all as it is so unreliable) and when we went out on site after
the installer repeatedly blamed our kit as being the cause of his issues
(it
couldn't be anything to do with the WiFi as the installer told us that he
had installed a proper managed network) we found that the kit worked
absolutely fine when controlled within the wired network - what was the
issue was that the user interface that ran on iPads was constantly dropping
offline.

A quick inssider scan showed 38 other WiFi networks in range on the 2.4GHz
band but also showed up an oddity ... a further 7 identically named
networks
with the customers SSID.

(How many of you are already doing a facepalm and groaning?)

After checking with the installer his "managed" network turned
out to be 7
AirPort Express configured as access points, all with the same SSID and
with
the transmit power wound down to minimum "so that they don't interfere
with
each other" ... the installer didn't understand what I was meaning
when I
asked whether the person that had installed the network used to be a
plumber. ;)

We do a "consumer" product too ... that does have WiFi built in
and
typically I have probably one or two calls each week from customers
complaining that our kit "doesn't work right" but when we do a
bit of
diagnosis - run a network cable direct to the router or move the kit into
the same room as the customers router - it works perfectly but they insist
that we fix the product because it is our fault that when they put it
somewhere else on WiFi it doesn't work reliably... ;-)

Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Nigel Giddings
Sent: 18 August 2013 12:02
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Unifi wifi AP's

Hi Phil,



I am in the lucky position of being able to manage the unlicensed a & g
bands where I live as with no neighbours we have nobody else transmitting.



When I visit my parents and see 10 or more WAPs visible on my phone in
their
living room it brings home just how much interference there is to those
living in an urban environment.



*From:* ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of
*Phil Harris
*Sent:* 18 August 2013 11:57
*To:* ukha_d@xxxxxxx
*Subject:* RE: [ukha_d] Unifi wifi AP's





Those wonderful "n" speeds are another one of WiFi's wonderful
real-world
untruisms ... I have no doubt that any of the manufacturers claims to range
or throughput can be achieved in an isolated environment but in a domestic
environment where other networks are involved too then the throughput
claims
are pants ... "n" achieves its greater throughput by transmitting
on
multiple channels simultaneously and so in practical terms all that does is
cause three times more contention for bandwidth.

WiFi is just not reliable in its domestic form when you have lots of
uncoordinated access points battling each other ... :(

Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Nigel Giddings
Sent: 17 August 2013 19:58
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Unifi wifi AP's

Actually considering using 802.11a at home with some Netgear WAG102s
(probably 4) as an overlay network for a few RaspberryPi based media
players
leaving 802.11g for laptops.

Using 'n' isn't really on the roadmap as we have slow Broadband and while
150Mbs sounds good not sure we would see the benefit.

*From:* ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of
*Phil Harris
*Sent:* 17 August 2013 16:31
*To:* ukha_d@xxxxxxx
*Subject:* RE: [ukha_d] Unifi wifi AP's

Yeah - doing shows and such like nowadays is an absolute nightmare ... the
venue obviously want to try to get you to use their WiFi (and often
specifically exclude you from throwing up your own wireless network) but
can
you imagine somewhere like ISE or CEDIA with a couple of hundred exhibitors
with all their kit streaming media on a single network ...

The "boss" usually just expects you to be able to throw in a self
contained
network and use that because you use it for dealer demos and of course
assumes you can use WiFi so that you don't have the hassle of wiring the
stand for Ethernet (as the stand builders generally don't understand that
yet).

WiFi really shouldn't be used by anything other than portable devices and I
mourn the passing of 802.11a which was actually a really good standard -
short range and 5GHz - and would have been a great basis for building a
nice
stable, reliable managed network. :-)

Phil

>
> What you *NEED* for a reliable WiFi network is numerous short range
> WiFi APs with a tightly controlled performance envelope and seamless
> handoff between grouped APs (generally using a centralised AP
> controller to manage the controlled handover of connections between
> APs) - then everything works as it should. (Just think of it as a
> cell-phone setup but on a smaller scale.)
>
> Greater range / sensitivity just means that you come into conflict
> with more wireless networks and have more wireless networks
> conflicting with you and your devices hang on to a poorly performing
> connection for longer.
>
> WiFi is so poorly understood when it is used in the real world that it
> is almost useless!
>
>
Oh Yes!

Have been at conferences in the US (couple thousand geeks), where people
with MiFi's were completely trampling over the conf WiFi due to channel
conflict and broadcasting at higher power.

Andy

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