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Best Access Point


pete10uk

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Hi All

 

I recall a suggestion by someone in a post a while ago on a brand and possibly a model of access point which is giving reliable results in a crowded environment, but I can't find it!

 

What I have is a number of old access points and routers which I have re deployed to control various bits and pieces, I'm seem to be finding issues in reliability especially in crowded environments.

 

My immediate use is on a Allen & Heath Qu mixer, I'm currently using an old netgear router which is actually setup for a different use, initial connection is fine using the Qu control app but it keeps dropping. Anyone got any suggestions for a solution either AP or Router which they have found reliable?

 

I'll just buy a dedicated unit which lives with the mixer.

 

Cheers

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Buy pretty much anything that operates 802.11AC which is in 5GHz.

 

With 5GHz you sacrifice some range (and wall penetration) - however at this point in time, you get a cleaner frequency space to operate in and the technology in AC allows for additional levels of robustness and frequency management.

 

802.11N, depending on a number of factors, could run in 20MHz or 40MHz channel widths which allowed for 4 (or 2 for 40MHz) non-overlapping channels in the unlicensed bands of most countries.

 

AC has a couple more channel options and channel widths - ranging from 20MHz (25 channels) to 160Mhz (2 channels) - and also allows for technologies like dynamic frequency allocation and MIMO.

 

That said, if you bring a little home wifi router into a venue that has a managed wifi network (like ruckus, cisco, merekai etc) and they offer free WiFi (or even if they have an unsecured SSID with a paywall) - if those AP's are 2.4GHz and 5GHz - when every single person in that croud's phone and tablets find their way onto that wifi network, kiss yours goodbye - as the wifi controller will do things like move people between access points, dynamically changing the power levels of the AP's around (and potentially the channels they are using) to try and avoid over-crowding an AP and optimise the experience - and it will give absolutely zero care to your AP. That means your room that was perfectly fine with your AP for soundcheck might not even be able to work 2 steps away from the AP once the crowd is in the room.

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it will give absolutely zero care to your AP. That means your room that was perfectly fine with your AP for soundcheck might not even be able to work 2 steps away from the AP once the crowd is in the room.

 

That’s what I'm trying to avoid, I know its unlikely to be that straight forward and I doubt that the venues I'm in are that far advanced but they still do have public networks.

 

I use Ubiquiti UniFi kit and it works well, even in crowded RF environments, and has the best config software I've used thus far.

 

That’s the brand mentioned before, do you have any preferred models?

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I've had very very few dropouts with the Airport Express, also with Qu desks (provided I keep a sensible distance from the Line6 mics, but they'll wipe out anything if you get too close)

 

I like having the AirPlay option available for BGM & Airport Utility is there, should I need to set it up differently for any reason.

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I've had very very few dropouts with the Airport Express, also with Qu desks (provided I keep a sensible distance from the Line6 mics, but they'll wipe out anything if you get too close)

 

I like having the AirPlay option available for BGM & Airport Utility is there, should I need to set it up differently for any reason.

 

I'll give one of those a go as I have at least one lying about.

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Really getting on well with the Coredy AC1200 - excellent results, dual band, small, easy to set up. I've made a small wooden clamp that lets me shove it on a speaker stand, to get it out of the way and high up. Highly recommended.
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I needed a reliable access point for my Soundcraft Ui, and bought a TP-LINK TL-WA801ND 300Mbps Wireless N Access Point for £26 off Amazon. Worked absolutely solidly with excellent range. The only thing that annoyed me was how frail it and its wall-wart power supply were. So, I unclipped the case, carefully removed the PCB, and mounted these in a diecast box. Neutrik connectors for Ethernet and Power and now I have a fully armoured AP that hangs off my speakers (so is up nice and high), and I don't have to worry about chucking it into a flightcase with other stuff.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/petealcock/Ui%20WAP%201.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/petealcock/Ui%20WAP%202.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/petealcock/Ui%20WAP3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/petealcock/UI%20005a.jpg

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Sorry about the pictures. Photobucket used to work so well. Really annoying - they wanted £399 per year. Stuff that! Hopefully this will work.

 

http://www.alcocks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Ui-WAP-1.jpg

http://www.alcocks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Ui-WAP-2.jpg

http://www.alcocks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Ui-WAP3.jpg

http://www.alcocks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/UI-005a.jpg

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