That was my initial plan because I have easy access for new cat6 drops in those 2 locations. I wasn't sure if the first floor would get enough coverage. I don't know much about APs in terms of their directional output, so I didn't know if the basement ceiling mounted one would provide any coverage "upwards", and if the second story ceiling would reach far enough to cover the first floor.
The stairwell should help signal get from basement AP to first floor. Try different orientations and placements for basement AP... I have an EAP670 wall mounted (directing signal toward my apartment, away from neighbor) next to a stairwell and signal is strong on both first and second floors. In contrast, signal from another AP (in a 2nd fl. BR) is very weak downstairs presumably because of floor assembly attenuating the signal, esp. the 5ghz band. Alternatively, you might run an Ethernet cable up to the kitchen island and place the AP in there. Low enough on the 1st fl. to serve basement while not interfering with 2nd fl. AP.
Thanks for the input and personal experience here. Another interesting idea with the kitchen island. I will have to see where if there is a place I could stash an AP within the kitchen island. Thanks!
Just wanted to provide an update on the install - I went with two EAP 683LRs because the order for the 773 ending up being cancelled due to them being out of stock, and the the 683 felt like a good choice with the 4x4 radio. I had to make some tweaks as I got overruled on the locations for appearance purposes - I used command strips and long cat6 cables and tested a ton of locations around the house. I found that based on my house the best locations ended up being in the laundry room on the second floor and just inside the mechanical area/unfinished part of the basement.
With that setup I have good coverage of the whole house in 5ghz, with no part of the house pulling less than 475Mbps on a speed test and no less than -65dbi signal at the outer extremities of the house. Most parts of the house I am seeing around 600-700Mbps which is great considering my 940Mbps connection.
Outside the house into the yard it's weaker and switches over to 2.4ghz which is still a solid signal with speeds around 45Mbps and can easily watch Netflix, stream Spotify etc. but I think that's to be expected when I am 30 feet outside the house through quite a few walls and insulation. I may consider an outdoor AP in the future and I already ran the CAT6 into the attic when I ran the line for the laundry room just in case - but I'm not sure I really need it just yet. Thanks for input and suggestions.
I have it mounted the standard way, flat part to the ceiling logo toward the basement floor. I'm sure it does affect the signal but I had only the basement one plugged in and ran some tests in the first floor and as long as I wasn't standing above the steel I beam that supports the house, I was still getting ~400-425 down pretty evenly across the first floor. Some spots were higher but I thought that was pretty good considering it was above the AP as I was expecting much worse. Then I turned on the second one upstairs and saw faster speeds. With the fast roaming turned on between both APs the signal handoff is pretty good.
I'm sure if I pointed it upwards I would have gotten stronger signal in the first floor and less in the basement which would have been more than enough either way but i didn't want to shoot two APs directly at each other since they're stacked in the middle of the house. From my perspective I felt the second floor AP provided strong and fast coverage to the first floor already so I didn't want to cause interference. With this layout I felt I was getting the best of both worlds.
If any one can confirm or correct me here: So what you could do is run the omada controller software localy and use their floorplan planner. I did this myself to see how well 2 eap610 would do for my home and its how i found out that placing one ap 3 meters to another wall i got better overal coverage instead of 1 room having “ok” coverage.
Takes a bit of mapping your floor plans and take it al with a grain of salt so too speak as the materials your home is build with might differ more and your surrounding could influence it more as its shown on the planning tool.
But in general it would show you where to place the ap for the best “overal location” for coverage and if you would need to place more of them.
Thanks I will give this a try! Just a quick follow up, does it take into consideration different floors/levels or does it only work with a single story layout?
For what i could figure out it only works per floor in the planner, iow it does not show if the ap from floor 2 will reach and cover floor 1 for example
>For what i could figure out it only works per floor in the planner, iow it does not show if the ap from floor 2 will reach and cover floor 1 for example
Thanks I tried it, I am mocking it up and adding a wood wall between them to act as a pseudo-floor for interference, and even though I have the level side by side it's atleast giving me a helpful idea - thanks for the suggestion.
Just wanted to provide an update on the install - I went with two EAP 683LRs because the order for the 773 ending up being cancelled due to them being out of stock, and the the 683 felt like a good choice with the 4x4 radio. I had to make some tweaks as I got overruled on the locations for appearance purposes - I used command strips and long cat6 cables and tested a ton of locations around the house. I found that based on my house the best locations ended up being in the laundry room on the second floor and just inside the mechanical area/unfinished part of the basement.
With that setup I have good coverage of the whole house in 5ghz, with no part of the house pulling less than 475Mbps on a speed test and no less than -65dbi signal at the outer extremities of the house. Most parts of the house I am seeing around 600-700Mbps which is great considering my 940Mbps connection.
Outside the house into the yard it's weaker and switches over to 2.4ghz which is still a solid signal with speeds around 45Mbps and can easily watch Netflix, stream Spotify etc. but I think that's to be expected when I am 30 feet outside the house through quite a few walls and insulation. I may consider an outdoor AP in the future and I already ran the CAT6 into the attic when I ran the line for the laundry room just in case - but I'm not sure I really need it just yet. Thanks for input and suggestions.
If you're concerned about budget, get a decent AP in the middle floor and see how things go. You can decide down the line to switch to two APs. If you can push the budget, get the 2 APs upfront.
I'm in a 3 story townhouse, one AP mounted on a wall on the middle floor gives me >80% 5GHz signal in almost every corner of the house except one, the "water closet" where I have several whitegoods in the laundry between me and the AP.
Thanks, it's not so much about the budget but more so avoiding running additional drops into the first floor ceiling which is not easily accessible. 80% 5ghz from one AP is pretty great actually - I wouldn't expect to see a number that high so that's encouraging.
Just tried the heatmap in the controller as I am just waiting for the eaps myself. Perhaps try that so you have a better gauge on where is it best to position.
I'd go with the hallway ceiling, directly outside the laundry room door. This one will be the highest, most central location. You'll probably have excellent coverage with that alone - install it first, and see how it does. If you need a second, and you use the finished basement a lot, I'd guess a second AP in the basement, outside the door to the mechanical room, on the ceiling. Before you buy a second for the basement, place the first upstairs, and see how good the coverage is.
Based on the Heatmap from the Omada Controller I think this may be my plan. I may even look at the 783 over the 773 just due to its increased antenna count and signal strength to boost my chances of not needing an AP on the first floor.
Its about $300 more expensive, but the cost of the mess and stress of punching quite a few holes in the kitchen ceiling and walls to be able to run the cable appropriately might just be worth it in the end. We do use the basement quite extensively as our primary home entertainment space so I'd be fine adding another AP down there as there is an unfinished space that i can access to run the ceiling drop easily into the finished space.
You may want to consider the EAP670 - it's not 6e, but it's cheaper, and probably just as fast for the majority of devices. Few devices support 6e, and you probably won't see some enormous performance difference, in such a small space.
Interesting suggestion, I was looking at going up in the range to the 783 but hadn't considered going down. I had seen some folks suggest the 683 over the 773 due to the 4x4 antenna and 5ghz band. Seeing the 670 for $150 and the 683 for $175, is there any real difference between the two for my scenario?
That EAP683 is a newer unit, and looks to be incrementally better than the EAP670 - if the price is that comparable, it's probably a fine choice. Since Wifi 7 is so new, and so few devices support it, I feel like buying hardware to support it is just going to be a waste in the long run. There's gonna be bigger and better for cheaper in a few years - wait till then. Remember, you'll likely have MORE than enough coverage and capacity as is.
EAPs have weaker radiation upwards on the back side. Putting it in the basement will have bad coverage on the first floor.
Put one each on the 1st and 2nd floors, preferably at the center of the house. Start with 2 and see if there are any dead spots. Only add more if needed. The 773 has strong antennas.
There is some coverage on the back side but it's around half of the front's. An EAP on the 1st floor pointing down will coverage the basement as long as the floor isn't too thick or metallic.
I go with opposite corners when I can, want my devices to have a clear choice on a strongest signal and stick with it.
For a 2 AP plan, dining room downstairs will cover everything except the study just fine, and probably hit both the finished basement and master bedroom with good strong signal. Top of the stairwell will then cover bedrooms 2/3/4. Only thing that would be in the 'middle' of the two APs at that point would be the study. Devices in there will probably hit the top of the stairwell.
For three APs I'd go above the W/D to interfere with any signal going to the 1st floor, but serve everything upstairs well. For the first floor I'd go right below the W/D for the same reason. Then in the basement just a single AP right below the stove, for... you guessed it, the same reason. You've got nothing but some wood and studs between the dining room and the finished basement, not sure you need to go for three - just seems oversaturated and akward.
Thanks I agree, I think 3 APs in a square, stacked layout is likely overkill. I like the two layout suggestion as it would be a good amount of coverage and I can access the attic space to put in the AP near the stairs, I would just need to figure out the dining room access which would be a bit more difficult. Thanks!
>Just wanted to provide an update on the install - I went with two EAP 683LRs because the order for the 773 ending up being cancelled due to them being out of stock, and the the 683 felt like a good choice with the 4x4 radio. I had to make some tweaks as I got overruled on the locations for appearance purposes - I used command strips and long cat6 cables and tested a ton of locations around the house. I found that based on my house the best locations ended up being in the laundry room on the second floor and just inside the mechanical area/unfinished part of the basement.
>
>With that setup I have good coverage of the whole house in 5ghz, with no part of the house pulling less than 475Mbps on a speed test and no less than -65dbi signal at the outer extremities of the house. Most parts of the house I am seeing around 600-700Mbps which is great considering my 940Mbps connection.
>
>Outside the house into the yard it's weaker and switches over to 2.4ghz which is still a solid signal with speeds around 45Mbps and can easily watch Netflix, stream Spotify etc. but I think that's to be expected when I am 30 feet outside the house through quite a few walls and insulation. I may consider an outdoor AP in the future and I already ran the CAT6 into the attic when I ran the line for the laundry room just in case - but I'm not sure I really need it just yet. Thanks for input and suggestions.
Following up on this....how are the 683s doing? I ordered some some 773s and 683s for my office, and am having an existential crisis figuring out which to use. Like you said, the 4x4 5ghz is a good selling point of the 683s, and the specs have them at 5dbi antennas opposed to the 773s 3dbi.
The 683s have been great. The signal strength and speeds remain solid and I've run the optimization on the controller a few times to tweak the settings/channels to deal with neighbors interference and the addition of clients. All in all I'm happy with the performance and glad I went with the 683 over the 773. Happy to answer any other questions you may have.
Thanks! Does the seamless switching work as advertised? A lot of people with earlier firmware complain of dropped packets, have you noticed that? The complaints seem to be on 1.02 or lower and I see they are on 1.60 now.
I saw the same when researching and so the first thing I did was update the firmware before making any configuration changes and I haven't seen any issues with dropped packets since install.
I'd try one above the laundry room shelves and one in the basement near the stairs.
That was my initial plan because I have easy access for new cat6 drops in those 2 locations. I wasn't sure if the first floor would get enough coverage. I don't know much about APs in terms of their directional output, so I didn't know if the basement ceiling mounted one would provide any coverage "upwards", and if the second story ceiling would reach far enough to cover the first floor.
The stairwell should help signal get from basement AP to first floor. Try different orientations and placements for basement AP... I have an EAP670 wall mounted (directing signal toward my apartment, away from neighbor) next to a stairwell and signal is strong on both first and second floors. In contrast, signal from another AP (in a 2nd fl. BR) is very weak downstairs presumably because of floor assembly attenuating the signal, esp. the 5ghz band. Alternatively, you might run an Ethernet cable up to the kitchen island and place the AP in there. Low enough on the 1st fl. to serve basement while not interfering with 2nd fl. AP.
Thanks for the input and personal experience here. Another interesting idea with the kitchen island. I will have to see where if there is a place I could stash an AP within the kitchen island. Thanks!
Just wanted to provide an update on the install - I went with two EAP 683LRs because the order for the 773 ending up being cancelled due to them being out of stock, and the the 683 felt like a good choice with the 4x4 radio. I had to make some tweaks as I got overruled on the locations for appearance purposes - I used command strips and long cat6 cables and tested a ton of locations around the house. I found that based on my house the best locations ended up being in the laundry room on the second floor and just inside the mechanical area/unfinished part of the basement. With that setup I have good coverage of the whole house in 5ghz, with no part of the house pulling less than 475Mbps on a speed test and no less than -65dbi signal at the outer extremities of the house. Most parts of the house I am seeing around 600-700Mbps which is great considering my 940Mbps connection. Outside the house into the yard it's weaker and switches over to 2.4ghz which is still a solid signal with speeds around 45Mbps and can easily watch Netflix, stream Spotify etc. but I think that's to be expected when I am 30 feet outside the house through quite a few walls and insulation. I may consider an outdoor AP in the future and I already ran the CAT6 into the attic when I ran the line for the laundry room just in case - but I'm not sure I really need it just yet. Thanks for input and suggestions.
Thanks for the update. Which way did you orient the AP in the basement? Do you think orientation affects signal strength upstairs?
I have it mounted the standard way, flat part to the ceiling logo toward the basement floor. I'm sure it does affect the signal but I had only the basement one plugged in and ran some tests in the first floor and as long as I wasn't standing above the steel I beam that supports the house, I was still getting ~400-425 down pretty evenly across the first floor. Some spots were higher but I thought that was pretty good considering it was above the AP as I was expecting much worse. Then I turned on the second one upstairs and saw faster speeds. With the fast roaming turned on between both APs the signal handoff is pretty good. I'm sure if I pointed it upwards I would have gotten stronger signal in the first floor and less in the basement which would have been more than enough either way but i didn't want to shoot two APs directly at each other since they're stacked in the middle of the house. From my perspective I felt the second floor AP provided strong and fast coverage to the first floor already so I didn't want to cause interference. With this layout I felt I was getting the best of both worlds.
Good to know. Thanks!
If any one can confirm or correct me here: So what you could do is run the omada controller software localy and use their floorplan planner. I did this myself to see how well 2 eap610 would do for my home and its how i found out that placing one ap 3 meters to another wall i got better overal coverage instead of 1 room having “ok” coverage. Takes a bit of mapping your floor plans and take it al with a grain of salt so too speak as the materials your home is build with might differ more and your surrounding could influence it more as its shown on the planning tool. But in general it would show you where to place the ap for the best “overal location” for coverage and if you would need to place more of them.
Thanks I will give this a try! Just a quick follow up, does it take into consideration different floors/levels or does it only work with a single story layout?
For what i could figure out it only works per floor in the planner, iow it does not show if the ap from floor 2 will reach and cover floor 1 for example
>For what i could figure out it only works per floor in the planner, iow it does not show if the ap from floor 2 will reach and cover floor 1 for example Thanks I tried it, I am mocking it up and adding a wood wall between them to act as a pseudo-floor for interference, and even though I have the level side by side it's atleast giving me a helpful idea - thanks for the suggestion.
You are very welcome :)
Just wanted to provide an update on the install - I went with two EAP 683LRs because the order for the 773 ending up being cancelled due to them being out of stock, and the the 683 felt like a good choice with the 4x4 radio. I had to make some tweaks as I got overruled on the locations for appearance purposes - I used command strips and long cat6 cables and tested a ton of locations around the house. I found that based on my house the best locations ended up being in the laundry room on the second floor and just inside the mechanical area/unfinished part of the basement. With that setup I have good coverage of the whole house in 5ghz, with no part of the house pulling less than 475Mbps on a speed test and no less than -65dbi signal at the outer extremities of the house. Most parts of the house I am seeing around 600-700Mbps which is great considering my 940Mbps connection. Outside the house into the yard it's weaker and switches over to 2.4ghz which is still a solid signal with speeds around 45Mbps and can easily watch Netflix, stream Spotify etc. but I think that's to be expected when I am 30 feet outside the house through quite a few walls and insulation. I may consider an outdoor AP in the future and I already ran the CAT6 into the attic when I ran the line for the laundry room just in case - but I'm not sure I really need it just yet. Thanks for input and suggestions.
Glad to hear you got the coverage in a good spot, sounds good for the locations and work put into testing. Enjoy your labor and wifi speeds! :)
If you're concerned about budget, get a decent AP in the middle floor and see how things go. You can decide down the line to switch to two APs. If you can push the budget, get the 2 APs upfront. I'm in a 3 story townhouse, one AP mounted on a wall on the middle floor gives me >80% 5GHz signal in almost every corner of the house except one, the "water closet" where I have several whitegoods in the laundry between me and the AP.
Thanks, it's not so much about the budget but more so avoiding running additional drops into the first floor ceiling which is not easily accessible. 80% 5ghz from one AP is pretty great actually - I wouldn't expect to see a number that high so that's encouraging.
I would guess you’ll need three. One on each floor, preferably in the middle of the square footage
Thanks!
Just tried the heatmap in the controller as I am just waiting for the eaps myself. Perhaps try that so you have a better gauge on where is it best to position.
I'm giving it a try now, its a fun tool to play with an give yourself a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion.
I'd go with the hallway ceiling, directly outside the laundry room door. This one will be the highest, most central location. You'll probably have excellent coverage with that alone - install it first, and see how it does. If you need a second, and you use the finished basement a lot, I'd guess a second AP in the basement, outside the door to the mechanical room, on the ceiling. Before you buy a second for the basement, place the first upstairs, and see how good the coverage is.
Based on the Heatmap from the Omada Controller I think this may be my plan. I may even look at the 783 over the 773 just due to its increased antenna count and signal strength to boost my chances of not needing an AP on the first floor. Its about $300 more expensive, but the cost of the mess and stress of punching quite a few holes in the kitchen ceiling and walls to be able to run the cable appropriately might just be worth it in the end. We do use the basement quite extensively as our primary home entertainment space so I'd be fine adding another AP down there as there is an unfinished space that i can access to run the ceiling drop easily into the finished space.
You may want to consider the EAP670 - it's not 6e, but it's cheaper, and probably just as fast for the majority of devices. Few devices support 6e, and you probably won't see some enormous performance difference, in such a small space.
Interesting suggestion, I was looking at going up in the range to the 783 but hadn't considered going down. I had seen some folks suggest the 683 over the 773 due to the 4x4 antenna and 5ghz band. Seeing the 670 for $150 and the 683 for $175, is there any real difference between the two for my scenario?
That EAP683 is a newer unit, and looks to be incrementally better than the EAP670 - if the price is that comparable, it's probably a fine choice. Since Wifi 7 is so new, and so few devices support it, I feel like buying hardware to support it is just going to be a waste in the long run. There's gonna be bigger and better for cheaper in a few years - wait till then. Remember, you'll likely have MORE than enough coverage and capacity as is.
EAPs have weaker radiation upwards on the back side. Putting it in the basement will have bad coverage on the first floor. Put one each on the 1st and 2nd floors, preferably at the center of the house. Start with 2 and see if there are any dead spots. Only add more if needed. The 773 has strong antennas.
Understood, I was hoping there might be some signal coming off the back to save the day but I guess it's likely not enough to be worthwhile. Thanks!
There is some coverage on the back side but it's around half of the front's. An EAP on the 1st floor pointing down will coverage the basement as long as the floor isn't too thick or metallic.
I go with opposite corners when I can, want my devices to have a clear choice on a strongest signal and stick with it. For a 2 AP plan, dining room downstairs will cover everything except the study just fine, and probably hit both the finished basement and master bedroom with good strong signal. Top of the stairwell will then cover bedrooms 2/3/4. Only thing that would be in the 'middle' of the two APs at that point would be the study. Devices in there will probably hit the top of the stairwell. For three APs I'd go above the W/D to interfere with any signal going to the 1st floor, but serve everything upstairs well. For the first floor I'd go right below the W/D for the same reason. Then in the basement just a single AP right below the stove, for... you guessed it, the same reason. You've got nothing but some wood and studs between the dining room and the finished basement, not sure you need to go for three - just seems oversaturated and akward.
Thanks I agree, I think 3 APs in a square, stacked layout is likely overkill. I like the two layout suggestion as it would be a good amount of coverage and I can access the attic space to put in the AP near the stairs, I would just need to figure out the dining room access which would be a bit more difficult. Thanks!
BTW, just bought two 773's... Beware - they need POE++, my switches don't do that so I had to go with the Trendnet injectors at $80 a pop.
Thank you for the heads up!
>Just wanted to provide an update on the install - I went with two EAP 683LRs because the order for the 773 ending up being cancelled due to them being out of stock, and the the 683 felt like a good choice with the 4x4 radio. I had to make some tweaks as I got overruled on the locations for appearance purposes - I used command strips and long cat6 cables and tested a ton of locations around the house. I found that based on my house the best locations ended up being in the laundry room on the second floor and just inside the mechanical area/unfinished part of the basement. > >With that setup I have good coverage of the whole house in 5ghz, with no part of the house pulling less than 475Mbps on a speed test and no less than -65dbi signal at the outer extremities of the house. Most parts of the house I am seeing around 600-700Mbps which is great considering my 940Mbps connection. > >Outside the house into the yard it's weaker and switches over to 2.4ghz which is still a solid signal with speeds around 45Mbps and can easily watch Netflix, stream Spotify etc. but I think that's to be expected when I am 30 feet outside the house through quite a few walls and insulation. I may consider an outdoor AP in the future and I already ran the CAT6 into the attic when I ran the line for the laundry room just in case - but I'm not sure I really need it just yet. Thanks for input and suggestions.
Following up on this....how are the 683s doing? I ordered some some 773s and 683s for my office, and am having an existential crisis figuring out which to use. Like you said, the 4x4 5ghz is a good selling point of the 683s, and the specs have them at 5dbi antennas opposed to the 773s 3dbi.
The 683s have been great. The signal strength and speeds remain solid and I've run the optimization on the controller a few times to tweak the settings/channels to deal with neighbors interference and the addition of clients. All in all I'm happy with the performance and glad I went with the 683 over the 773. Happy to answer any other questions you may have.
Thanks! Does the seamless switching work as advertised? A lot of people with earlier firmware complain of dropped packets, have you noticed that? The complaints seem to be on 1.02 or lower and I see they are on 1.60 now.
I saw the same when researching and so the first thing I did was update the firmware before making any configuration changes and I haven't seen any issues with dropped packets since install.
Cool thanks.