Cable-backbone mesh WiFi

[yellow8]

Hi MacRumors!

New house means new WiFi. I installed ethernet cables in many places, but I need WiFi all around the place.
Using the cables to connect the different AP seems the right way to go.

One question: in this setup, can I use AP's from different manufacturers, give the same SSID/pwd to the WiFi, and I'm good to go? (of course, I would be setting all parameters the same (5Ghz, encryption level, ...))

Thanks!

 

[Ray2]

I’ve mixed LinkSys with Apple and now mix Apple with Amplifi. Works fine. Note on the Amplifi, don’t. I’m not impressed and will soon change.

 

[hobowankenobi]

Mixed would not be my first choice, as handoff between APs may be less than ideal. For 2 APs, perhaps not such a big deal, but for 3 or more, it might be an issue. Management could be more fiddly too. If you pick a brand that scales, you could start out with one AP now, and add more later.

Hard to beat UBNT for full-featured, reliable APs. Many models to choose from, and generally they are supported for a very long time. I just replaced two 10+ year-old UBNT APs with their latest wifi 6 models, and added a third outdoor AP. All work together seamlessly, no issues. One TP-Link POE unmanaged switch drives everything.

 

[satcomer]

Depends if you using a new M1 Mac you should have Wi-Fi 6 in it so you should look at Wi-Fi 6 devices!

 

[hobowankenobi]

Depends if you using a new M1 Mac you should have Wi-Fi 6 in it so you should look at Wi-Fi 6 devices!

Everybody buying new APs now should be thinking Wifi 6, to be ready for next-gen devices.

I would only recommend older gear if it were heavily discounted (great deal), and the buyer understood the limitations.