Deals Spotlight: Get $100 Off the AmpliFi HD Mesh Wi-Fi System Through New Upgrade Program

[justperry]

Isn't the bolded the problem though? I've looked at UniFi, and it seems really robust and better in some ways than Amplifi, but you really need to dig into the setup to get it going, whereas Amplifi seems to be much closer to an out of the box solution.

It is, that's why I said it's not for beginners or "normal" consumers.

 

[dewalt]

I just switched from Apple WiFi to Comcast router, i always split my devices up so all IoT and other slow stuff is on 2.4 everything else is on 5.0. I agree it’s a pain, I wonder what the average number of WiFi devices is now in homes.

That's a bit of a workaround solution. You want your devices to pick the best network possible.

Ideally, you want a mesh system - think of Eero as the Apple of the wireless APs. You cant configure much on it, but it's excellent on how it self configures. They're doing some proprietary stuff behind the scenes.

 

[justperry]

I need to second this.

The controller software is a bit more complicated, but if you've ever had to mess around seriously inside your router's web interface, it's not really that big of a leap technically. There's a number of good YouTube videos.

My house is larger, and a lot of metal framing. WiFi before was dreadful, and I was constantly having to cycle airplane mode moving from upstairs to downstairs to re-attach to the access points. I think I lived with it so long because I trained myself.

I just did the UniFi setup with two access points in January. EVERYTHING works better. No weird pauses in NetFlix. I can wander the house without touching WiFi settings or airplane mode on my iPhone or laptop. I mean, I probably save 3-5 minutes a day compared to the stupidity I was dealing with before. Biggest regret is not having done this a year or two before.

There's one thing I can't get to work, I use NordVPN and want it to run on the USG, just yesterday I found an almost too good to be true thread, sadly the explanation wasn't 100% as always with people trying to explain stuff.
I am positive it's just a minor thing though, one of these days soon I will get it to work.

 

[keithdoc]

I've had this system installed and working flawlessly since the HD unit came out (approx 15 months).
Configuring my FIOS Router to allow this to be DHCP server was a PITA, but ultimately, the BEST decision.

Able to cut the cord on some machines that used to be hard wired!

With a large OLD plath/plaster construction house with THICK concrete walls in basement, it covers everything from basement to 3rd floor.

Great product and well worth retail price.

 

[zubikov]

Originally had the Orbi (yes they are ugly) and was great until a firmware update killed it. You can still see loads of issues in their support forums. One year with Amplifi and the whole system has been rock solid. Great system.

I guess it's a good thing I bought it from Costco. If these firmware issues persist, it's going right back. Had no idea about these issues, thanks for the heads up.

 

[lederermc]

This 2016 product, and all other mesh systems, are actually slower than the 2013 Airport Extreme in a typical apartment. Mesh is only better in a large home, especially one with multi floors. There's nothing future proof about this.

I tested an AirPort Extreme on my Centurylink gigabit internet connection in Seattle. Apple AirPort Extreme did not perform well. The Airport Extreme cannot perform NAT at gigabit speeds. it was only able to perform NAT at about 400 Mbps while the router I got from Centurylink could perform NAT at full speed.

 

[brentsg]

I still think Netgear's Orbi mesh is a better deal at this point. Costco has a 3 component system on sale for $319 right now. There's a dedicated backbone channel in the Orbi that's crucial for good throughput. Also each mesh node on the Orbi comes with 3 ethernet ports. Reviews are also consistently pointing out that Orbi has the best area coverage per node. There's also a weatherproof outdoor node that you can buy if you want to extend the Orbi mesh outdoors. Anyways, the amplify is good, but I don't see it as good as the Orbi at the higher end prices.

Disclosure, I may have just ordered the Orbi kit a few days ago to replace a crappy Asus mesh.

Orbi is better on paper but they've had some huge firmware issues. When I tested them they'd rolled back several updates that broke Android devices.

 

[burgman]

That's a bit of a workaround solution. You want your devices to pick the best network possible.

Ideally, you want a mesh system - think of Eero as the Apple of the wireless APs. You cant configure much on it, but it's excellent on how it self configures. They're doing some proprietary stuff behind the scenes.

Very few IoT devices are dual band, fewer need need bandwidth of 5ghz, and 2.4 has better coverage. I’m happy with my setup.

 

[madmac30]

For any AirPort users who want to know - I submitted a pic of my AirPort Extreme and Express both unplugged and explained to them why I wanted to switch. AmpliFi sent me a discount code today for the $100 off.

 

[delnerdo]

For any AirPort users who want to know - I submitted a pic of my AirPort Extreme and Express both unplugged and explained to them why I wanted to switch. AmpliFi sent me a discount code today for the $100 off.

Same here. After unboxing today I learned that the mesh kits are incompatible with third-party routers, meaning they cannot run behind a firewall.

https://help.amplifi.com/hc/en-us/articles/219074127-Can-I-use-AmpliFi-with-third-party-routers-

And no returns on the open box.

Has anyone in same position worked it out in their favor?

 

[Le Big Mac]

The firewall that's included in the AmpliFi router isn't sufficient?