My point was simply that we're adding more devices (seemingly daily) and that there will come a time when we will need beefier WiFI in our homes. Probably sooner than any of us think.
I manage a network of 200+ systems and sometimes our networks get congested too
As more and more home routers are getting close to basic APs that were "business" class just a few years ago, that day may never come. Granted, if you own a large house, then a multi-AP system makes sense. However for the majority of home users, most home APs can handle 20 or so devices without too much issue. I am not sure we will ever see the day.
If your network is getting "congested" with just 200 systems then you have a problem. I have hit 300 on one of my networks without issue and that was with relatively cheap and affordable hardware. I am not sure of your setup so I cannot comment on it at all, though.
The devices would need to be in "heavy" use at the same time to be noticed. Its not so much how many potential devices there are but more how many individuals are using them. You could have 100 devices connected and be using only two or three.
Now if you had 30-40 users, you start thinking about adding wireless entry points (networks) and segregating networks. Beefier wifi in this case is just more wifi entry points. You would need less "high capacity" wireless entry points than "low capacity" wireless entry points. I've had a couple networks in my home for years, wireless entry points are relatively cheap and so are well performing GB switches.
As you add users, you will get to the point where enterprise routers and networks make sense, but thats in excess of 100 casual users or so.
My network is normally anywhere from 70-100 users on a good day. This is spread across eight AirPort Expresses and one Extreme functioning as the "controller". It is essentially a semi-lightweight AP system as the Extreme handles settings for the Expresses as well as the filtering and permissions system. However, changes need to be made either on an Express by Express basis or by resetting them in AirPort Utility and restoring them to "Extend the Network over Ethernet". When I bought the system I knew what it was and what it wasn't. Do I regret not getting another affordable provider like UniFi? Yes and No.
The plus side to UniFi is that it was PoE and had a software controller which deployed the settings out to all the APs. However, the UniFi line pales to the AirPorts in stability and strength. I keep hearing that 25 or 30 is the magic number to incapacitate a basic UniFi AP (2.4 GHz). I used the latest Expresses so they are most similar to the UniFi AP Pro. When it came down to it, there were too many holes in the setup I wanted. I wanted a different set of IP addresses for "guest clients", dual VLAN support and 2.4/5 GHz frequencies. Since Ubiquiti doesn't make the router, traffic would have been all one IP range unless I used a specific router type. Is UniFi more configurable than AirPort? Yes but I am totally happy with what I bought and cannot say enough good things about the network as a whole.
