[ale] Ultra-cheap wireless gear - slightly [OT]

Wed Sep 13 11:51:15 EDT 2017

Thanks for the ideas!  I mentioned this around the office, and I have a co-worker bringing in some old routers and gear.  I'm hoping I can get enough out of what he is bringing in to go the dd-wrt route. I will let you know how it goes once I get the gear from him.
Thanks.
Allen B.

--
Allen Beddingfield
Systems Engineer
Office of Information Technology
The University of Alabama
Office 205-348-2251
allen at ua.edu

On 9/13/17, 8:38 AM, "ale-bounces at ale.org on behalf of Kyle Brieden" <ale-bounces at ale.org on behalf of kyle at txmoose.com> wrote:

    I think it's no secret where I stand on Ubiquiti gear, but he mentioned 
    his budget was less than $30/WAP.  Even refurb, the Ubiquiti gear is 
    still twice his budget.  Perhaps Ubiquiti, though, would be willing to 
    donate some or all the costs of the gear to them if he were to reach 
    out, though?  There are lots of companies that love to help out 
    communities - for some "exposure" of some kind - by donating money or 
    time.  It's great PR for them.

    On that same token, Ubiquiti has a WAP that is targeted directly toward 
    this type of environment that they call their "education" line.  It's 
    their basic WAP with a loudspeaker built into it, and a recording 
    function built into a phone app.  It allows for streaming (and I believe 
    also pre-recorded) public address functionality.

    On a more realistic note, I'd +1 the dd-wrt route.  In fact, I have a 
    consumer-grade router that went into my "I'm sure I'll do something with 
    this one day" box that I'll never do anything with.  It's a Buffalo 
    Airstation N#00...  I can't recall the exact model number, but it was 
    solid for me for a couple years.  I just got the itch to put in "better" 
    gear.  It runs dd-wrt out of the box.  You're welcome to it, Allen, if 
    it'll help offset your costs.  Just let me know where to drop it 
    off/send it.

    ---
    Very respectfully,
    Kyle Brieden

    On 13-09-2017 07:15, DJ-Pfulio wrote:
    > Use CAT5e, not CAT5.  Why get stuck today?
    > 
    > 3 Ubiquity WAPs would do wonders and solve all sorts of other issues, 
    > assuming
    > you are running through the ceiling.  I've seen them for $68/ea.  Plus, 
    > you
    > don't need to have different SSIDs.  Same SSID, different channels 
    > works well
    > enough. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/130-9166296-8272428 - 
    > If you
    > want more range, their LD versions really do work better.
    > 
    > I'm not a fan of wireless repeaters.  Would rather see Powerline stuff, 
    > if that
    > works at all in the location.
    > 
    > BTW, I'm jealous of 25Mbps.  Living with 15Mbps here.
    > 
    > 
    > On 09/13/2017 01:13 AM, Beddingfield, Allen wrote:
    >> This is an impoverished shoe-string budget project.  I am helping with 
    >> the IT "stuff" at a community center in a small town nearby.  They are 
    >> in an OLD cement block schoolhouse.  They have a single CenturyLink 
    >> 25mbs connection in an office in the center of the building (the only 
    >> ISP and highest speed available).  The wireless does not penetrate 
    >> those walls well, so it sucks if you get more than a couple of offices 
    >> away.  The building is laid out as such that 3 access points should 
    >> cover it adequately.  I'm thinking of running a single CAT5 to an 
    >> unmanaged 100MB switch in the middle of the building,running the runs 
    >> of CAT5 from there to the optimal places for access points, and 
    >> connecting up some cheap/consumer grade access points there.  (Naming 
    >> them "EAST-WIFI", "MIDDLE-WIFI", "WEST-WIFI", etc..).
    >> Question:  It seems that dumb access points are harder to come by and 
    >> more expensive than routers. Do any of you have an recommendations for 
    >> just an access point (keep in mind, I need CHEAP), or for a router 
    >> that is known to work well in access point mode?  (Keep in mind, I'm 
    >> looking at sub-$30 wifi routers on NewEgg and trying to remember what 
    >> was on the shelf at the thrift store at this point).
    >> Any recommendations on cobbling this together on the cheap?  I need 
    >> either a good access point, or a router that I can easily put in 
    >> access point mode.
    >> FYI, performance is not much of a concern.  The kids won't be using 
    >> this, it will just be for a few staff computers. Main issue is 
    >> reliability.  I am about 20miles away, and their on-site technical 
    >> ability is low.
    >> Alternatively, any opinions on wireless repeaters?
    >> --
    >> Allen Beddingfield
    >> Systems Engineer
    >> Office of Information Technology
    >> The University of Alabama
    >> Office 205-348-2251
    >> allen at ua.edu
    >> 
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