Ubiquiti U7-LR UniFi WiFi - any thoughts?

[Reno]

Hi

I live in a three storey town house and am planning to install Full Fibre Openreach Broadband. Likely ISP is going to be SKY.

I am keen to get the best WiFi coverage that I can across all three floors but am conscious that it will be particularly important if possible to have an ethernet wired connection to my Smart TV and SKY puck. I have had a local specialist check my scenario out and said hard wiring looks as though it will be quite straightforward. The one TV we have is on the ground floor(front room) and the full fibre connection will come into the house at the ground floor at the rear of the house(in the backroom next to the from room which has the tv). Fibre will come overhead from a pole behind the house.

Getting the internet to the rest of those is required in connection with use of PCs, laptops and phones. Neither my wife nor I are gamers - children have fled the nest.

Installation of Ubiquiti U7-LR UniFi WiFi ( https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/53854-ubiquiti-u7-lr/ ) is being suggested to me in order get the internet service we want throughout the rest of the house. On the face of it it sounds like a good system - a Dual Radio system wired to each floor from which to then provide wifi. The proposals be suggested to me also include hard wiring directly to a PC on the first floor and a PC on the second floor.

I am not familiar with Ubiquiti at all and it is not a name/product I recognise.

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has used/is using this system(or similar) and/or for any wider thoughts on what is being put to me.

Many thanks.

 

[Dave_]

Ubiquiti are a popular prosumer/SME vendor.

Their APs are excellent, I would personally steer clear of their router/switch gear though.

The long range units you've been recommended are massively overkill in your situation in my opinion.

They're intended for deployment in large office complexes etc.

I would look at their 'Lite' series personally.

Such as the U7 Lite for example

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/53351-ubiquiti-u7-lite/

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

I have a variety of the U6 in my 180m2 brick walled apartment and it works a treat (and has done so for five years). Agree with D that the U7 is overkill, but I expect the delta in price to the U6 is neglible in the grand scheme of things (i.e. the cost of installation). You'll need POE to run it, but that is a negligble cost as well.

 

[nopiano]

I was surprised and delighted to find that our LG B-series telly (2022 model) works perfectly with Wi-Fi. We lived in the three-storey house in the Cotswolds before moving to Wales, and I had a ‘Ethernet over mains’ device for upstairs. But in a larger two storey house now, we find the standard ISP modem/router with FTTP from PlusNet (BT’s economy division) works everywhere. Main viewing is NowTV, Sky’s internet service for Sky channels. 4K UHD on Sky Sports is rock solid with no buffering.

I do have a Wi-Fi extender, in the far bedroom upstairs, mainly for the benefit of an older Panasonic TV which uses a Firestick for Wi-Fi streaming.

I’d seriously try the ‘as is’ installation first. Then add a simple extender maybe for the top floor. To my mind Ethernet is now almost irrelevant domestically unless I had an online office, say, where I wanted it very robust.

In any case, don’t Sky offer simple addons of some type?

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

Kind of agree with nopiano (notwithstanding we wired the apartment for ethernet) so I use wired where it is easy (and for work), but acknowledge that WiFi via the U6 is probably just as fast / stable (other than for the ten year old Naim Uniti - where wired is a must).

 

[Dave_]

I agree to a point. But wired is always best.

Particularly in new builds/renovations with the ever more stringent thermal regs and the wide use of PIR insulation and foil backed plasterboard.

That 💩 isn't just good at reflecting heat its bloody good at attenuating WiFi and cellular signals...

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

I also agree with you - esp. in new builds where it is easy to wire in ethernet (as I did) but also think that wifi is better than it used to be.

For instance, in my office I am getting 600mbps wired and 400mbps wireless (noting the U6 is located in the office ceiling). At such, supports the "wired is best" argument.