Hotel WIFI issue (owner)

[kxa5111]

Hello,

I am a hotel owner, I'm having an issue that WIFI won't reach to several rooms, as the AP is placed in the hallway, 2 AP are currently placed in the highway and they're old brand TL-WA5210G. Some rooms receive poor connection, some receive nothing.

Would you recommend to replace these APs with newer better ones? Or that wouldn't solve the issue? Please advise your best solution
Thank you!

 

[kanewolf]

Yes. It isn't clear what the radiation pattern for those WAPs is. I would recommend switching to Ubiquiti APs.

 

[kxa5111]

Yes. It isn't clear what the radiation pattern for those WAPs is. I would recommend switching to Ubiquiti APs.

Appreciate your reply. I am thinking of Ubiquiti LR, do you consider something else?
I would install 2 in the hallway. I hope this works great in thend

 

[kanewolf]

Trying to "blast" a signal may not be the best answer. Adding a third AP and lowering the power on the other two may give you the best coverage. That would be my recommendation. Get three of the AC Lite or AC Pro units. Long range might be good for a patio or pool area, but uniformity is the answer for hotel rooms. A third or fourth access point will also spread out the devices to lower the number per AP.

 

[kxa5111]

Trying to "blast" a signal may not be the best answer. Adding a third AP and lowering the power on the other two may give you the best coverage. That would be my recommendation. Get three of the AC Lite or AC Pro units. Long range might be good for a patio or pool area, but uniformity is the answer for hotel rooms. A third or fourth access point will also spread out the devices to lower the number per AP.

Issue is that there are many walls and doors after each apartment/hotel room, which may be an obstacle even if installing 2/3/4 AP in the hallway

 

[kanewolf]

That is why there are companies that specialize in low voltage cabling. They have specialized tools to get wires where you think is impossible. All the Ubiquiti units are POE so just one cable is required.

 

[kxa5111]

That is why there are companies that specialize in low voltage cabling. They have specialized tools to get wires where you think is impossible. All the Ubiquiti units are POE so just one cable is required.

Awesome. Any idea about Ruckus? Some recommended Cisco/Ubiquiti/Ruckus.

 

[kanewolf]

I have not used Ruckus.

 

[nigelivey]

Ruckus are extremely good units, for best results get a ZoneDirector second hand off Ebay. The 1200 will come with a 6 AP license as standard. Check which APs are supported with the firmware on the Zone Director. The upgrade path is locked behind a paywall. The latest APs will require the latest firmware on the ZoneDirector which will require a support contract. They are extremely powerful and reliable. They are in a different league to Ubiquiti.

 

[stdragon]

The TL-WA5210G is only 802.11 b/g...which as you've said, it really old!

I've personally deployed UniFi AP AC Pro (802.11ac) units and in many cases, just one AP can replace three old ones! Part because if the client supports it (modern ones do nowadays) AC allows for "beam forming" and the fact RF and DSP technology has come a long way. Meaning, it's better at handling higher SNR noise floors within the already crowded 2.4Ghz spectrum.

FYI You can configure the UniFi AP via SSH if you know the IP it's pulling from DHCP. But honestly, it's best to just use a UniFi Cloud Key or run the UniFi Controller application on a Windows / Linux server.

 

[faalin]

We run Cisco Meraki equipment at work firewall, switches, and AP's everything works great and have no issues at all. The downside to it is you have to pay for licensing to use the equipment, if not it all stops working.

At home i have installed a full ubiquity system, once again firewall, switch, and AP's. The good thing is the software to run everything is free and there is no licensing fees after the fact. If i could go back i would install Ubiquity at work instead of Cisco Meraki.

Ive heard go things about ruckus but have never used their equipment, so no comment on that