Considering Upgrade/Replacement

[OllieC]

Hi folks,

 

Currently got a fairly antique Trapeze (Juniper) MX-200R controller with 66x WLA322-WW and 26x MP-422B APs.

 

The WLA322-WW APs aren't *that* old; they do N/G...

 

Do I look at getting a new controller and replacing the older APs or go down the route of complete replacement?

 

I'm not really clued up on what the best options are for managed wireless these days - any recommendations if you wouldn't go down the upgrade route?

 

Cheers

[Jcx500]

if you was going to replace the system i would either go with unifi aruba or ruckus

[Primus]

Save your money and go with Ubiquiti Unifi!

[OllieC]

Ubiquity seems to be the way to go by the sounds of it; one for next year's budget I imagine.

[Norphy]

It's a trade off in some respects. The hardware is as good as the tier 1 suppliers like Aruba et all, but the support isn't as strong. With Aruba at least, I've got someone on the other end of the phone that I can shout at if there's a problem. There's a certification path for their portfolio if you're interested in that sort of thing. HPE/Aruba, Ruckus, Cisco/Meraki, Juniper, Extreme et al have strong relationships with suppliers and resellers and there are more people who know about them

 

With Ubquiti, at best you're dealing with a third party for support, posting on support forums, or you're on your own. That may or may not matter to you, there isn't a right or wrong answer here.

[DGardiner]

It's a trade off in some respects. The hardware is as good as the tier 1 suppliers like Aruba et all, but the support isn't as strong. With Aruba at least, I've got someone on the other end of the phone that I can shout at if there's a problem. There's a certification path for their portfolio if you're interested in that sort of thing. HPE/Aruba, Ruckus, Cisco/Meraki, Juniper, Extreme et al have strong relationships with suppliers and resellers and there are more people who know about them

 

With Ubquiti, at best you're dealing with a third party for support, posting on support forums, or you're on your own. That may or may not matter to you, there isn't a right or wrong answer here.

 

i dunno, our 4 year old aruba installs have been left with no updates from a good while ago... for the price its kinda been pretty crap support.

 

the unifi one? still ticking....

[ThatBoringBloke]

If you have the skills and ability to setup a wifi network then unifi is definitely the way forward.

I'm not sure why anyone would pay for support on a 'big provider' wifi setup if you're going to set it up yourself?

[DGardiner]

If you have the skills and ability to setup a wifi network then unifi is definitely the way forward.

I'm not sure why anyone would pay for support on a 'big provider' wifi setup if you're going to set it up yourself?

 

Thats true, id never pay for maintenance on anything like that, once its in it never breaks.. its a con.

 

That said, unifis quick development/update style can be good and bad if you happen to be one of the edge cases that pup up occasionally!

[ThatBoringBloke]

That said, unifis quick development/update style can be good and bad if you happen to be one of the edge cases that pup up occasionally!

 

Backups! They're great! I've learn't this the hard way a few times just clicking on the 'Upgrade' option carelessly!

[DGardiner]

Backups! They're great! I've learn't this the hard way a few times just clicking on the 'Upgrade' option carelessly!

 

Am i the bad guy? i have auto update enabled and have never had an issue...

 

[Davit2005]

If you have the skills and ability to setup a wifi network then unifi is definitely the way forward.

I'm not sure why anyone would pay for support on a 'big provider' wifi setup if you're going to set it up yourself?

 

Really depends what the org needs as a WiFi package as a whole. There are things that Unifi simply does not provide/do that would make them a no go for bigger complex setups/organisations. If the org needs good support and is willing to pay for it then it changes things.

 

I'm not saying Unifi is not good as it is, I've used it at home for years for WiFi and as a product it is unmatched at the price point but it just does not fit every scenario. I've experienced/managed/administered other WiFi infrastructures including HP, Aruba and Ruckus.

 

Unifi also makes it extremely easy to setup vlans etc. and the networking side of things but it lacks switching/routing/HA functionality available from other vendors. If that is of no need to the org then it does not matter but some orgs do need the extra functionality.

Edited November 19, 2020 by Davit2005

[DGardiner]

Unifi also makes it extremely easy to setup vlans etc. and the networking side of things but it lacks switching/routing/HA functionality available from other vendors. If that is of no need to the org then it does not matter but some orgs do need the extra functionality.

 

not that ive used it but the gen2 switches are all layer3 now.

[Net-Ctrl]

Ive just done a quick check on those AP models you mentioned and both look pretty old - the latest looking like they support up to 11n. So rather than look down the route of controller, upgrade and some APs etc it seems you're going to need to go down the full replacement route. Juniper has since purchased MIST which is their lead wireless portfolio now - and I would expect that wouldn't work with old Trapeze network as well if you were looking down the part replacement route.

 

Ubiquiti is cheap enough that you could consider buying a small deployment playing with it and testing it in your environment to see how it goes before making a decision for a full swap out.

 

If you wanted to look at a Ruckus proposal then we can assist with that if it's of interest. We can run a free predictive model of your site to look at predicted AP count/locations and build a quote based on that. It will be more expensive. You do gain working with a partner that will plan your deployment for you around your requirements and also environment for now and the future. We provide the support/maintenance of the solution as well so from your perspective if you have any issues you have someone to go to.

[Sonic007]

Ive just recently swapped out all my old Meru and Cisco Meraki kit for Ubiquiti Unifi Pro Access Points.

They are briliant.

 

Either host the controller software yourself on a PC or as I have done, pick up a Unifi Key which just plugs into a POE port on your switch. Easy to configure.

Everytime you add a Access point it shows up in the controller and you just adopt it and it sends down the config.

[MatthewL]

Unifi all the way these days. Get no problems with it, plenty of support out there although not direct but does the job if needed.

[Jcx500]

We are using unifi have no complaints , using the ac pro access points with the gen1 controller

[OllieC]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the input - will start getting prices on Unify kit. Any recommendations for specific models? I've got a handful of high density use areas (laptop trolleys, halls, sixth form, etc.)

 

Also - re controller; there's talk of hosting ourselves on a VM or buying a "unifi key" - what's the pricing model for this? Is there a yearly cost, per AP, etc?

 

Thanks

[Sonic007]

The great thing with unify kit is there is no additional cost.

The key is one off cost of about £75

It’s about the size of a calculator and plugs into a POE port on your switch.

Then just login to it via the IP address and has built in web interface.

 

Advantage of that over hosting software on your own machine is its one less machine to look after.

 

I got all my kit from 4gon. I bought the pro access points and you get 5 in a pack with mounting brackets included. 5 pack was about £600

 

As long as you have a Poe switch then hook them straight up or else get the optional Poe adapters.

They’ll be picked up by the controller. Very straight forward.

Edited November 25, 2020 by Sonic007
Spelling

[DGardiner]

that said, my mate has the cloud licencing where unifi host the controller and it was £1-£2 per ap for a 3 year licence or something, defo something to take a look at.

 

That said the cloud keys are cheap enough

[Steve21]

Aye, been looking at Unifi recently for wireless, and I know on broadbandbuyer it works out silly difference between hosting it yourself and them doing it

 

Ubiquiti UAP-AC-PRO 5 Pack without hosting £494.76

Ubiquiti UAP-AC-PRO 5 Pack with 3 yr hosting £496.77

 

So what £2.01 for 5 APs over 3 Years Always an option if you don't want to bother with key etc on-site

 

Steve

[OllieC]

Unifi sounds perfect! Just frustrating I've got to wait for next year's budget now.

[Primus]

It doesn't just sound perfect - it is perfect.

 

Be wary of people telling you "it's a good product but lacks some features you might need" - they'll never be able to tell you which features you might need that it lacks!

[Norphy]

It doesn't just sound perfect - it is perfect.

 

Be wary of people telling you "it's a good product but lacks some features you might need" - they'll never be able to tell you which features you might need that it lacks!

 

Be wary of people who tell you it's perfect without knowing what exactly it is that you need. Do your research beforehand, work out what you need and determine if the kit that you've identified can actually do it. Speak to some vendors like Switch Shop, European Electronique, Circle IT, Net Ctrl, Redway Networks, Stone and others and ask them for advice and recommendations. The last thing you want to do is to spend ££££ on new wireless kit and then find out it misses that crucial feature you wanted.

 

That applies to everything, not just Ubiquiti. Not saying that Ubiquiti isn't any good or that it's not suitable for you or that it lacks the features that you need, just saying to make sure first. Their stuff is undeniably cheaper than other enterprise level kit but that doesn't mean that it's cheap; it could end up being an expensive mistake to buy it without doing your research first.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Norphy

[Primus]

Be wary of people who tell you it's perfect without knowing what exactly it is that you need. Do your research beforehand, work out what you need and determine if the kit that you've identified can actually do it. Speak to some vendors like Switch Shop, European Electronique, Circle IT, Net Ctrl, Redway Networks, Stone and others and ask them for advice and recommendations. The last thing you want to do is to spend ££££ on new wireless kit and then find out it misses that crucial feature you wanted.

 

That applies to everything, not just Ubiquiti. Not saying that Ubiquiti isn't any good or that it's not suitable for you or that it lacks the features that you need, just saying to make sure first. Their stuff is undeniably cheaper than other enterprise level kit but that doesn't mean that it's cheap; it could end up being an expensive mistake to buy it without doing your research first.

 

[Norphy]

 

Good grief. If suggesting someone does their research before they spend thousands of pounds on a system warrants an eyeroll in your world, so be it. Personally I'd prefer to do that than solely take the word of someone I don't know on an internet forum.