Ubiquity compatibility

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Ubiquity compatibility

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Ubiquity compatibility
Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-01 23:22:55 - last edited 2020-07-06 16:30:33

We have a TP-Link Omada mesh set up with CPE 510 and EAP-225 Outdoor units in a marina. A new marina tenant said that in the last place he stayed everyone bought Ubiquity 
APs and they just increased their mesh network and life was good. He wants to use his Ubiquity AP the same way here.

As far as I can determine, TP-Link and Ubiquity APs are not compatible. Anyoine know differently?

I am hesitant to tell him to go buy a TP-LInk AP and just join the network, but I guess he could. I think that would show up as a rogue AP. HIs problem is he has a steel boat and can't get wireless inside so that is why he wants to use his own AP. I think he should just get an external wireless antenna and he'd be good. His boat is located about 20 feet from an existing AP and might cause unwanted interference. Of course, if he does install an AP I would be able to manage it and control the mesh connection. Any thoughts on that?

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#1
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Re:Ubiquity compatibility-Solution
2020-07-03 01:45:14 - last edited 2020-07-06 16:30:33

 

Byteguy wrote

Now if he installs an EAP225-outdoor, it will try to join the MESH. I believe I can keep it from doing so using the web UI, can't I?

 

You can refuse to adopt the EAP to the mesh when it shows up as either »Pending (Wireless)« or »Isolated« (depending on the state of the EAP). The boat owner cannot join the mesh without being adopted or linked to an uplink mesh node.

 

BTW--was scanning for rogue APs and we have a bunch. Probably the scan is picking up all the other devices that the boaters are using to snag the wireless signal from the MESH.

 

 

Sacnning for rogue APs just performs a wireless survey. It will list any nearby AP and no, they need not try to snag the wireless signal from the mesh if they are listed as rogue APs.

 

IF his AP acts strictly as his own access point, it should not mess with the MESH, should it? And is the EAP225 capable of this?

 

 

You mean if it just uses it as an AP w/o being adopted as a mesh node? No, it won't mess with your mesh, but it will still be listed as »Pending (Wireless)«.

 

BTW: The EAP indeed uses station (STA) aka client mode to connect to a mesh in addition to AP mode. Difference to standard client mode is that you as an admin can prevent to have this EAP join the mesh.

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 00:10:41 - last edited 2020-07-02 00:20:16

 

Byteguy wrote

As far as I can determine, TP-Link and Ubiquity APs are not compatible. Anyoine know differently?

 

Right, they are not compatible.

 

Of course, if he does install an AP I would be able to manage it and control the mesh connection.

 

This would cause even more interferences to your WLAN (Hidden Node Problem) and he would still have the problem to extend the EAP's WLAN into his faraday cage. Nothing gained with this »solution«.

 

I would suggest him to use a standard WLAN router in STA (client) mode on the outside of the cage, connect to the mesh node's WLAN and use a cable to link a laptop to the WLAN router (he could even turn off routing and create a bridge between the router's LAN ports and the WiFi radio in STA mode).

 

If he needs a wireless network inside his boat, he could either use tethering on the laptop or the built-in AP of the WLAN router if it's placed on a window or a door, so that he can receive the signal inside the boat. This would not interfere with your WLAN and with tethering he can place the WLAN router on the outside of his boat, while his private WLAN is inside.

 

I see absolutely no reason why he should use a mesh node (holds true also for the marina using an Ubiquiti mesh network).

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 13:50:30

@R1D2 Thanks. I was rather surprised when he told me of this other marina where anyone who wanted to got their own AP. He said the wireless coverage just kept getting better. 

All I saw in this was a chaotic situation where a stable, reliable network would be impossible to manage.

 

He apparantly has a network in his boat (don't really have any info on it) and just wants to get connectivity. I would think that a real simple solution would be to install an external antenna running to his router. That should successfully get the wireless signal into that network.

 

I will certainly pass your suggestion on to him!

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 15:28:38

Hi @Byteguy,

 

Ideally he would use an outdoor AP (from TP-Link, Ubiquiti, or others) and configure it in client mode to join to your existing wireless MESH as a STA as R1D2 suggested.  I think this is possible with the EAP225-Outdoor (through the web UI) or certainly on his own CPE.  Then he would run ethernet from this AP back to his internal boat network.

 

Regardless, he would not be "joining the MESH" per se.  Rather his outdoor AP would still be a regular wireless client but would share it's connection via ethernet with the rest of the boat.

 

-Jonathan

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 16:01:26

Hi @Byteguy,

 

Yeah, I don't think the EAP225-Outdoor supports a "client mode" like the CPE's do.

 

-Jonathan

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 16:35:43

Don't use a CPE. Over this short distance you won't be able to align the antenna on a boat. There was a guy in this forum who tried this already and failed. Too much motion if mounted on a boat. Just use a standard WLAN router or an external antenna, but avoid directional antennas.

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 17:00:12 - last edited 2020-07-02 17:00:58

HI R1D2,

 

Yes, but, many conventional home routers don't support a client or bridge mode. And those that do often don't have external antenna connections (they are more travel routers like the various models TP-Link makes). You could install Tomato or DD-WRT on an older Linksys or DLink type product but that would require some technical expertise.

 

One could have a PC with a wireless network card, and then extend the cable to an external antenna. And a second NIC to bridge the networks.

 

Understood re: directional antennas on CPE. Couldn't you just replace the antennas with some small 3 or 6 dBi omnis? Just saying, joining the MESH idea is actually not a horrible idea. Easily supported with an EAP225-Outdoor, for example. Given the other constraints.

 

This would all be much easier if the EAP225-Outdoor (or EAP225V3) had a client or bridge mode capability.

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 17:04:06

@Byteguy 

 

They do also make various Wifi and/or Cellular/Wifi "repeater" / Router type devices for RV's.

 

This website specialized in this type of use case.

www.rvmobileinternet.com

 

I'm not up on all of the different products that are available.  But they certainly do have solutions for joining the Wifi from a campground, for example, and sharing it to the interior of a camper / RV / Caravan , for example.

 

-Jonathan

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 17:09:01

Something like these "Wifi Ranger" products

 

wifiranger.com

 

Enabled connecting to external Wifi and/or Cellular, and then re-broadcasting the Wifi signal indoors.  Lots of other similar products for mobile police / fire internet from Pepwave, Mofi, and others.

 

-Jonathan

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-02 18:09:27 - last edited 2020-07-02 18:12:31

 

JSchnee21 wrote

Yes, but, many conventional home routers don't support a client or bridge mode.

 

Ok, but to supply a faraday cage with WLAN one must have some technical expertise IMO (or hire someone who has). But it's no big deal even for home users to install OpenWrt on an Archer C7 or similar WLAN router. Every WiFi chip I know supports STA mode, but gear made for home users does just not expose this functionality to make configuring it user-friendly.

 

Understood re: directional antennas on CPE. Couldn't you just replace the antennas with some small 3 or 6 dBi omnis?

 

CPEs have built-in hardwired antennas. You would need a WBS with TL-ANT2410MO, but that's again business gear, setup requires some technical expertise, too.

 

Just saying, joining the MESH idea is actually not a horrible idea. Easily supported with an EAP225-Outdoor, for example. Given the other constraints.

 

As I wrote, you will definitely run into issues such as the Hidden Node Problem if you use an EAP225-Outdoor which supplies local WLAN in a boat made out of steel. Of course, it could work if the local network is linked to the EAP using a cable and if the EAP's local WLAN is disabled. But then, a cheap home repeater with an Ethernet port such as an RE200, RE305 or RE650 would suit better as it does not require the network admin to manage end-user devices.

 

I would refuse to allow people deploying their own APs into my network. Why? Because if I would allow this, people will hold me responsible for any malfunction of their network even if they screw it up and even if it has nothing to do with the AP. I experienced this already too often in the past. Just two weeks ago I terminated a contract with a client b/c he hold me responsible for his gear added to our hotspot system.

 

This would all be much easier if the EAP225-Outdoor (or EAP225V3) had a client or bridge mode capability.

 

EAPs are just APs. If they would have client or bridge modes, they would become a WLAN router and they would need routing capabilities, NAT, DHCP services, connection tracking, firewall, port forwarding etc. pp. Management software would become much more complicated, hardware ressources would need to be expanded and so on.

 

So why not use a WLAN router at first? If I want an apple, I buy an apple, not a pear shaped as an apple and modified to taste like an apple. ;-)

 

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Re:Ubiquity compatibility
2020-07-03 01:22:39 - last edited 2020-07-03 13:37:36

@JSchnee21 This is what he envisioned. Use the AP to get the signal and use the ethernet port to run the signal down belowdecks to his router.

Now if he installs an EAP225-outdoor, it will try to join the MESH. I believe I can keep it from doing so using the web UI, can't I?

BTW--was scanning for rogue APs and we have a bunch. Probably the scan is picking up all the other devices that the boaters are using to snag the wireless signal from the MESH.

IF his AP acts strictly as his own client, it should not mess with the MESH, should it? And is the EAP225 capable of this?

 

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