TP-link is reportedly being investigated over national security concerns linked to vulnerabilities in its very popular routers.
They actually made a great suggestion with mikrotik…granted I come from a networking background but those can be as simple as you want or as complex as you need. Their products are resilient and prices are a chefs kiss for what you get. Now if they had recommended just some juniper or cisco gear I’d agree with you but mikrotik makes great products at great prices.
Exactly. They have three interface options:
- Quick Set - similar to most residential routers
- Web Fig (what I use) - access to more features, closer to OpenWRT
- Terminal - what pros use
If you only have one Ubiquiti AP, you can use their app (simple) and if you have more, you can use their cloud SW. I use their local SW because I like control, but it’s not for everyone (need to maintain a Mongo DB).
Total cost is about $200 ($70-80 for a decent router, $100 for an AP), but you could probably go down to $150 if you’re okay with more basic gear.
Is there actually anything to maintain with the mongoDB for ubiquiti network controller? I set it up using a script on a VM, adopted my APs, shut down the VM and promptly forgot about it. I still have the image to spin up whenever, but I was under the impression it wasn’t necessary.
No, but initial installation is annoying since many Linux distributions don’t have a package for it due to the license.
Beyond that, you also need to make sure the computer it’s installed on doesn’t change IP because your AP(s) get tied to it.
The whole setup is really annoying IMO.
And yet, grandpa or that weird uncle everyone has could just pop onto amazon and buy a normal tp-link router on sale right now for all of about $40 that has wifi built in.
Anyone who’s tech-savvy should put themselves into the shoes of their non-tech-savvy parents or grandparents in a situation where they don’t have you around to help. That’s who the main audience is; not someone willing to go even slightly down into the stack with this idea.
What audience? I’m talking about people here on Lemmy reading this article.
