Affordable second-hand Cisco access points available.
Affordable second-hand Cisco access points available.
Hey, I’m tired of my current ISP access point. I’m considering switching to 3 or 4 Cisco APs. On eBay I found some used models with 5Gbps support, but they’re limited to 300MBps. Since my needs are for faster speeds, I’m hoping for something with 802.11 AC. Any advice?
These connection points might look old given a 300Mbps speed on 5GHz. What is your budget for this project? It seems you're comfortable with used equipment. How much coverage area do you require? Are you covering just one level or several? Is the modem placed in a central spot? If you have a NAS, connecting it via gigabit Ethernet would be ideal. You'll likely need to install access points regardless.
The budget hovers near $100, indicating a focus on second-hand equipment. My residence is a two-story brick structure, and my HP server is connected to the network via a Cat 6 cable at 1GBps, linked directly to my switch. The entire home is equipped with Cat 6 cabling.
Only when you select 1830, 1850, 2800 or 3800 series APs as a controller. They're significantly above his $100 budget each. It seems he's considering older 1142 models—they were decent but limited. Using a few of these or budget Cisco devices doesn't offer much benefit unless paired with a 2504 or similar controller. Configuring them isn't user-friendly, so I'd prefer options like TP-Link Omada or Ubiquiti Unifi. At least one is better since they operate via software and don't require constant hardware connectivity. TP-Link is cloud-based, while Unifi functions as a software controller that works on any PC and doesn't need to be online 24/7.
Absolutely noted, the autonomous controller boundaries are important. The GUI setup works well, but you need to be careful not to override them.