Alta Labs offers outstanding support to customers.
Alta Labs offers outstanding support to customers.
I was checking to upgrade my home Wi-Fi from my Asus router to Alta Labs, obviously on a budget. I managed to get an Alta Labs AP6 Pro from eBay for $40 and a Route10 open box from Microcenter for around $90. But when the AP6 Pro arrived, the seller omitted the wall mount plate. Since I couldn't locate anyone selling just that plate, I decided to reach out via email. Within the same day they asked for my address and three days later sent me an email with the FedEx tracking number for the plate plus details about how they planned to send it. They didn’t even ask if I’d pay for shipping or handling. I also mentioned that the AP6 Pro was used when I bought it on eBay. They could have easily declined, but I wouldn’t have been surprised. It’s a nice gesture from them to go the extra mile for something not strictly their responsibility. If anyone else is thinking about Alta Labs, it might be worth trying. Feel free to message or write below if you have any questions about the AP6 or Route10.
Great news about the company! I'm also recommending Logitech for excellent support. I (got a bit tipsy) purchased a G815 from eBay only to find it was missing four essential caps and two switches entirely. When I reached out to Logi, they told me they can't sell these parts but would send a refurbished unit for free. It's a bit frustrating.
I haven't tested any Ubiquiti AP or router yet; I only have a cable modem and a dummy switch. Still, the build quality seems decent for an AP. What matters long-term will be what we see in practice. Performance has been solid so far. Coming from an Asus RT-AX86U, it performs just as well if not better. The interesting side is the features.
1) The management interface is straightforward but can be a hassle. Updating firmware and resetting to factory settings are simple. The downside is needing an Alta Labs account and managing it via the cloud, which I don’t like much. They do offer a docket container for local management and an out-of-the-box control device.
2) It offers a wide range of features, including customizable VLANs on the AP. Always-on connectivity works even when the internet goes down, and mesh networking is supported. This means if your connection to the AP is interrupted, it can automatically mesh with another AP.
The most intriguing part for me is tweaking the Wi-Fi passwords. You can assign multiple passwords and assign devices to specific VLANs or settings based on the chosen password. Instead of a separate guest network, you can use a single password and simply select the desired VLAN or settings. It’s a bit complex, but it’s quite useful so far. I’d love to experiment more. But have you checked eBay? It seems few people are searching for Alta Labs gear yet, which helps keep prices low.