Combination Wi-Fi Routers Are Dumb

The FCC made big news last month when it move to ban consumer routers made overseas. This got me thinking about consumer routers in general, and recalling back to when reliable Wi-Fi was something I was struggling to achieve. That was in the early days of this blog. I think that, in solving our Wi-Fi problem I failed to clearly state something that bears repeating now…combination Wi-Fi routers are dumb and should be avoided.

If you want to have consistent, reliable, Wi-Fi coverage, in a larger home or across an entire property, a combination Wi-Fi router at an arbitrary location is not going to be a good solution. You should be using dedicated Wi-Fi access points. And the location of each access point should be carefully considered.

Back in December 2024 we had AT&T Fiber installed. That service includes a BGW-320 device that’s a combination of Optical Network Termination (ONT), router and Wi-Fi access point.

If I was still living in my MacPherson Avenue apartment in Toronto, that device would likely provide adequate coverage for the entire place. That apartment was the middle floor of a three-story brick walk-up. I’d guess it around 800 square feet. No yard to speak of.

Our house in Houston is very different. It’s a 1,560 square foot Craftsman Cottage on an 8,000 square foot lot. There’s a detached garage with a one bedroom apartment that I’ve converted into an office space.

When the AT&T installer arrived I had him pull the fiber into the closet near the equipment rack in the office. Their device lives there specifically because that allows it to be powered by Mr. Eaton, the UPS that protects our network core.

On that basis, this location is a rational choice. At least as related to continuity of operation. It’s definitely not the ideal location from the perspective of Wi-Fi propagation. That’s why I’ve got the built-in Wi-Fi access point disabled.

In fact,the AT&T provided device is in bridge mode, with the internal router also disabled. The only router on the network is the Ubiquiti Unifi UXG-Max that I described previously.

Whither The Wireless

Our years-long quest for reliable Wi-Fi ended when we installed a pair of Ubiquiti Unifi AC Pro Access points. In fact, that was so long ago that one of them has since failed and been replaced with a newer U6 model.

These are strategically located to provide uniform coverage across the entire property. The one in the house is in the attic just above the central hallway. The other centrally mounted in my office.

Ubiquiti’s Unifi product line are a kind of prosumer range that many IT service providers use for large homes and small-to-medium-sized businesses. As I recall, I was recommended to them by fellow VUC alumni Corrado Mella, who operates a Scottish ISP. The Unifi APs have been excellent. So much so that Wi-Fi has been a non-issue since they were installed.

Humanoids Like Tools

One of the things about a managed Wi-Fi network is that there are tools available to design the deployment and monitor its behavior. The image above is from the Unifi InnerSpace application. It lets you load a floor plan, then position the various items around the property, all the while projecting the wireless signal strength. It supports different building materials, projecting transmission loss through walls, windows and doors.

This is way beyond plunking down the ISP-provided device in a closet and hoping for the best. Some people, like myself, may take it on as a DIY project. Others may want a consultant to get them up and running. Either way, a properly designed wireless network is well worth the effort.

Homeowner Shoots Self in Foot

In 2017 I replaced the window screens across the front of the house. Seeking to be historically accurate with respect to the house, which is 100 years old, I crafted new screens using a bronze mesh. This had the unintended consequence of creating a Wi-Fi dead spot in our front yard.

That problem was resolved by adding a third access point (Unifi AC Lite) in the attic above the front porch. Being outside the Faraday cage created by the window screens, it provides coverage to the porch and front yard.

In reality, it services the Hunter Hydrowise irrigation controller, a few smart outlets, and any portable device that wanders out front for a spell. For example, I will occasionally take a laptop out to the porch for my morning coffee.

Preaching Managed Wi-Fi

Early in the summer of 2025 Stella and I were visiting with some friends that have a large relatively new house. Very nicely appointed. However, they expressed some frustration with Wi-Fi connectivity across the property. When I saw how it was implemented it made my head spin. They had a handful of disparate Wi-Fi networks such that devices dropped offline as they moved from one part of the house to another.  Being in need of a new project at the time, I promised to help.

Being on a budget, I bought a small used POE switch and some used Unifi AC Pro APs on E-bay. Then I configured a Raspberry Pi4 with the Unifi Network Controller application. This application is used to configure and monitor Unifi devices.

Upon our next visit, we installed the POE switch in their network closet. Then connected one of the AC Pro APs at each location where they had previously had a freestanding Wi-Fi router. The APs were all powered via Ethernet from the switch, which was on a UPS. Everything was managed via the application on the RPI.

With just a little configuration, we had a single, continuous Wi-Fi network deployed across the entire property. Further, the controller allowed us to see what was going on. We could literally track a device moving from one area to another, watching the connection pass between APs in real-time.

Their longstanding Wi-Fi troubles were solved.

In Conclusion

An ISP wants to provide their customer with a single, multi-function device they can manage remotely. That allows them to support the location while keeping their costs down. Their concerns have literally nothing to do with your desire for reliable Wi-Fi coverage.

If you live in an apartment, that one device may well be all you need. But if you live in a home of any size, or need reliable connectivity across a larger property, that one multi-function device is just not going to cut it.