Off topic router and wifi discussion

[Kitfox]

I already have traffic analysis enabled. I have gigabit fiber. It doesn’t show totals as it resets to zero automatically if throughput isn’t substantial. It’s not a running total. I wonder if I put a Unifi AP between the Edgerouter and Orbi APs...

The UniFi AP would need to feed the Tesla. Network devices can only get data on what they talk to directly. And yeah, the router is focused on routing and not on keeping stats, so it is a very short rolling window.

Knowing far too well how WiFi works, I wouldn't touch Orbi with a ten foot pole and somebody else holding it. They try to make "Easy Peasy" mesh networking without understanding the downsides to such a thing in the hands of somebody who doesn't understand how it works. I would only give Orbi to people I didn't want to talk to anymore or didn't like.

So if the Tesla is connected to an Orbi (along with other devices), only the Orbi would be able to tell you what's going on.

 

[WilliamG]

The UniFi AP would need to feed the Tesla. Network devices can only get data on what they talk to directly. And yeah, the router is focused on routing and not on keeping stats, so it is a very short rolling window.

Knowing far too well how WiFi works, I wouldn't touch Orbi with a ten foot pole and somebody else holding it. They try to make "Easy Peasy" mesh networking without understanding the downsides to such a thing in the hands of somebody who doesn't understand how it works. I would only give Orbi to people I didn't want to talk to anymore or didn't like.

So if the Tesla is connected to an Orbi (along with other devices), only the Orbi would be able to tell you what's going on.

Knowing reasonably well how Wi-Fi works, the Orbi is one of the best routers I’ve ever used, mesh or otherwise. And no, if the Orbi is set up as just an AP and not a router as in my case, it won’t know what’s going on at all. Only the router will know, and the ER4 simply doesn’t log enough data to track all this.

Anyway, I have no idea why you’d bash the Orbi system. It’s second to none in the consumer space, and there’s a lot of advanced menus and data that those of us knowing how to do simple IP logins can access easily. There’s zero downside to using one as a wireless AP as I’m doing. As a router there are far better systems (which is why I use the Edgerouter for that).

 

[Kitfox]

Knowing reasonably well how Wi-Fi works, the Orbi is one of the best routers I’ve ever used, mesh or otherwise. And no, if the Orbi is set up as just an AP and not a router as in my case, it won’t know what’s going on at all. Only the router will know, and the ER4 simply doesn’t log enough data to track all this.

Anyway, I have no idea why you’d bash the Orbi system. It’s second to none in the consumer space, and there’s a lot of advanced menus and data that those of us knowing how to do simple IP logins can access easily. There’s zero downside to using one as a wireless AP as I’m doing. As a router there are far better systems (which is why I use the Edgerouter for that).

This is why I prefer UniFi APs. They track the client data directly on the AP and consolidate that data to the controller.

I think there is a way that you can make a reporting server that takes the snapshot data from the Edgerouter regularly and keeps track over time that way. *Checks* Okay, recommendations are currently for LibreNMS so I'll check that out and see if it's a good thing. Docker container double-virtualization FTW.

Anything that makes mesh easy tends to get my ire because of the way the wireless collision domain works, so it's not Orbi specifically. Such a huge focus on signal level without taking actual radio propagation, collision, signal width overlap, and crosstalk into account. It's really easy to set up bad WiFi, and "simple mesh networking" just makes it easier. Great signal. Questionable actual results. Something as simple as the system auto-selecting overlapping channels in a dense environment is a great example of this. Or worse, overlapping channels in an otherwise empty environment, which I've seen Orbi do.

I'll see if LibreNMS will handle the Edgerouter data and get back to you on that, hopefully soon.

 

[WilliamG]

This is why I prefer UniFi APs. They track the client data directly on the AP and consolidate that data to the controller.

I think there is a way that you can make a reporting server that takes the snapshot data from the Edgerouter regularly and keeps track over time that way. *Checks* Okay, recommendations are currently for LibreNMS so I'll check that out and see if it's a good thing. Docker container double-virtualization FTW.

Anything that makes mesh easy tends to get my ire because of the way the wireless collision domain works, so it's not Orbi specifically. Such a huge focus on signal level without taking actual radio propagation, collision, signal width overlap, and crosstalk into account. It's really easy to set up bad WiFi, and "simple mesh networking" just makes it easier. Great signal. Questionable actual results. Something as simple as the system auto-selecting overlapping channels in a dense environment is a great example of this. Or worse, overlapping channels in an otherwise empty environment, which I've seen Orbi do.

I'll see if LibreNMS will handle the Edgerouter data and get back to you on that, hopefully soon.

I appreciate it. And FYI the Orbi mesh really is something special. I’d know if it were poor because with gigabit upload and download it’s sure easy to test with wired and wireless clients. Dedicated 5ghz backhaul channel is superb.

 

[Helmuth]

Is there any way we could focus on the thread title “2020.12.1”?
I think a WiFi discussion has nothing to do with the software update...

 

[MarcG]

Is there any way we could focus on the thread title “2020.12.1”?
I think a WiFi discussion has nothing to do with the software update...

Agreed. You can report posts as “off-topic” and they’ll be moved to another thread.