AmpliFi Mesh Wi-Fi System

Any of the US based empeggers looking to buy this system? I have a coupon for $100 off, bringing it down to $240.

Weirdly enough I haven't gotten around to setting one up in any of my clients' homes, despite how much I love Ubiquiti's products (specifically the Unifi line).

I've used two consumer mesh systems:

Google Wifi - pretty good, with plain Google design. Very limited capabilities, or at least when I last used it. I found the performance to be wanting, too.

Netgear Orbi - this seems to be the current leader in this specific slice of the market. They're fast, have very powerful radios (perhaps too powerful), and I like that each station has a set of ports on the back for wired devices.


Like I said, I haven't used AmpliFi. I've heard decent things but don't have personal experience with that line. However, I have some practical downsides that bother me about the system:

#1- Locations - You're more limited with where you put the AmpliFi satellites than you are with the other systems. They must be plugged into a wall, so you're limited to spots where there's a power outlet, which leads me to problem...

#2- Obstructions - basically an extension of problem #1. Outlets are often behind things, and even when they aren't, the most stuff in your home is going to be at outlet level, so you're degrading the signal already. With the other systems, you can put the base station at least on the top of a piece of furniture. This also gets it away from the wall so it can go through and not along.

#3- Ports - there are no ports on the AmpliFi stations, just the hub. It's not the end of the world and almost everything is wireless these days, but still, I prefer to go wired when I can.


My preferred whole-home network is the Ubiquiti Unifi system, but it's FAAAR less user friendly. The setup is much more involved and requires a ton of knowledge that the average consumer just isn't going to know. Most of these consumer mesh systems are pretty dead-simple (plug this into that, then plug the remote units in various places). Unifi is going to take quite a lot more setup time and will probably be much more expensive, plus I only use it if the house is wired.

I have the Ubiquiti Unifi system and very much like it. I didn't find it complex to install, but I would agree there is more to it than a typical home router setup.

I meant it's difficult for the average consumer (who I deal with a lot).

I set up a Google WiFi at home (one as a gateway/firewall with two satellites connected by GigE). I'm paying for 250Mbits/sec from Comcast and regularly see more than that, even over WiFi. I also like their auto-updating and security stories.

The place where I'm less than happy is when Comcast goes down, the amount of diagnosis provided by Google could be better. Like, since the client runs on the phone, it could just as well have a button to disconnect from the WiFi and probe for your home at its last-known IP address from some Google server somewhere.