In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

If you already have WiFi from another source, (which the OP does) you can just install the UniFi app on a phone or tablet and set it up from there as a stand alone device.

Which is more complicated for the average user than just logging onto a web page on the device to set it up. I don't think my post mentioned a method of set up at all.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

While it is outdoor rated the UniFi AC-M is not IP67 and needs to be in a sheltered spot.

IP67 requires a unit to be capable of being submerged in a metre of water for half an hour. That's not a likely scenario for an access point. There is no need to install the UAP-AC-M in a sheltered location provided that it is upright.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

If you power it using PoE from the house there is no requirement for shielded Cat 5e/6 cable.

Actually, no, but if you do this it must still be earthed in the summer house, as I've stated. The device can be earthed through its power supply but only if the the cable and connectors are screened. If there's no screen, it's not earthed.

One reason for it to be earthed is that installing it without an earth invalidates the warranty;

In reference to dl-origin.ubnt.com/guides/UniFi/UniFi_AP-AC-M_QSG.pdf:

TERMS OF USE: Ubiquiti radio devices must be professionally installed. Shielded Ethernet cable and earth grounding must be used as conditions of product warranty.

The second, and more serious one, is to provide protection in the event of an electrical storm. You may be happy to play fast and loose with the earthing requirements but I am not.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

The Ubiquiti tough cable is more targeted at the fixed wireless access market with devices attached to top of tall masts where static buildup is a concern. There is of course no harm in using it other than to your wallet.

As I suggested, you can buy it by the metre and it won't break anyone's budget. Broadbanduyer charges £0.83 a metre including VAT and MS Distribution £0.52.

if you have an alternative source of shielded outdoor grade ethernet cable sold by the metre, that's good too, but apart from the Broadbandbuyer and MS Distribution, I don't know of one. It's worth pointing out that gel-filled ethernet cable, which you recommend, can be more expensive than regular outdoor grade cable. MS Distribution lists Tough Cable Pro for £0.52 per metre but gel filled cable costs £1.03 per metre. You also mustn't use it indoors because the gel is flammable - (the same warning that applies to BT CW1128 gel filled telephone cable).

Polyethylene jacketed cable is suitable for continuous immersion and can be duct rated whether gel filled or not. The reason some PE cables have a gel filling is to prevent water ingress should the jacket become mechanically damaged.

Hi,

FWIW, I would like to re-iterate what others have said and you should REALLY contact an IT Consultant to do this. Asking an electrician would be like asking an architect to design the next Porsche. They wouldn't know what the H-e-Double-Hockey-Sticks they were doing and might do it all wrong. Just a friendly warning....

HTH,

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

Which is more complicated for the average user than just logging onto a web page on the device to set it up. I don't think my post mentioned a method of set up at all.

And you know the IP address of the device to log in how exactly? Or you install the app and let it just scan the network. You mentioned it being complicated, the only way a UniFi access point is complicated to setup is if you come in through the network controller setup.

As a side note you could install WiFiMan on your Android device (sucks if you are an Apple user) and it can scan the network and tell you the IP of the device. I highly recommend WiFiMan (it's a Ubiquiti app that is free) to everyone.

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

There is no need to install the UAP-AC-M in a sheltered location provided that it is upright.

Feel free to put it out exposed to the elements. It is not suitable for that and won't last. I suggest you Google it, there are plenty of reports of people having issues when fully exposed to the elements.

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

One reason for it to be earthed is that installing it without an earth invalidates the warranty;

In reference to dl-origin.ubnt.com/guides/UniFi/UniFi_AP-AC-M_QSG.pdf:

TERMS OF USE: Ubiquiti radio devices must be professionally installed. Shielded Ethernet cable and earth grounding must be used as conditions of product warranty.

Fair enough but it's not necessary if being installed in a summer house. You can use the device indoors in your main house. Would you say that it is necessary for it to be grounded in that scenario? Of course not and the grounding requirement is about it being installed up a mast which is not the scenario here. I repeat the need for grounding and a drain wire is for electrostatic buildup when installed on a mast.

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

The second, and more serious one, is to provide protection in the event of an electrical storm. You may be happy to play fast and loose with the earthing requirements but I am not.

If you think that having it earthed will help in the slightest in the event of a direct strike by lightning I have a slightly used bridge only a few snapped cables and brand new end trusses to sell.

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

if you have an alternative source of shielded outdoor grade ethernet cable sold by the metre, that's good too, but apart from the Broadbandbuyer and MS Distribution, I don't know of one.

TLC will sell both external and SWA by the metre.

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Cable_Index/...

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

It's worth pointing out that gel-filled ethernet cable, which you recommend, can be more expensive than regular outdoor grade cable. MS Distribution lists Tough Cable Pro for £0.52 per metre but gel filled cable costs £1.03 per metre. You also mustn't use it indoors because the gel is flammable - (the same warning that applies to BT CW1128 gel filled telephone cable).

Polyethylene jacketed cable is suitable for continuous immersion and can be duct rated whether gel filled or not. The reason some PE cables have a gel filling is to prevent water ingress should the jacket become mechanically damaged.

And you know the jacket has not become damaged when you pulled it into the duct how exactly? I don't have Superman's X-Ray vision to examine the cable once installed. I would note that BT CW1128 is routinely run short distances internally to get to the NTE5, otherwise how do you get the cable inside?

Anyway the point is it needs to be duct grade. Not all external rated Cat 5e/6 is duct grade.

I wouldn't get the UAP-AC-M to link buildings at all - in fact a Mesh solution is the last solution if all else fails. Also if you want mesh, get Plume as that's astonishingly good.

If running CAT6 is too expensive/not an option, get the NanoBeam and bridge the two buildings together and form a rock solid link. Perfect for an end of garden office/shed, and all things considered considerably cheaper (~£80 each) than running CAT6. What you do in the shed is then the same as the house.

Also Toughcable is not suitable for being buried - it's designed for cabling up buildings and to masts - it's just got more plastic, no armouring. As moles love to chew any wire with electrical signals, no matter how faint, if burying a cable you need SWA (Steel Wire Armoured) cable or bog standard cable in a duct. While a 'hack' as comms are supposed to be in grey ducts, I find water pipes are a) considerably cheaper and b) just as good for duct work. So just make sure you mark it correctly. Check prices to see if standard cable + duct is cheaper than SWA or not as YMMV.

If you put Toughcable or a normal CAT5 cable in the mud, then it will work for about 3 months before it's chewed through and all that labour is for nothing. Don't do it! (speaking from experience!)

WiFiMan exists for iOS.
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/ubiquiti-wifiman/id138...

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

I repeat the need for grounding and a drain wire is for electrostatic buildup when installed on a mast.

I'm really not sure what points you're trying to score but nowhere in the the Unifi documentation does it state it only has to be earthed if it's installed up a mast. You're just making things up to support your point of view.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

If you think that having it earthed will help in the slightest in the event of a direct strike by lightning.

Again, you've made that up. Where do I say direct strike by lightning in my post? Nowhere.

I do have experience in the south of France where induced voltages during electrical storms (which are common) take out unprotected systems. That's why I prefer to follow Unifi's clear written installation instructions. You may choose not to, that's up to you.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

In reply to a post by caffn8me:

if you have an alternative source of shielded outdoor grade ethernet cable sold by the metre, that's good too, but apart from the Broadbandbuyer and MS Distribution, I don't know of one.

TLC will sell both external and SWA by the metre.

Good luck trying to put a shielded RJ45 plug on SWA so you can connect it into the ethernet socket on the access point . Both their SWA and duct grade ethernet are more expensive per metre than Unifi's Tough Cable from either Broadbanduyer or MS Distribution.

You may care to note (but probably won't) that all the mentions I made about external cable in my first post relate only to the final tail that goes into the access point. I didn't mention the cable from the house to the summer house at all. That's already been installed by the electrician.

In reply to a post by zzing123:

I wouldn't get the UAP-AC-M to link buildings at all - in fact a Mesh solution is the last solution if all else fails.

You're falling into the jabuzzard trap as I haven't suggested using using meshing to connect the summer house. There's an ethernet cable to it already.

Hello Sam,

How did the electrician bring the power and data cable neatly into the summer house? Inside the summer house do you have recessed concealed/hidden box for this equipment with an access panel or is it all on display sitting on a shelf?

You might see I started a thread on this, but it seems you have done this recently.

Thanks.

I have a trench in my garden so the electrician ran the cables in plastic pipes along the garden to the summer hose, the plastic is all hidden underground. Inside the summer house I have a second fuse box so all the wires are hidden, and the broadband wire goes straight into a phone socket on the wall so it all looks very neat

Although too late for Sam, you can get a combined 240 volt power and CAT 5 Steel Wired Armoured cable which can be direct buried and is ideal for a summer house.

Cheers!