Here's a thing: In Germany, Fritzbox Routers are quite popular (made by http://avm.de). They have excellent software (with a feature set similar to OpenWRT, but more clean and concise). They support guest Wi-fi's out of the box and many people I know use them.
The Fritzbox OS might have it flaws, but compared to other commercial SOHO routers, the software is excellent. And this solely refers to the web interface and number of features available for all non-techy people while stille covering many needs of the techy ones. Of course, if you are an expert, OpenWRT will give you all the flexibility you need. And you know what? It's easy to flash a Fritzbox with OpenWRT :)
Which manufacturers offer less on the software side compared to AVM then? All I can think of are the ones that you're given to by your ISP.
Every other 3rd party router I've come across has at least the same configurability as AVM's solutions (went with Netgear, D-Link, Zyxel, Huawei, now TP-Link and happily stuck).
Lucky you -- I frequently have to deal with routers given by the ISP which are basically non-configurable. Examples are the Vodafone Easybox 904x (just tried to put OpenWRT on this box last week and failed after several hours to get the Wifi running) or the Technicolor 7200 which is shipped by Unitymedia in Germany by default. Both are really bad devices. The companies you are refering to do in fact better products (both in terms of software and hardware).
I have three Ubiquti access points covering a 2500 sq ft home. The results are great but still depend on careful placement of the access points. The wall between the kitchen and the woodshed has a metal layer on the insulation so I have an access point in the wood shed that is served by a TP-Link powerline ethernet and a spare ethernet plug to plug my laptop into when I work out there in the summer. I will probably have to take it in in the winter when it gets below feeezing.
Two DSL lines come into the house, are connected to a load balancing router, then there is gigabit ethernet to a Ubiquti managed switch which can deliver power to the access points, although I currently use power injectors for all of them because that's what is convenient.
I have a small Linux tower that runs as a server that runs the Ubiquti management software and many other services.
I use Ethernet as much as I can but I haven't taken it as far as I could. I've got the tools to crimp the ends onto Ethernet cables and 1000 feet of solid core Cat 6 wire and when I master the tools I will cut custom cable runs to
serve more access points straight out of the hub, get the secondary A/V room wired, etc. Ubiquti makes outdoor access points that would do fine in the shed or outside the house.
One of my DSL modems has its WiFi turned on and that is one of three devices plugged into the UPS which ensures that the backup connection and the landline phone system work through power outages of up to two days.
I also have a SmartThings Hub and a Phillips Hue hub fighting for 2.4 GHz spectrum.
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[ 1.8 ms ] story [ 21.1 ms ] threadUnless you're exclusively talking about the GUI/web-interface, the feature set is nowhere near comparable to OpenWRT.
They are garnered towards novices and users without any IT-affinity.
EDIT: Sure, downvote an opinion that doesn't align with yours.
Every other 3rd party router I've come across has at least the same configurability as AVM's solutions (went with Netgear, D-Link, Zyxel, Huawei, now TP-Link and happily stuck).
EDIT: Lol, do you work for them or something?
Two DSL lines come into the house, are connected to a load balancing router, then there is gigabit ethernet to a Ubiquti managed switch which can deliver power to the access points, although I currently use power injectors for all of them because that's what is convenient.
I have a small Linux tower that runs as a server that runs the Ubiquti management software and many other services.
I use Ethernet as much as I can but I haven't taken it as far as I could. I've got the tools to crimp the ends onto Ethernet cables and 1000 feet of solid core Cat 6 wire and when I master the tools I will cut custom cable runs to serve more access points straight out of the hub, get the secondary A/V room wired, etc. Ubiquti makes outdoor access points that would do fine in the shed or outside the house.
One of my DSL modems has its WiFi turned on and that is one of three devices plugged into the UPS which ensures that the backup connection and the landline phone system work through power outages of up to two days.
I also have a SmartThings Hub and a Phillips Hue hub fighting for 2.4 GHz spectrum.