WiFi access point installed in corner shelf

3673 Views 30 Replies 11 Participants Last post by RainMan 2.0, Jun 9, 2020

RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · Jun 5, 2020 (Edited)

6

Installing WiFi access point under corner shelf

Hey guys , I moved my home theatre system around 90 degrees , and in the process of moving speaker outlets I figured I may as well run wire for an Access Point while I’m at it .
The reason for the AP is because my modem is located downstairs in an electronics rack , and although I’m probably only 13’ away from it , there’s too many obstructions to get decent signal upstairs, and my iPad keeps defaulting back to 2.4 gig .

I wanted to take the easy route and install an inwall AP . They fit in a conventional outlet , and look athletically pleasing imo , but most members at Ubiquitis forum seem to be against using them ,so I bought another ceiling mount .
Although it’s not much bigger than a fire detector, I really didn’t want to mount it on my ceiling in the living room , and mounting it on the ceiling in the hallway was an option , but I was still concerned about the thick walls .

So I was looking at the floating corner shelf I had built , my first attempt at one really , and I thought it would be a nice location to mount an AP underneath.
I got the CAT5e ran , and I could have taken the easy route and just mounted the AP underneath, but I thought it would look nicer if it was countersunk 3/8” .
So instead of spending 15 minutes I’m spending hours lol .

I used my circle jig and managed to get a hole exactly the diameter of the AP , but had to notch out an area so that I can get access to the hole on the AP that they have to insert a paper clip to remove it from its base .
But that notch will not be very noticeable,as I located it at the rear of the AP .
I’m not finished yet ,as I’m waiting for the glue to dry that’s holding it’s base on .
I will add screws ,but needed to get it centred exactly before hand . Tried double sided tape as a temporary way to attach its back plate so that I could install the screws , but I couldn’t get it exactly in the middle each time, so that’s where the glue came in .

Will update as I finish. The last pic is where the AP will be located , under the corner shelf with the spider plant on it . Wondering if the wifi will effect the plant ? Maybe it will mutate and attack me in the middle of the night

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MEBCWD

· #2 · Jun 5, 2020

Rick that would have been easy with a CNC and the bottom would be nice and flat. Have you ever thought about buying .... Oh wait .... :grin:

That is a great idea and will look nice if someone does see it. Nice job so far.

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RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 5, 2020 (Edited)

2

MEBCWD said:
Rick that would have been easy with a CNC and the bottom would be nice and flat. Have you ever thought about buying .... Oh wait .... :grin:

That is a great idea and will look nice if someone does see it. Nice job so far.

Your too funny , and dead serious I was thinking the same thing lol .

I kept on changing the diameter of the circle jig , and just cut out the adjoining area.
Then I got tired of doing it that way , so I tried to finish it off with the same router free hand , hence the crummy looking cutting in the centre area . But that area thankfully won’t be seen .
I did a nice free hand for the notch I had to add for access to the removal hole in the AP .
But after looking at it and checking it numerous time’s , I still managed to screw up and cut out the wrong side where I needed access for the Ethernet cable .
It will still work though, just pisses me off . Every time I try to free hand stuff I think of Barb and wonder how the heck she does it so well . She’s got quite a talent

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NJW63

· #4 · Jun 5, 2020

Very clever idea. Thanks for sharing.

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roofner

· #5 · Jun 5, 2020

Nice work !!!!

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RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 5, 2020 (Edited)

Well it maybe back the drawing board , but it was expected. For the life of me I cannot get the AP to unlock with a paper clip once it’s in place , and it’s not even mounted upside down yet lol .

I had a theory before about using magnets to hold it in place, but it seemed like a lot of excessive work .
I’ll head to Canadian Tire tomorrow and see what I can find .
If I cut out the entire circle now , I’ll place a plate over it with magnets and another plate secured to the APs base and have magnets on it also .
I guess the only hassle is going to be buying a forstner bit to fit the magnets circumference

Here’s a pic of that dreaded hole you have to slide something very small into in order to get it to unlock from its base .
I could probably fabricate a special tool , but to hell with it I’ll do a redesign

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MEBCWD

· #7 · Jun 5, 2020

So what you are telling us now is that is just a prototype so you can work the bugs out before making the actual panel. Magnets sound like a good idea to me and if you use rare earth magnets they probably don't need to be very big.

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sreilly

· #8 · Jun 5, 2020

We used several of these at the rescue squad and surface mounted them. To be honest we don't even notice them. They are ceiling mounted and blend right in. Just saying.....the modem is in the sever room and there is an AP 30' to the right in the vehicle bay (12 vehicle, 6x2) and then at the other end of the building in the rec hall. We have two networks, the primary private network and the public so law enforcement can park in the lot and log in for access. The range is fantastic and a strong signal throughout. Now if we could get something better then DSL but alas it is the country.

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roxanne562001

· #9 · Jun 5, 2020

Now that is a Wifi router question/answer in the wood router forums that fits here LOL. That is a cool idea really Looks great Rick.

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RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jun 5, 2020 (Edited)

sreilly said:
We used several of these at the rescue squad and surface mounted them. To be honest we don't even notice them. They are ceiling mounted and blend right in. Just saying.....the modem is in the sever room and there is an AP 30' to the right in the vehicle bay (12 vehicle, 6x2) and then at the other end of the building in the rec hall. We have two networks, the primary private network and the public so law enforcement can park in the lot and log in for access. The range is fantastic and a strong signal throughout. Now if we could get something better then DSL but alas it is the country.

I’m just being ocd . Although it’s darn near hidden , I thought it would be neat to take it to another level and use my router .
But you are right as they really are not that offensive looking . Do they ever work well though, wow!

roxanne562001 said:
Now that is a Wifi router question/answer in the wood router forums that fits here LOL. That is a cool idea really Looks great Rick.

Yes I think I’m going against the grain here

MEBCWD said:
So what you are telling us now is that is just a prototype so you can work the bugs out before making the actual panel. Magnets sound like a good idea to me and if you use rare earth magnets they probably don't need to be very big.

I’m going to go shopping , but I suspect I won’t find anything in this one horse town, and I’m not waiting another week for amazon .
I really just want those little guys . Something I can just drill a small hole for and press them in .
But I’m going to head to Staples and see if I can get the next size of paper clip in that dam hole

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Herb Stoops

· #11 · Jun 5, 2020

It is turning into a major project, Rick. The rare earth magnets I get are pretty standard, 1/4",5/16", 1/2", etc. Don't you have a set of forstners?
HErb

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RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 5, 2020

Herb Stoops said:
It is turning into a major project, Rick. The rare earth magnets I get are pretty standard, 1/4",5/16", 1/2", etc. Don't you have a set of forstners?
HErb

I have the odd forstner bits , just ones I kind of needed at the time sort of thing .
I am going to buy a thicker paper clip and see if it will go in the hole to release the silly thing , and if that doesn’t work I’ll go find some magnets .
The AP twists on its base and locks , but I really shouldn’t have to take it down once it’s locked in place .
But there’s that what if .
I’d actually like to break off the internal tab on its base so that you twist it and leave it without it locking at all . Not sure if vibration would turn it the one inch enough to make it fall .
Maybe I could glue a magnet to the underside of the AP ,and another under its base so that the magnets make it lock once it’s twisted ?

Well I’m off to buy more paper clips lol

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Danman1957

· #13 · Jun 5, 2020

Hey Rick, you have the same shop vac as me ! LOL nice location for the wifi and discreet, no one will see it.

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Flipsaw

· #14 · Jun 5, 2020

Curious about the rare earth magnets, will they affect the access point signal at all?

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Herb Stoops

· #15 · Jun 5, 2020

Flipsaw said:
Curious about the rare earth magnets, will they affect the access point signal at all?

Exactly my thoughts,you just beat me to it. Might set up a magnetic field and the whole thing will start spinning. And then you would have a real router????
Just saying,
Herb

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RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jun 5, 2020 (Edited)

2

Flipsaw said:
Curious about the rare earth magnets, will they affect the access point signal at all?

No , it’s all good. The only thing that could cause an issue is the steel in the magnet .
I actually ended up drilling a slightly larger hole into the APs slot in order to get a jumbo paper clip on to release it off its base if it’s ever necessary, so although I bought magnets this morning , I’ll use them for something else .

Now the bad news. I’m all stoked on getting this installed , and I misplaced my Ethernet connector crimpers and my box of RJ45 ends .
Can’t believe I’ve done this , and was not really wanting to buy them again . My connectors were a special version that cut off the ends to , so you didn’t have to cut the length so accurately.

I wasn’t going to fill the holes from the air nailer underneath as I wanted to flash this thing up tonight , but guess I may as well now , and finish it tomorrow

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RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jun 6, 2020

Danman1957 said:
Hey Rick, you have the same shop vac as me ! LOL nice location for the wifi and discreet, no one will see it.

I’m going to get our commercial installers over for a beer one day and see if they can find it

Reactions: 2

RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jun 6, 2020 (Edited)

Well hallelujah,I found my crimpers . Now just have to find or buy connectors

Found them in my tall toolbox in the garage . What a dumb place to leave them lol

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RainMan 2.0

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jun 6, 2020 (Edited)

3

Paint is not complete , but I wanted to see the outcome . Thanks Ubiquiti for not having a bright blue light . It can be disabled,but I like it on so I know it’s working.
In the first pic you can hardly tell it’s there. Although it wasn’t necessary, I’m glad I recessed it that 3/8”

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MEBCWD

· #20 · Jun 7, 2020

Actually Rick, I like the look of it with the light, that adds a neat unexpected accent to the shelf.

Nice job, you deserve a cold one for that, sit back and enjoy your work.

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