Naim Uniti Atom HE - WiFi or Powerline

Hi-Fi Corner
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Hi,

Using my Naim MuSo2 on 5Ghz WiFi and works very well.

Looking to purchase a new Naim Uniti Atom HE and ideally would like to plug this into my existing PowerLine adapters as running a Cat5/6 cable would not be ideal.

I’ve heard that PowerLines are a bad thing as they may introduce noise through the mains cable. Is this correct?

I’m using at the latest Plusnet WiFi router but thinking of investing in a D-Link WiFi6 mesh as I used Macs which can using this new Wifi protocol.

The Atom HE has been out a few years now and it’s not compatible with Wifi but of course compatible with 802.11ac. Would the Wifi mesh still make a positive difference with the Atom, with a better signal?

On another subject are there plans that anyone might know that the Atom HE (and the Atom line in general) will get updated this year, as they have been around for a few years now, if this is the case, I might hold of to any new model.

Thanks for any help,

Nick

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Powerline adapters can work, but they do so by injecting interference onto your whole house mains supply. This includes airborne RFI so its influence is not restricted to just wire connections. Not something I would want to have in my home, so personally I would avoid them if at all possible.

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Naim is extremely careful to ensure update or new model information does not leak out. So any suggestion the HE is about to be updated will be pure speculation. If it is what you want I wouldn’t hold off in anticipation of a new model.

Bruce

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Why’s do you say the Atom HE is not compatible with Wifi?
It is indeed.

Excerpt from italian brochure:
WiFi (802.11 b/g/n/ac con antenne interne)
(with internal antennas)

If you have more walls, 2.4 should be better than 5GHz

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The wireless reception of my Atom HE is extremely good. It never drops. Be aware that Naim holds a patent for the design / implementation of the antenna.

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powerline/touch/bargepole/dont - rearrange as necessary

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Ethernet over power = spawn of the devil…. Don’t.
Wi fi works very well on the HE

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Many years ago, I tried internet over power line and it was awful. So much interference.

Changed to a BT Broadband package with Extender Discs and was much better.

Now using a Giagclear Mesh System with four hard wired Nodes and a vast improvement.

DG…

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I think what they mean is that it can’t use wifi 6, rather than wifi per se.

We have a Plusnet router, but it’s in modem mode and links to a powerful Asus Nighthawk, which provides strong wifi all over the house. That may be an option for the OP. We’ve tried various mesh systems and all have given us problems.

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Thanks for the info here

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That’s a thought, yes might try this. As you said, I meant that the HE cannot support WiFi 6 and not WiFi in general. Thanks, Nick

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I get the message, I’m slowly removing PowerLines from my house before the Atom is in place. Nick

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Go it, I now get the message loud and clear, Nick

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Going to get the HE model in a month or two, once I remove all the PowerLines from my house and replace with WiFi mesh or a powerful WiFi Router, Nick

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Thanks for the update, advice taken, Nick

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And they all lived happily ever after :blush:

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Ive just purchased the Atom HE and i can confirm it works just fine with the standard sky router over wi-fi … Ive used it every evening this last week, its not dropped once

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Might be worth a search of the forum for Ubiquiti and posts by Simon, who has a wealth of network experience.
If your house handles radio signals well - your lucky - then a single wifi point may work. For most houses a couple of wired WAPs may work best, one located by your router (for which you then switch off the isp wifi) and one at a distance back hauled to the router.
I’ve used Ubiquiti waps for more than a decade, no probs and although not quite plug and play, they provide good coverage when positioned appropriately. Reports on the forum suggest certain other makes are best avoided.

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Thanks for the info, will look into this. You mentioned ‘certain other mesh brands are worth avoiding’ what brands are you talking about? thanks, Nick

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Only able to answer from comments posted on forum, rather than personal experience with mesh. Mesh, unless back hauled, will depend on placement of each unit.

There are a variety of experiences, which have been posted on the forum and it is difficult to know what unique circumstances might contribute to opinions. Orbi, Asus Zen and Google Nest were mentioned as troublesome in a post by @HungryHalibut on another thread. There have certainly been other posts re Orbi difficulties. Search is probably best for you to reach your own opinion. Otherwise IIRC, there has only been a single negative post on Ubiquiti lite.

Ubiquiti is aimed at home, home office, small business and while not plug and play, can be set up without undue difficulty. Simple advcie would be,adopt the WAP, configure the SSID and don’t change any settings at random unless you have specific need to do so. Any extra units can just be adopted as per the first unit.

Selecting Ubiquiti UAP-AC-PRO UniFi WiFi 5 PoE Access Point or the more up to date (wifi 6) Ubiquiti U6-Pro UniFi WiFi 6 Access Point are not significantly different in price against mesh units. Unless you use a PoE switch, you likely will need a power injector.
If you are uk based, avoid the big river and choose a specialist who will provide assistance, like broad band buyer.

Ultimately it depends on the whole house coverage you are aiming for and as to whether you are willing to make slightly more effort to achieve a robust system. A single WAP located near your router may be sufficient and you can always add if not, by running a cable to a second WAP. Reliable scaleability is the attraction of wired WAPs. Mesh works for some and clearly not for others.

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