I am very happy with my Omada setup. It's an ecosystem, not a single device. I use an er605 as router and eap610 as AP. I also have a switch, probably you don't need that, and I now have an Omada controller (you can also host that in as a docker container, so not strictly needed). For wifi you can simply throw another ap somewhere and have excellent Mesh wifi. It's more complex than a simple consumer router, but also has a lot more functionality.
this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2024
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Does the controller software have to run 24/7 or only when you need to make config changes?
I'm looking into the Omada ecosystem and wondering if the hardware controller is crucial or a convenience that can be deferred.
The controller does not need to run 24/7. The controller configures the devices and the config remains on the devices. Though, when your devices are adapted by a controller, you cannot access any settings on the devices themselves, only via the controller.
Maybe should add: depending on the network set-up, I'd strongly recommend getting a hardware controller. For me, I have one server hosting all my stuff. I also hosted the controller with docker in this server. Which ends up being a single point of failure, and no way to look into your routing if your server is down/unreachable. I got a hardware controller (oc200) eventually just to separate my interner and network infrastructure from my hosting and service infrastructure.
The controller also handles roaming, as I understand it. I have a software controller on a VM. They provide a .deb! I have 3 EAP670s and an EAP-655-Wall. Roaming works perfectly on phones and laptops. I have a hidden SSID on each individual AP that I use to lock dumber stuff. Some devices fight the AP Lock on Omada.
I see the value in going 100% omada, but I couldn't justify the cost of the switches I'd need. Their routers look good for the price too, but my use case is a notch or two above their target market.
I'd recommend giving the ASUS Merlin firmware a try if you feel up to it. It might work out better than stock firmware if that's what you're running.