wifi question

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Can I give two adjacent wifi access points, the same name and password?

[John Rumm]

Yes...

In both senses - they can both use the same SSID and wifi password, and can both have the same admin credentials for access to the configuration pages.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

John Rumm expressed precisely :

Thanks, I think that means I can put an extra AP in my garage, to give better access for some Smart Plugs out there, which presently have poor access - with no need to change the SM's configuration.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

I've never managed it, besides won't they have different addresses? Can you not just use a Mesh system? Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes but I found that certain systems when logged into one of them, sees the other one as the same name with ext on the end and won't auto connect to it. If you name them differently then you can make both preferred networks, at least that has been my experience. Brian

[John Rumm]

Yup... with multiple APs setup with the same SSID and pw, clients can "roam" between them.

However for devices that don't move they will normally stick to the one with the stronger signal.

Note you may need disconnect from the current AP before they will countenance trying the new one! Some clients seem determined to stick to the AP they are connected to with a crap signal, even when there is a much better option available.

[John Rumm]

While wifi access points may well have an ip address for access to their configuration pages from a web browser, their actual wifi functionality mostly happens down at layer 2, and so don't operate with IP addresses at all. They are basically like a bridge or network switch, routing packets based on mac addresses.

If you have the right hardware, then that is also an option, but a fairly new one. There are many multiple AP networks out there that are not meshing.

[Tim+]

That last point was why we changed to a mesh system. Our mobile devices would all doggedly stick with the first AP they connected to rather than roam to the one with the best signal. We were forever manually switching them to the best AP.

Tim

[Chris Green]

It's still mostly down to the client to move from one source to another.

If a WiFi server *forces* a client to disconnect and reconnect then there is a significant delay, at least that's my understanding of how it all works.

[newshound]

I don't seem to have that problem with a cheap TP-Link range extender, or with a previous one (different make) that died. That's with about ten mobile devices (phones, tablets, laptops) of different makes and all the usual OSs.

[T i m]

<snip>

Assuming that AP was available when the client switched on (but you covered that with your 'normally'). ;-)

Or that (and what often happens 'normally' when you power cycle / unplug-move such devices in any case).

I can only remember seeing the option in the Windows clients where you can change the connection order of the client to AP's. More handy for mobile devices that regularly have access to a group of AP's but generally are closer to one than the other(s) (like here).

I generally push my 'main' AP to the top of the list, other peoples AP's (that I visit sometimes) further down and remove any that I know are obsolete or were one-off's.

Cheers, T i m

[John Rumm]

That makes sense when prioritising networks rather than individual APs, since if you have given all the APs the same SSID, then they all look like the same network.

[John Rumm]

Some kit seems to do it better than others.

Also some APs allow you to set minimum signal quality and strength levels, so that they will actually disassociate clients where the connection is falling below them (this promoting the client to try to reconnect - and hopefully to the better AP). To work really well the APs need to talk to each other over the wired LAN so they can assess when the client has better options (i.e. no point in kicking a client off, if it can't get a better signal elsewhere)

For example:

[John Rumm]

There are various "fast roaming" capabilities that can help mitigate, but yup there is a tradeoff, so you don't want to click clients too easily.

(The worst case is when using enterprise style EAP authentication rather than WPA2 - since authentication not only requires the normal 4 way handshake, but also a conversation with the RADIUS server as well)

[T i m]

<snip>

I don't give them the same credentials here because there are times I want to use a specific AP ... and given it doesn't make any difference re connectivity (unlike a mesh), I prefer it that way.

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News]

Yes - I have that here. Main and range extender.

[Robert]

As switching APs is , I thought, initiated by the Client ( eg phone) how does a Mesh system change things ?

[T i m]

<snip>

Because (as I understand it), the Mesh (also) handles the connection rather like a digital mobile network does, as opposed to how the old analogue mobile network (and straight WiFi APs) did?

Because the Mesh devices are also talking to each other (unlike AP's), they can determine which of them could best serve the client connection and move that connection to the nearest / strongest signal.

Cheers, T i m

[Chris Green]

But they can't really "move that connection to the nearest / strongest signal", it's down to the client to do that. All the mesh system can do is *encourage* the client to change.

There are new standards appearing for WiFi that make it easier and quicker for this to happen but old clients won't get moved so easily.

[T i m]

Ah, ok, and when it does so does it do it seamlessly, unlike between conventional AP's, maintaining any connections etc?

Ok, thanks Chris.

Cheers, T i m