You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
right, got my kit now to hardwire network access to the garage/shed, but I want a wireless access point in there too. Ideally, do I want it setup so it's the same WiFi network rather than a separate one with it's own SSID etc? If so, what do I need to do it? (or is it not really a problem having separate SSIDSs?)
I see this thing ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Gigabit-Controller-Software-EAP225/dp/B01LRQW0GM/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=wireless+access+point&qid=1606912144&refinements=p_76%3A419158031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&s=computers&sr=1-5) offers "seamless roaming", but no really sure how that works (do I need one in the house as well, or can I still use my ISP-supplied router/access point for in-house WiFi?)
Havent looked at you link, but I have an ethernet cable running up to the garden cabin, probably about 50ft. Google mesh at either end and it all works seamlessly, with no switching or drop as you move between them. No drop in performance. I imagine it'll be the same with other brand mesh systems. Would recommend.
Also I'm no expert at these things, so I just plugged it all in ran the set up process throught the google home app and it worked it all for it self..no need to log into anything or change any SSID/IP settings.
There are protocols for the seamless roaming bit. So in theory if your home device(s) also follow them, you should get it. They are apparently called 802.11v, k and r - here's a page explaining them in relation to the make of system I have. (Well I say "explain", I can't say it is completely clear to me from it.)
Whether in practice this works with access points from different mfrs., I can't say.
ta, must admit I didn’t know that was an option with a mesh (thought they were wireless only & just acted like repeaters)but I have an ethernet cable running up to the garden cabin, probably about 50ft. Google mesh at either end and it all works seamlessly
@greyspoke thanks, will have a read and see if I can figure it out (gut feeling is “not possible” with standard ISP-supplied WiFi router)
EAP225s are awesome - proper wifi. They have capability for 802.11k and 802.11v which are the standards for fast roaming - essentially you have 99% of the goodness of a mesh system without the marketing BS of consumer products and the added bonus of not dicking around with a wireless backhaul that is always a godawful compromise. Well done. Great product to install.
This is proper entry-level enterprise grade wifi.
But to answer your question... you can use the same SSID and password. Not a problem. You don't need to be on the same wifi channel - do a local survey to see if there is any interfering wifi. For 2.4 GHz pick the least interfered with of channels 1, 6 or 11 and set the channel width to 20Mhz. For 5GHz, you can safely pick the 80/40/20Mhz option and the protocol will safely fall back to 20Mhz. If you pick, say channel 44, 80MHz is not centred on 44 but spans 36, 40, 44 and 48. On interference it will first try falling back to 40Mhz spanning 44 and 48. If interference it will fallback to 20Mhz on channel 44.
@peaslaker thanks, so you would recommend that exact one I linked to? Is there any advantage to getting 2 then, to use for the house WiFi as well? If I do that, will I have to also buy a separate broadband modem as I don’t think my BT Home Hub 5 as a modem-only mode?
I'd bear in mind that your existing ISP router will be very unlikely to support v/k/r roaming so unless you want to future proof or replace the lot I'd suggest using an old router if you have one lying about, as Peaslaker mentions you can use same SSID etc.
..or just a cheap and cheerfull AP, so biggest consideration is probably what speed you want the ethernet backbone to run at (assuming your ISP router support 1Gbps)
sorry - just seen last update, you 'should' be able to use the BT router as modem only by just turning the wifi off and setting other routers/aps up accordingly
actually just realised I've confused myself! Not planning on getting another router yet, so would still need to use the BT one for that... presumably would just turn off it's WiFi if getting another access point.sorry – just seen last update, you ‘should’ be able to use the BT router as modem only by just turning the wifi off and setting other routers/aps up accordingly
But, yeah, I've got a couple of old ISP modem/router things lying around, so might just configure one of those initially with same SSID as suggested & see how I get on!
FWIW BT does have a mesh option, so if you're on a plan with them then ask about a router upgrade.
I'm actually not with BT, just using one of their WiFi routers at the moment 🤣
Depending on your ISP they may offer a mesh solution for a few extra £ a month. We pay an extra £5 for the mesh box and 'it just works'. Yeah sure I could buy a third party solution and get it working however to have it fully supported is useful to me :).
essentially you have 99% of the goodness of a mesh system without the marketing BS of consumer products and the added bonus of not dicking around with a wireless backhaul that is always a godawful compromise. Well done. Great product to install.
But don't WAPs require a hardwire connection back to the router? If so vs mesh it's apples & oranges as people going down the mesh route are mostly doing it as they can't/don't want to hardwire end points back to their router. Yes the backhaul is compromised but the trade-off is fine for most home user requirements.
And as has also been said - for the roaming to work properly you need to be roaming between devices supporting those protocols which won't be the case roaming back to your ISP router's WiFi when you go indoors. If you can disable that and install one or more additional hardwired WAPs in the house then that would probably be the best solution.
But don’t WAPs require a hardwire connection back to the router?
mmm, sort of - the backhaul isn't a requirement for mesh and is just a mechanism to get around the range extender problem of talking to devices and the other routers on the same channel, however as mentioned it does make setting up the expensive new network easy without needing cables....
using access points hardwired avoids the same issue but most aps can be configured as range extenders if you don't mind the bit of a performance hit
mesh has the advantage that the aps can participate in handoff between themselves as you move a device around the house and reduced switching times, in reality most people don't require this as your device should cope quite happily on it's own 🙂
got 2 of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01IR41A40/ set to AP mode with wire going into them with same SSID everywhere. Work a treat.
Note - those ceiling mounted ones can have an aerial that expects them to be mounted on a ceiling for best results
After discovering my existing ethernet and wifi system had a number of slow spots where it wasn't making the most of the new FTTP service, I've just installed a Netgear Wifi 6 mesh (one router and two satellites).
The poorest areas (garage pain cave, wife's working from home office) have seen speed increase from 25Mbps to 300Mbps. All simply due to a better wifi coverage compared to the old and pretty modern and expensive single tp-link router.
The other advantage of the mesh is that there's only one wifi id/password, so as you move around the house, your devices connect automatically and seamlessly to the strongest satellite without switching wifi networks. Also for me, I've just ripped out my legacy ethernet cabling, gigabit switches and powerline adaptors as they are now way behind the wifi capabilities.
Personally i'd get a couple of APs and disable the wifi on the router, that would give you the better handover between APs and not hanging on till the signal goes weak then jumping over. I've got 3 Ubiquiti nano lites (only really need 2) dotted about and they are awesome.
If you buy them from broadbandbuyer.com they will preprogramme them up and send them out, all you have to do is plug in the injectors that are supplied and plug the APs on the other end and its done.
I also totally recommmend the unifi kit @zilog6128. I've got AC lite and they are utterly reliable.
Ta, just spent a bit of time reading up on all this stuff. Not really come across Ubiquiti before, quite divisive! Sounds great to me though, really easy to set up by all accounts. Although to get the most out of their integrated system, you need their gateway and switches, which is quite a lot of £££ overall! Plus sounds like you want to have their control app running all the time, either on their dedicated unit or in Docker on a server, etc so a bit more to it than just plug n play (I see TP-LINK and no doubt others have a similar system)
I've got BT Whole Home for WiFi throughout the house. I've run a 50m network cable to an outbuilding where I work from and plugged a unit in there for WiFi. The unifi kit is very good (used them at work) but the BT kit was cheaper and I've not had any problems with it.
Looking at Mesh unit I found a couple use a powerline backbone, which seems a logical step to me. As mesh units are good but slow down the further you get from the main hub unit.
Tp Link Deco P9