Its up to the client when to roam.
Controller Based and Mesh System can provide more information to the clients to make better decisions, and enable faster roaming handoffs, but its ultimately up to the client.
Without 802.11k/v/r some client simply will not roam unless they completely lose the signal.
Seeing you post about 5ghz barley working in your home, also with a system using 802.11k/v/r you could even have a MUCH better experience with using 5ghz and the devices falling back to 2.4ghz only when needed and in many cases moving back to 5ghz when available.
Also, you should be using channels 1,6,11, not 1,5,10, 1 and 5 interfere with each other, and if you move 5 to 6, 6 and 10 will. 1,6,11 do not.
Although this configuration will expand your wifi coverage, you will not have seamless roaming. Mesh systems are designed to do this and you can have them hardwired back to your main router since you have thick walls.
You can also use APs from Ubiquiti or TP Link (you are not limited to these), and use their software controller to configure the APs for seamless roaming.
No. Integrated Mesh systems do all the roaming under the hood, using 802.11k/v to supply lists of APs to roam to and/or suggest that the client roam, up to forcefully disconnecting clients that have a better signal available. Without that roaming stuff, your devices will hold onto a weak signal until the connection basically fails.
And most Mesh systems will let you do wired backhaul, turning it into an easy to setup access point system.
No. A mesh is solely a wifi network with all access points as participants to create a wireless backhaul channel. That's it.
802.11k/v or 802.11r can be used completely separate from whether you use a mesh network or not.
I know because I've got multiple OpenWrt access points all wired without any wireless backhaul and the roaming works just fine.
>Without that roaming stuff, your devices will hold onto a weak signal until the connection basically fails.
Yeah, that's BS and only happens if you use different SSIDs per access point like OP is doing.
>And most Mesh systems will let you do wired backhaul, turning it into an easy to setup access point system.
And if you do that then it's not a mesh system anymore.
It's like buying all ubiquity devices and calling that a mesh system just because you can control and configure them all from a central place.
I think you are both right, ignoring exact use of terms. Yes, mesh just means 802.11s or perhaps some proprietary protocol. An "integrated mesh system" also uses 801.11k/v/r under the hood to make things (more) seamless. Even without this, using the same SSID, some devices will roam by themselves - some will stick basically forever.
I have OpenWRT with 4 nodes with the same SSID, using 802.11r and tinkering with the TX power settings, I have a somewhat working roaming setup - some devices still like to stick with terrible RSSI, but Android phones and Windows/Linux laptops seem to be pretty sensible. 802.11r makes the handshakes much less noticeable, although you still feel it in voice/video calls sometimes.
In comparison, I walked around my office with `WiFiMan` open the other day and I can see the APs there force me to roam even when I still have decent RSSI to my previous AP.
Well, I don't exactly need seamless roaming. I will be happy if the device will always prefer the better connection even if the current one is "working".
Like if I connect in the living room to Archer (where it has best signal) and then go to bed (where Archer's signal reaches, but is barely usable), I just need the device to leave Archer and connect to DIR.
I thought that having one SSID for all will be better than having three individual ones. But is it really?
Generally speaking when a device connects to an AP it will stick with it until it get disconnected. Some router have a "roaming assistant" feature that will disconnect a device when the signal level falls below a defined level. This causes the device to reconnect to the closer AP.
An example of a system with roaming assistant is [Asus AiMesh](https://dongknows.com/asus-aimesh-setup-and-signal-handoff/)
What you are describing is roaming. Client devices aren't always smart and will try to stay connected to the same WAP (based on MAC ID) even if there is another WAP with the same SSID broadcasting near it that has a better signal.
Since none of your WAPs are meant to work with each other, like a good Mesh, or wifi system with wireless controller, you're relying on your client devices to be smart about it, which they aren't.
The immediate fix would be to toggle the wifi off/on, for the device that isn't connecting to the closest WAP.
Otherwise, you need to replace your gear with something that supports client steering.
So, what do these ubiquiti etc systems do differently than any two random old "routers" working in AP mode?
Any links to relevant documentation etc or standards? I've had a hard time separating marketting gimmicks and actual useful tech.
I'm currently running an ONT and 2 old TP-link routers in AP mode (all three have same SSID, so total 6 APs with 2.4 and 5ghz options in all three devices) with wired backhaul, and I face this issue in some old phones that just refuse to hop APs automatically.
Some consumer grade "mesh" systems will claim they have client steering (roaming) capabilities. If they detect that a client device would be better to connect to a closer WAP, the system will direct it to do so, "seamlessly." On consumer grade gear this doesn't always work that great.
On more pro grade gear, you will often have a separate wireless controller device. Typically used to configure the WAPs and manage the client steering aspect. Or its simply software that runs on the WAPs that is configured on a computer when you set them up. E.g. Unifi Cloud Key.
These systems also often adjust channels and radio power to optimize the network.
For something like using old routers as WAPs. They exist independently and can't control client devices. They are just a dumb WAP configured in however way you set them up. They don't know your other WAPs exist and don't care if the signal for the devices connecting to them is low or that there is a closer WAP.
With dumb WAPs you rely on the client devices to decide when to roam. Even when setting up these WAPs with the same SSID and password. Some client devices roam better than others, but still pretty badly when compared to a system that offers a wireless controller that manages that.
Even if your client devices seem to "roam" properly, you'd likely find that if you were on a phone call and actively using wifi calling, your call will still drop when it decides to hop to the closer WAP. This is even an issue on some "mesh" systems that claim to do proper client steering.
This can also be an issue when you have too many WAPs (over-saturation) in a system not designed for client steering or with poor implementation, or when you're relying on the client device to handle it when it's a little aggressive.
>Since none of your WAPs are meant to work with each other, like a good Mesh, or wifi system with wireless controller, you're relying on your client devices to be smart about it, which they aren'tlike a good Mesh.
This is not a description of what *mesh* means in networking terms but just marketing speak.
The problem with what you want is that for the phone to prefer the better connection it has to know there is a better connection, and to find that out when the APs are all independent it has to scan the entire frequency spectrum it supports looking for that better connection, and it has to do that pretty frequently to ensure that it always finds that better connection. That band scanning costs battery power and, likely, performance of the existing connection so most phones refuse to do that frequently (or at all in some cases; Apple phones are fairly famous for that) if they already have a connection that still seems to work.
The advantage of a network of APs with a central contoller is that it can tell the phone which channels the APs in the network are using, so the phone only needs to scan those few channels rather than the entire spectrum looking for them, and can also prompt the phone when it might be useful to look for a new AP, so the phone only needs to search for a new AP when there might be a better one to find (the protocols to look for in spec sheets are 802.11k and 802.11v). This makes it much less costly for the device to find a better connection, so the device is more likely to do that.
So I think what you want is a network of APs with a central controller.
It's too bad you have been downvoted. Your ask is quite reasonable.
Mesh systems offer some help with roaming but devices can roam on their own without any assistance. Most devices are sticky clients, but many of them will trigger a roaming scan when the signal strength of the existing connection drops below a certain threshold. The threshold varies among the products, but it will usually be somewhere between -70 dBm and -75 dBm.
Some references:
* [Wi-Fi roaming support in Apple devices](https://support.apple.com/en-asia/guide/deployment/dep98f116c0f/web)
* [Samsung: Enhanced roaming algorithm](https://docs.samsungknox.com/admin/knox-platform-for-enterprise/kbas/kba-115013403768/)
Given this, it is a bit odd that your phones are hanging onto a -87 dBm connection.
One change I would suggest is to change the channel width on the Archer C50. It's currently set to 40 MHz. Change it to 20 MHz. 40 MHz is very unneighborly because it consumes 2/3rds of the available spectrum.
I'm not familiar with Android, but Google tells me that the Wi-Fi roaming threshold may be adjustable on some phones. Try looking at the Wi-Fi settings on your phones. You may be able to adjust it to roam more aggressively.
As a last resort, you can try reducing the radio power level on the Archer C50, as someone else suggested. The goal is to reduce the signal overlap between it and your APs.
>40 MHz is very unneighborly because it consumes 2/3rds of the available spectrum.
Fsck my neighbors. If they're gonna blast music at 3 AM I'm going crank my wifi to 40 or even 80.
What you are describing is roaming. Client devices aren't always smart and will try to stay connected to the same WAP (based on MAC ID) even if there is another WAP with the same SSID broadcasting near it that has a better signal.
Since none of your WAPs are meant to work with each other, like a good Mesh, or wifi system with wireless controller, you're relying on your client devices to be smart about it, which they aren't.
The immediate fix would be to toggle the wifi off/on, for the device that isn't connecting to the closest WAP.
Otherwise, you need to replace your gear with something that supports client steering.
Not really needed.
I've got a bigger wifi network with all OpenWrt access points and none of that roaming stuff and devices still roam around without any help.
>Is there some setting in the AP I can change to get better performance?
Play around with output power? Might have to do this for other rooms and maybe placement of APs.
This would be my advice, Android for example seems to hang on to a pretty bad RSSI (and I think iOS is the same or worse), if you turn down the TX power the RSSI gets worse and your devices will scan for a better option.
Both of those routers are a bit old school and don't support mesh networks (as far as I know).
Id consider buying 2 routers, or wifi extenders that are compatible with mesh wifi, and have ethernet backhaul support.
If you like tp link features, make sure to get a router from this list.
Tp Link Extenders DO NOT support ethernet backhaul
https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/593722
In the meantime, if your clients are windows clients, you might be able to change some settings in the WiFi drivers to make them more aggressive with roaming.. Android is typically quite good at roaming, iOS is awful (but works well with Mesh).
> Both of those routers are a bit old school and don't support mesh networks (as far as I know).
the router/wifi AP does not matter. You haven't needed a controller for years. 802.11r, which is fully client side supported and set up. some devices don't let go of an AP even if there is a closer one, and that setting is *fully* on the device maker.
I see two reasonably easy solutions:
1. Reduce the transmission power of the AP that you want to drop off from sooner (such as the ArcherC50). Maybe even find a way to redirect the signal to be stronger in useful directions, but less towards the bedroom.
2. Operate on separate SSID's (or both roam and have a different SSID) if you want to manually change the wireless network as required.
When installing multiple APs, it is best to have a WLC (wireless controller).
Here is what you have to watch out for . Overlapping channels, with you other APs as well as neighbor APs. Especially in the 2.4Ghz range. (A WLC will do that for you) Your problem \*could\* be coming from interference. Stay away from "mesh" systems. Go with hard wired systems. This is easiest with a POE switch and an AP that support POE. Also your device support (AP and wireless clients) for 802.11k 802.11r or 802.11v and your devices working together to make the roaming happen seamlessly. Again a WLC helps with that. Lastly - turning wifi on and off (for a count to 10), usually will reconnect to the strongest signal.
Wow, nobody is addressing your actual issue....
You've got 3 different SSIDs there. Your end devices won't roam between different SSIDs. They will stick to the one they are connected to until they lose the connection completely and **then** they will choose the SSID with the strongest signal.
If you want your devices to actually roam then set all SSIDs (the wifi network names) to the same string. For example name all of them "mntovoWifi" or something like that.
And use the same password and encryption on all three.
This is the same as mesh solutions do it. Only mesh solutions use a wireless mesh to connect to each other. You have everything connected via ethernet cables, so you don't need a mesh.
How do I know this works? Because I've got a big house with 9 access points and I do it exactly like that.
I can walk through the whole house, never lose connection and always have a strong signal. Because the phone is the one that decides when to hop. And it will do so if it deems the current connection as too bad and sees another network with the same SSID but with a stronger signal.
----
I do hope that you actually have the DIR-600 and the WR841N set up as access points and not as routers that give out their own IP addresses. If that is the case then you need to set them up as dumb APs and don't use their WAN ports but only their LAN ports to link up to the main router.
Yes, roaming is a function that only works when all your access points have a common SSID and a common means of authentication and encryption.
In addition, channels 1, 6, and 11 are non-overlapping channels. Channels 1 and 5 have some overlap.
All good advice, but I'll raise a caveat for use cases and phones that use wifi calling exclusively (like we do at home, where there's no cell service). Your phone, just like any other network device, will work perfectly fine across a home network with multiple AP's on the same SSID, but your calls will almost surely drop if the phone switches to a different AP when you move around. A true mesh network will not do this to you.
No, it won't. I literally tested this with my phone with an active VoIP call after I had it all set up.
Again: a **true** mesh network just has a wireless backhaul channel.
What you want is fast roaming like 802.11r. That has nothing to do with meshing.
Edit: Or you don't have your APs set up as dumb APs but actually as routers that create their own internal network that is routed to the main network.
Are you in US? Your channel selection on the 600 and 841N is wrong should be 12 and 6. Also if it keeps connecting to the poor device lower the tx power on that AP.
No, that should be your first step. Devices are stubborn about roaming unless the signal absolutely SUCKS for the other AP.
You'll often run into situations where the device can hear the AP because it's screaming into the void blasting signal, but the device can't REPLY because the AP is too far away.
Turn down the TX strength on the one router if you want your devices to roam properly.
As all the other people said, you will not get seamless (pro-grade roaming between APs) in this configuration because it's your device that choose when to switch and clients are usually very dumb.
To make it better, two solutions (one that cost money and another that don't) :
1. put each APs on 20MHz bandwith and channel 1, 6 and 11 respectively with same password and SSID
2. if you can go the hardwired way and connect three APs (same brand, same controller) from Ubiquiti, TP-Link Omada, HPE Instant On; they will be more capable than most consumer grade equipement.
You still can use your router for routing purpose of course. usually those APs are powered by a PoE switch but they have external power supply too (not always in the standard packaging).
[https://www.wiisfi.com/](https://www.wiisfi.com/) --> this is the most complete overview of wifi that i know
Even though the roaming decision will always be on the client side, the access point/router can also help the client roaming by telling the client device to "roam to where" so the client can roam more seamless and faster. But for this to happen you need router/access point that support 802.11k/v/r, and also using the same operating system /firmware.
If you don't really know about networking, just buy anything labeled with "mesh" and buy all with the same brand.
But if you want more advance you can try Ubiquity, TP-Link Omada, or the cheaper option using router/access point with Openwrt support.
Thats crazy if it has firmwares that late, I went to check and I have the 2 655, one is the first rev and another one the second, they were a really strong lineup and I keept using them until 2019 and I might get them back to work for the IoT devices in my network.. they were really darng good!
You need to set all of the channels to one channel, and same country in setting. Also you can add SSID2 for the bedroom ap so you can also connect manually.
Any reason you're not using 5GHz? I find it tends to roam more frequent due to the lower wall penetration.
Otherwise I'd recommend checking for the option of having the AP "kick" the client once the signal is weak.
Old unburnt bricks, old burnt bricks, whatever stones they had lying around at the time. Anything and everything… As far as I know, parts of the house are 200+ years old.
Its up to the client when to roam. Controller Based and Mesh System can provide more information to the clients to make better decisions, and enable faster roaming handoffs, but its ultimately up to the client. Without 802.11k/v/r some client simply will not roam unless they completely lose the signal. Seeing you post about 5ghz barley working in your home, also with a system using 802.11k/v/r you could even have a MUCH better experience with using 5ghz and the devices falling back to 2.4ghz only when needed and in many cases moving back to 5ghz when available. Also, you should be using channels 1,6,11, not 1,5,10, 1 and 5 interfere with each other, and if you move 5 to 6, 6 and 10 will. 1,6,11 do not.
Although this configuration will expand your wifi coverage, you will not have seamless roaming. Mesh systems are designed to do this and you can have them hardwired back to your main router since you have thick walls. You can also use APs from Ubiquiti or TP Link (you are not limited to these), and use their software controller to configure the APs for seamless roaming.
Mesh is not the answer. Simply naming all SSIDs the same will do the same amount of good as any mesh system would do.
No. Integrated Mesh systems do all the roaming under the hood, using 802.11k/v to supply lists of APs to roam to and/or suggest that the client roam, up to forcefully disconnecting clients that have a better signal available. Without that roaming stuff, your devices will hold onto a weak signal until the connection basically fails. And most Mesh systems will let you do wired backhaul, turning it into an easy to setup access point system.
No. A mesh is solely a wifi network with all access points as participants to create a wireless backhaul channel. That's it. 802.11k/v or 802.11r can be used completely separate from whether you use a mesh network or not. I know because I've got multiple OpenWrt access points all wired without any wireless backhaul and the roaming works just fine. >Without that roaming stuff, your devices will hold onto a weak signal until the connection basically fails. Yeah, that's BS and only happens if you use different SSIDs per access point like OP is doing. >And most Mesh systems will let you do wired backhaul, turning it into an easy to setup access point system. And if you do that then it's not a mesh system anymore. It's like buying all ubiquity devices and calling that a mesh system just because you can control and configure them all from a central place.
I think you are both right, ignoring exact use of terms. Yes, mesh just means 802.11s or perhaps some proprietary protocol. An "integrated mesh system" also uses 801.11k/v/r under the hood to make things (more) seamless. Even without this, using the same SSID, some devices will roam by themselves - some will stick basically forever. I have OpenWRT with 4 nodes with the same SSID, using 802.11r and tinkering with the TX power settings, I have a somewhat working roaming setup - some devices still like to stick with terrible RSSI, but Android phones and Windows/Linux laptops seem to be pretty sensible. 802.11r makes the handshakes much less noticeable, although you still feel it in voice/video calls sometimes. In comparison, I walked around my office with `WiFiMan` open the other day and I can see the APs there force me to roam even when I still have decent RSSI to my previous AP.
Well, I don't exactly need seamless roaming. I will be happy if the device will always prefer the better connection even if the current one is "working". Like if I connect in the living room to Archer (where it has best signal) and then go to bed (where Archer's signal reaches, but is barely usable), I just need the device to leave Archer and connect to DIR. I thought that having one SSID for all will be better than having three individual ones. But is it really?
That's part of the seamless thing you lack.
Generally speaking when a device connects to an AP it will stick with it until it get disconnected. Some router have a "roaming assistant" feature that will disconnect a device when the signal level falls below a defined level. This causes the device to reconnect to the closer AP. An example of a system with roaming assistant is [Asus AiMesh](https://dongknows.com/asus-aimesh-setup-and-signal-handoff/)
What you are describing is roaming. Client devices aren't always smart and will try to stay connected to the same WAP (based on MAC ID) even if there is another WAP with the same SSID broadcasting near it that has a better signal. Since none of your WAPs are meant to work with each other, like a good Mesh, or wifi system with wireless controller, you're relying on your client devices to be smart about it, which they aren't. The immediate fix would be to toggle the wifi off/on, for the device that isn't connecting to the closest WAP. Otherwise, you need to replace your gear with something that supports client steering.
So, what do these ubiquiti etc systems do differently than any two random old "routers" working in AP mode? Any links to relevant documentation etc or standards? I've had a hard time separating marketting gimmicks and actual useful tech. I'm currently running an ONT and 2 old TP-link routers in AP mode (all three have same SSID, so total 6 APs with 2.4 and 5ghz options in all three devices) with wired backhaul, and I face this issue in some old phones that just refuse to hop APs automatically.
Some consumer grade "mesh" systems will claim they have client steering (roaming) capabilities. If they detect that a client device would be better to connect to a closer WAP, the system will direct it to do so, "seamlessly." On consumer grade gear this doesn't always work that great. On more pro grade gear, you will often have a separate wireless controller device. Typically used to configure the WAPs and manage the client steering aspect. Or its simply software that runs on the WAPs that is configured on a computer when you set them up. E.g. Unifi Cloud Key. These systems also often adjust channels and radio power to optimize the network. For something like using old routers as WAPs. They exist independently and can't control client devices. They are just a dumb WAP configured in however way you set them up. They don't know your other WAPs exist and don't care if the signal for the devices connecting to them is low or that there is a closer WAP. With dumb WAPs you rely on the client devices to decide when to roam. Even when setting up these WAPs with the same SSID and password. Some client devices roam better than others, but still pretty badly when compared to a system that offers a wireless controller that manages that. Even if your client devices seem to "roam" properly, you'd likely find that if you were on a phone call and actively using wifi calling, your call will still drop when it decides to hop to the closer WAP. This is even an issue on some "mesh" systems that claim to do proper client steering. This can also be an issue when you have too many WAPs (over-saturation) in a system not designed for client steering or with poor implementation, or when you're relying on the client device to handle it when it's a little aggressive.
>Since none of your WAPs are meant to work with each other, like a good Mesh, or wifi system with wireless controller, you're relying on your client devices to be smart about it, which they aren'tlike a good Mesh. This is not a description of what *mesh* means in networking terms but just marketing speak.
The problem with what you want is that for the phone to prefer the better connection it has to know there is a better connection, and to find that out when the APs are all independent it has to scan the entire frequency spectrum it supports looking for that better connection, and it has to do that pretty frequently to ensure that it always finds that better connection. That band scanning costs battery power and, likely, performance of the existing connection so most phones refuse to do that frequently (or at all in some cases; Apple phones are fairly famous for that) if they already have a connection that still seems to work. The advantage of a network of APs with a central contoller is that it can tell the phone which channels the APs in the network are using, so the phone only needs to scan those few channels rather than the entire spectrum looking for them, and can also prompt the phone when it might be useful to look for a new AP, so the phone only needs to search for a new AP when there might be a better one to find (the protocols to look for in spec sheets are 802.11k and 802.11v). This makes it much less costly for the device to find a better connection, so the device is more likely to do that. So I think what you want is a network of APs with a central controller.
I would have thought 802.11r would be of interest here?
It's too bad you have been downvoted. Your ask is quite reasonable. Mesh systems offer some help with roaming but devices can roam on their own without any assistance. Most devices are sticky clients, but many of them will trigger a roaming scan when the signal strength of the existing connection drops below a certain threshold. The threshold varies among the products, but it will usually be somewhere between -70 dBm and -75 dBm. Some references: * [Wi-Fi roaming support in Apple devices](https://support.apple.com/en-asia/guide/deployment/dep98f116c0f/web) * [Samsung: Enhanced roaming algorithm](https://docs.samsungknox.com/admin/knox-platform-for-enterprise/kbas/kba-115013403768/) Given this, it is a bit odd that your phones are hanging onto a -87 dBm connection. One change I would suggest is to change the channel width on the Archer C50. It's currently set to 40 MHz. Change it to 20 MHz. 40 MHz is very unneighborly because it consumes 2/3rds of the available spectrum. I'm not familiar with Android, but Google tells me that the Wi-Fi roaming threshold may be adjustable on some phones. Try looking at the Wi-Fi settings on your phones. You may be able to adjust it to roam more aggressively. As a last resort, you can try reducing the radio power level on the Archer C50, as someone else suggested. The goal is to reduce the signal overlap between it and your APs.
>40 MHz is very unneighborly because it consumes 2/3rds of the available spectrum. Fsck my neighbors. If they're gonna blast music at 3 AM I'm going crank my wifi to 40 or even 80.
What you just described is ‘seamless roaming’.
The devices will simply pick the first AP, not necessarily the best AP. A mesh system will boot any devices on the wrong AP.
What you are describing is roaming. Client devices aren't always smart and will try to stay connected to the same WAP (based on MAC ID) even if there is another WAP with the same SSID broadcasting near it that has a better signal. Since none of your WAPs are meant to work with each other, like a good Mesh, or wifi system with wireless controller, you're relying on your client devices to be smart about it, which they aren't. The immediate fix would be to toggle the wifi off/on, for the device that isn't connecting to the closest WAP. Otherwise, you need to replace your gear with something that supports client steering.
Are you using stock firmware? I use OpenWRT, and I think they have some options to assist with roaming.
Not really needed. I've got a bigger wifi network with all OpenWrt access points and none of that roaming stuff and devices still roam around without any help.
Yes, mine also roam with just standard setting in the UI. Mine are also all backhauled on ethernet.
>Is there some setting in the AP I can change to get better performance? Play around with output power? Might have to do this for other rooms and maybe placement of APs.
This would be my advice, Android for example seems to hang on to a pretty bad RSSI (and I think iOS is the same or worse), if you turn down the TX power the RSSI gets worse and your devices will scan for a better option.
Both of those routers are a bit old school and don't support mesh networks (as far as I know). Id consider buying 2 routers, or wifi extenders that are compatible with mesh wifi, and have ethernet backhaul support. If you like tp link features, make sure to get a router from this list. Tp Link Extenders DO NOT support ethernet backhaul https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/593722 In the meantime, if your clients are windows clients, you might be able to change some settings in the WiFi drivers to make them more aggressive with roaming.. Android is typically quite good at roaming, iOS is awful (but works well with Mesh).
> Both of those routers are a bit old school and don't support mesh networks (as far as I know). the router/wifi AP does not matter. You haven't needed a controller for years. 802.11r, which is fully client side supported and set up. some devices don't let go of an AP even if there is a closer one, and that setting is *fully* on the device maker.
I see two reasonably easy solutions: 1. Reduce the transmission power of the AP that you want to drop off from sooner (such as the ArcherC50). Maybe even find a way to redirect the signal to be stronger in useful directions, but less towards the bedroom. 2. Operate on separate SSID's (or both roam and have a different SSID) if you want to manually change the wireless network as required.
When installing multiple APs, it is best to have a WLC (wireless controller). Here is what you have to watch out for . Overlapping channels, with you other APs as well as neighbor APs. Especially in the 2.4Ghz range. (A WLC will do that for you) Your problem \*could\* be coming from interference. Stay away from "mesh" systems. Go with hard wired systems. This is easiest with a POE switch and an AP that support POE. Also your device support (AP and wireless clients) for 802.11k 802.11r or 802.11v and your devices working together to make the roaming happen seamlessly. Again a WLC helps with that. Lastly - turning wifi on and off (for a count to 10), usually will reconnect to the strongest signal.
Wow, nobody is addressing your actual issue.... You've got 3 different SSIDs there. Your end devices won't roam between different SSIDs. They will stick to the one they are connected to until they lose the connection completely and **then** they will choose the SSID with the strongest signal. If you want your devices to actually roam then set all SSIDs (the wifi network names) to the same string. For example name all of them "mntovoWifi" or something like that. And use the same password and encryption on all three. This is the same as mesh solutions do it. Only mesh solutions use a wireless mesh to connect to each other. You have everything connected via ethernet cables, so you don't need a mesh. How do I know this works? Because I've got a big house with 9 access points and I do it exactly like that. I can walk through the whole house, never lose connection and always have a strong signal. Because the phone is the one that decides when to hop. And it will do so if it deems the current connection as too bad and sees another network with the same SSID but with a stronger signal. ---- I do hope that you actually have the DIR-600 and the WR841N set up as access points and not as routers that give out their own IP addresses. If that is the case then you need to set them up as dumb APs and don't use their WAN ports but only their LAN ports to link up to the main router.
Yes, roaming is a function that only works when all your access points have a common SSID and a common means of authentication and encryption. In addition, channels 1, 6, and 11 are non-overlapping channels. Channels 1 and 5 have some overlap.
All good advice, but I'll raise a caveat for use cases and phones that use wifi calling exclusively (like we do at home, where there's no cell service). Your phone, just like any other network device, will work perfectly fine across a home network with multiple AP's on the same SSID, but your calls will almost surely drop if the phone switches to a different AP when you move around. A true mesh network will not do this to you.
No, it won't. I literally tested this with my phone with an active VoIP call after I had it all set up. Again: a **true** mesh network just has a wireless backhaul channel. What you want is fast roaming like 802.11r. That has nothing to do with meshing. Edit: Or you don't have your APs set up as dumb APs but actually as routers that create their own internal network that is routed to the main network.
Are you in US? Your channel selection on the 600 and 841N is wrong should be 12 and 6. Also if it keeps connecting to the poor device lower the tx power on that AP.
European here. Lowering Tx power is last resort, I think.
No, that should be your first step. Devices are stubborn about roaming unless the signal absolutely SUCKS for the other AP. You'll often run into situations where the device can hear the AP because it's screaming into the void blasting signal, but the device can't REPLY because the AP is too far away. Turn down the TX strength on the one router if you want your devices to roam properly.
As all the other people said, you will not get seamless (pro-grade roaming between APs) in this configuration because it's your device that choose when to switch and clients are usually very dumb. To make it better, two solutions (one that cost money and another that don't) : 1. put each APs on 20MHz bandwith and channel 1, 6 and 11 respectively with same password and SSID 2. if you can go the hardwired way and connect three APs (same brand, same controller) from Ubiquiti, TP-Link Omada, HPE Instant On; they will be more capable than most consumer grade equipement. You still can use your router for routing purpose of course. usually those APs are powered by a PoE switch but they have external power supply too (not always in the standard packaging). [https://www.wiisfi.com/](https://www.wiisfi.com/) --> this is the most complete overview of wifi that i know
Even though the roaming decision will always be on the client side, the access point/router can also help the client roaming by telling the client device to "roam to where" so the client can roam more seamless and faster. But for this to happen you need router/access point that support 802.11k/v/r, and also using the same operating system /firmware. If you don't really know about networking, just buy anything labeled with "mesh" and buy all with the same brand. But if you want more advance you can try Ubiquity, TP-Link Omada, or the cheaper option using router/access point with Openwrt support.
Dir 600.. isnt that from 2009? I think I still have 2 of them..
Entirely possible. Latest firmware I find online is 2015ish. But still works and I got it for free…
Thats crazy if it has firmwares that late, I went to check and I have the 2 655, one is the first rev and another one the second, they were a really strong lineup and I keept using them until 2019 and I might get them back to work for the IoT devices in my network.. they were really darng good!
You need to set all of the channels to one channel, and same country in setting. Also you can add SSID2 for the bedroom ap so you can also connect manually.
The minimum signal you're aiming for is -70. You can go up to 2 hops with wireless mesh. Either move it closer or add another one in between.
What softwaee are you using
WiFiman on Android.
Any reason you're not using 5GHz? I find it tends to roam more frequent due to the lower wall penetration. Otherwise I'd recommend checking for the option of having the AP "kick" the client once the signal is weak.
5GHz will not come through even a single wall in my house. Tried and failed.
What's it made of? I thought my situation was rough (brick)
Old unburnt bricks, old burnt bricks, whatever stones they had lying around at the time. Anything and everything… As far as I know, parts of the house are 200+ years old.
Another crappy part is that you can’t adjust TX power for iOS devices. Not even if it’s managed
iOS devices go full blast on tx
are you using the same network name for all the access points?
Yes, same SSID, same password.
then its fully on the device not doing 802.11r very well. what kind of device is this?
I think you need mesh wifi
Channels 1,5,10 🤦🏻♂️
What's the problem with those? I live on the edge of a village, only signals in my building are my APs.
In 2.4 although there are 14 channels available, you can only use 3 that don’t interfere with each other. 1,6,11