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Multiple AC1750 WiFi Mesh Extenders in home
Very simple question; If I add a second or third AC1750 Mesh Extender to a second and/or third room in my home and walk through with a WiFi connected cell phone, will the system hand off the phone f...
- Between the router and extender. You can read into it as you will. I've said my part and explained what you'd need to do to get it to work. I've also recommended going with a mesh setup. Do as you will.
Neither device is designed to act as a router with the device steering and controlling of daisy chain/star configurations.
You can add extenders but they'll need to have a unique ssid.
I'd highly recommend going with a true mesh setup like Orbi if you're planning on multiple device. I think amazon is clearing out refurbed orbi's right now. I'd take a look at those as its not much more to buy a refurb rbk43 than it is 2x ex6150's and youll have a single ssid solution that just works. The extra $ is worth not fighting it.
Gotcha.
So just to reiterate, I am not wanting to have any device that's on the mesh system ALSO on the router's system. I have created a unique SSID for the extender. The Netgear webpage, when talking about this extender does mention something about seamless handoffs between muliple extenders. That's why I thought I could use more than one, each using the same SSID but not the one that I use on my router.
You're saying my setup will not do this, but the Orbi system will?
In other words, my cable modem's router has a SSID, lets call it ID1.
I created a new SSID using its guest feature which I called ID2
The Netgear extender is attached to this router using ID2 but no other devices in my systen use that SSID.
I have created a SSID on the extender called ID3 and thisis what I am using to connect to with my phone and intend to do so with the Ring cameras.
You can have a router and one extender on the same ssid. After you introduce extra extenders, it causes issues. Unless the extenders are NOT in range of each other.
Read that second clairification that I added. I am not using the same SSID on the router for my computer, TV sets and other devices as I am with devices on the extender. Sorry I neglected to mention that at first. The extender allows devices to connect using a unique SSID.
Does this make a difference?
Never mind. It appears I am questioning what you have already clarified. Sorry.
My confusion is based on Netgear's own website mention of seamless handoffs when you add multiple extenders.
I don't see how an extender can effectively do a seamless handoff if they don't overlap each other omewhat but as I have said, I really don't know enough about these things. Seems to me that the connection would be dropped unless they do overlap. But you're saying they cannot overlap.
Thanks for your replies and the time you spent. I appreciate it and just need to educate myself a bit more.
I guess I couldn't find anywhere about multiple extenders.
But eitherway, technically it can work with multiple extenders. just not if they're within range of each other or if they are, if you make the ssid's unique.
netgear.com/home/products/netowrking/wifi-range-extenders/EX6250.aspx
From that page:
Extend WiFi coverage with your existing home WiFi to create a powerful Mesh WiFi for great wireless speed and coverage throughout your home.
- Dual band WiFi up to 1750Mbps
- Works with your existing WiFi
- Easily create a whole home WiFi mesh with your existing router
- Extends coverage of your home's WiFi with same WiFi name & security password
- Smart roaming automatically connects your mobile devices to the best available WiFi
and more
- Neither article mentions multiple extenders.
Well, again they do claim the following:
"Smart roaming automatically connects your mobile devices to the best available Wifi?"
And elsewhere in Netgear support, they say the following:
"Smart Roaming enables you to move throughout your home on your supported device and automatically connect to the best available WiFi signal."
So, not meaning to argue with you but there is a contradiction in what they are saying and what you are saying. They do btw say that 802.11k WiFi is needed in order for this to wrok.
I just may have to give it a try and see. If I do, I will report back and let you know, if you're cutous.
I mean "if you're curious." Sorry for the typo,
Bottom line is, in the product sheet they claim this extender is capable of "smart roaming" and elsewehere they define smart roaming as moving through the house and having the device select the best available WiFi signal. So this would imply that it will work with more than one extender. How else could it select the best available WiFi signal?
Again, I guess I have to just try it to see for sure.
- Between the router and extender. You can read into it as you will. I've said my part and explained what you'd need to do to get it to work. I've also recommended going with a mesh setup. Do as you will.
So, I took the advice and purchased an Orbi system.
After spending about 3 hours setting the thing up, I find out that it too does not do seamless handoff!!!!
From another user in these forums in response to someone with problems getting seamless handoff to work, "There is no 'seamless handoff' with any consumer wifi regardless of marketing hype."
Total waste of money, time and energy!
Apparently the Eero does what I want it to do.
I have the orbi system and can walk around my home with wifi calling and not get a drop. i can also stream video and walk around.
What firmware are you on?
What modem/modem-router are you using other than orbi? Are you running in a double nat?
https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT
What speeds do you pay for?
What speeds do you get directly connected to the modem?
What speeds do you get connected to orbi?
What makes you think the seamless handoff doesn't work?
Which Orbi system do you own? The one I got is the Orbi AC2200. Cost me $300 from Best Buy and comes with RBR40 router, and 2 RBS20 satellites.
Firmware is 2.3.5.30
I am paying for 200Mbps and a test this morning using the Orbi indicated just that, maybe even a little bit higher. Not sure which modem it is, it was supplied by Spectrum. Never had any issues with it nor the Sagemcom router they supplied either except that it doesn't have real wide coverage.
-- I have no problem with the speed
I haven't tested directly at the modem as my computers are nowhere near the modem itself right now. Again, I don't have any issues with speed. Everything is working correctly other than the seamless handoff.
What makes me think the seamless handoff is not working is the fact that if I walk from one room with a satellite where I may have gotten -30dbm as reported by Network Cell Info on my phone, into another with the other satellite, the dbm drops off dramatically (to about -65 or so, UNTIL I turn off WiFi and then back on again. THEN I get readings in that second room with the second satellite much the same as I got in the first room. If I then walk back into the first room, I once again have to turn off WiFi and turn it back on again to get good reception. I SUSPECT the handoff MAY be taking place over several minutes but the only way it is seamless and fast enough is if I disconnect from WiFi and then reconnect once again. This is exactly the same situation I was in the other day with that Mesh Extender that I was using and which cost me half of what the Orbi cost and it is totally useless for cell phone use.
I have looked all through the Orbi setup to try and find somewthing related to seamless handoff and cannot see anything even remotely related to it. Doing google searchers, I have seen several threads where people have been complaing about exactly this and other issues with the Orbi. One real common one is the fact that 2.4 and 5ghz system IDs and passwords must be the same...according to Netgear, this is so that seamless roaming can indeed continue to work!! But......... shrug!
Sorry but I am very confused, humiliated and beginning to wish I never touched my setup to begin with.
How far apart is the router from the satellites? 30 ft is the minimum distance. You can have them to close to each other and it messes with handoff.
also make sure you've enabled fast roaming, beamforming, mu-mimo within the wireless settings. Enable them and reboot the system.
One other thing to check is if you recieved the system and did all your updates in a row, sometimes it helps to factory reset and start over. Reason why is sometimes the firmware changes are enough from one to the next that it can cause issues with settings. With a new system, there's usually quite a few updates.
I'd also give it a few days. Whenever I redo my orbi setup, it usually takes a couple days to setting down and learn/get used to which devices use bandwidth and need to be on the 5ghz from the start. After a coupe days it seems to run smoother in my experience.
They are about 30' apart, maybe slightly less.
I will try as you suggest and see what happens.
Thanks
Should 'daisy chain' topology be checked?
If you're running it in daisy chain.
Daisy chain: router------>satellite----->satellite
Star: Satellite<-------router-------->satellite
OK, I don't know if I should be running in daisy chain or not. I just noticed while looking for the other settings that you suggest I check that 'daisy chain topolgy' is checked.
I also cannot find fast roaming, beam forming or mu-mimo. Where would these be located?
ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless Settings.
OK so I made the changes.
I suggested earlier in the thread that I thought the handoff MAY be taking place but at a very slow pace. I am able to see it happen now, but it takes about a minute to do so wheree it may have been taking about 5 minutes before. Unfortunately, I think this is still too slow.
Anything else that you can think of that I may check to speed this up?
Well, I've now done a number of tests since making the changes in the settings.
To be honest I am really not seeing much difference between this system and what I had going on with the mesh extender yesterday. I think all I've really accomplished is that I now have two extenders (satellites) rather than just the one I had yesterday (so the extra $150 more or less paid for a second extender), plus I can now set up all my devices using one SSID whether the device is 2ghz or 5ghz. The router itself doesn't even seem to have any better coverage than my old router had.
Maybe there is still something I am missing, but I just don't see how this can be called a true "seamless handoff" system.