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Forum Discussion
dd_88
Jul 16, 2019Aspirant
Router and Access Point
So I have the newst Comcast modem (TG3482G) which is a modem/router combo and I have a Nighthawk R9000. I want the Comcast modem/router combo to send a WiFi signal to the downstairs, and I want the N...
- Jul 17, 2019
dd_88 wrote:
If I change the channel could I keep the same SSID and password?
You could try that. If it works, great. Problem solved.
However, whatever you do as they move around wifi clients have to "forget" one connection and then move on to another one.
Most of my wifi clients happily handover between sources without me noticing. (I have two separate networks in the house and in my separate office.) I use different SSIDs so that I know which one I am connected to. I use the same password because it is easier to remember.
In effect, it all comes down to the abilities of the wifi clients. You make it harder for them if you have two different sources on the same wavelength and with the same SSID.
dd_88
Jul 17, 2019Aspirant
When I say "jam" basically what happens so the WiFi is working as normal, but at one point in time the WiFi just stops moving no traffic in or out, the only way to resolve this is to restart the nighthawk. I can only assume that the gateways router and the nighthawk router are trying to give/recive the same infomation from one decive and the routers are fighting over the information causing the traffic to stop completly until rebot.
I was woundering how to get around that.
I will try the two things you have suggested another thing I was reading when searching is to change the channel of the nighthwak. If I change the channel could I keep the same SSID and password?
michaelkenward
Jul 17, 2019Guru - Experienced User
dd_88 wrote:
If I change the channel could I keep the same SSID and password?
You could try that. If it works, great. Problem solved.
However, whatever you do as they move around wifi clients have to "forget" one connection and then move on to another one.
Most of my wifi clients happily handover between sources without me noticing. (I have two separate networks in the house and in my separate office.) I use different SSIDs so that I know which one I am connected to. I use the same password because it is easier to remember.
In effect, it all comes down to the abilities of the wifi clients. You make it harder for them if you have two different sources on the same wavelength and with the same SSID.
- dd_88Jul 17, 2019Aspirant
Okay I will try this when I return home, will follow up at a later date for I dont know when the problem occurs it happens randomly.
But leading off what you said I am having trouble understanding the purpose of an SSID now. I always interperted the SSID as just a label you give the router/access point for the user to know what they are conneting to and for the client to give it a more readable name. How does changing the SSID allow WiFi clients to seamlessy connect without interfearance? Would the wavelength not be the only determinate that causes the issue, not the SSID for the clients don't care what the SSID is?
Sorry for being a nucence, just trying to understand better, and when I called Netgear the man wasn't much help he just told me to buy Orbi, but I'm trying to learn :/
- schumakuJul 17, 2019Guru - Experienced User
Well, many consumer devices don't support seamless roaming, e.g. supported by 802.11k (information list about neighboring AP channel and more) and 802.11r (Fast Basic Service Set Transition, FT). All this can work efficiently only if the same SSID is configured on all radio access points (router, WAP, ...). If some of these standards are in place, the industry does lazily define this as a wireless "Mesh" network.
Without this technology, and when using different SSID, a client will try to stick as long as possible to that SSID, and not roam to a nearer, much better AP.
- michaelkenwardJul 17, 2019Guru - Experienced User
dd_88 wrote:
I always interperted the SSID as just a label you give the router/access point for the user to know what they are conneting to and for the client to give it a more readable name. How does changing the SSID allow WiFi clients to seamlessy connect without interfearance? Would the wavelength not be the only determinate that causes the issue, not the SSID for the clients don't care what the SSID is?
Wifi clients connect to wifi hosts by latching on to the address and let you in with the right password.
The wifi source broadcasts its SSID so that wifi clients can see it. (You can also hide the SSID, but if you still know the SSID you can still connect to it.)
How do you expect your wifi clients to tell one wifi source from another of every source puts out the same name?
The interference may also be between two different wifi sources on exactly the same wavelength. What if every radio station broadcast on the same wavelength? Chaos.
- schumakuJul 17, 2019Guru - Experienced User
michaelkenward wrote:How do you expect your wifi clients to tell one wifi source from another of every source puts out the same name?
By BSSID and backing information tables built on the wireless client, on more sophisticated AP or consumer WiFi Mesh devices assisted by 802.11k, 802.11r, and sometimes 802.11r.
michaelkenward wrote:The interference may also be between two different wifi sources on exactly the same wavelength. What if every radio station broadcast on the same wavelength? Chaos.
Not that bad, but not ideal - there is however not much of a choice: The number of available channels is much to low. Sophisticated home and business class (typically dozens to hundreds of WiFi clients in the range of multiple APs) or large venue public WiFi installations designed for the-thousands of clients have many many AP operating on the same channel sets.
Here at home, the average WiFi client does see about 10 different radios on air on both 2.4 and 5 GHz.