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Force use of 2.4ghz
I am using the EX8000 to reach a summerhouse in the garden some 80 yards away. If my android phone or windows laptop are on 2.4ghz the signal reaches fine. But, they default to connecting using 5ghz a...
Aitku wrote:
I am using the EX8000 to reach a summerhouse in the garden some 80 yards away. If my android phone or windows laptop are on 2.4ghz the signal reaches fine. But, they default to connecting using 5ghz and that doesn't reach yet they don't seem to automatically switch to 2.4ghz. What's the best and easiest way to switch them to 2.4ghz so I get a reliable signal there please?Do I understand correctly that the summerhouse is 80 yards away from the EX8000?
(i.e. the EX8000 is not located in the summerhouse)
My phone often does not switch automatically so I open the phone Network controls, turn WiFi off and back on again, and it connects.
Can you try that?
Which one of these approaches does the Orbi use?
It sets all of the AP (staellites) to use the same SSID's and security, and fast roaming optimises the handoff thriugh fast BSS transitions.
- Non-Controller Multiple AP Approach: Perhaps the most common approach to date, installers have traditionally used multiple APs set to the same SSID and security level—doing their best to isolate the APs into logical zones in an attempt to reduce the number of handoffs a device may require. This generally has the same effect as the “configuration controller” option described below—but at a lower cost. Clients are still responsible for determining when to trigger the handoff, resulting in some delays when moving from AP to AP.
- Configuration Controllers: A configuration controller is used in conjunction with multiple vendor-specific low powered APs and typically does little more than optimize the AP setup by pushing the settings out to the APs on the network and ensuring they are all set to the same SSID and security levels. The client device must still determine at what point to jump from one AP to another and go through the same handoff process.
- Management Controllers: The purpose of a management controller is to optimize the handoff process between APs. While the handoff process may become somewhat faster, the client must still determine at what point to move from one AP to another, which typically takes more time than the handoff process itself.
- Wireless Network Virtualization: While still employing the use of a controller, this method is significantly more sophisticated than the aforementioned controller solutions. In this scenario, the controller actively monitors and “listens” to all APs on the network, selecting the best one for transmitting data to the client. Roaming is eliminated because the client sees all APs as a single AP. For certain enterprise applications, this is an effective solution, but for home and small office use, the benefits may not outweigh the hardware, setup and maintenance costs.
alokeprasad wrote:Which one of these approaches does the Orbi use?
Oh, I have no idea. I have looked at the WiFi management frames and see that the Orbi sends out broadcasts every 100ms (which I think is standard). Orbi implements the Fast Forwarding standard, which reduces the need for devices to reauthenticate when they change nodes.
The bottom line remains that the device makes decisions on changing.
This appears to be the reason that some devices stick to an Orbi node that most people find incorrect. Network software in devices that are expected to move around are programmed to keep searching and comparing. Devices that are expected to remain in one place often seem to connect to the first WiFi SSID that appears and quit looking. Drives people nuts. After a power outage, for example, often the router WiFi comes up first and devices connect to it and are no longer looking when a nearby satellite syncs with the router and begins broadcasting the same SSID.
Bingo!
One strategy for fixed devices (desktops, security cams, entertainment systems) would be to shut off client devices until all satellites are up and running, power-on the devices, make it "forget" the Orbi network, re-discover the Orbi network. It will involve re-entering the passwords, but hopefully this will net need to be done very often.
Or will be required (forget and re-discover the Orbi network) only for "mis-connected" devices.
CrimpOn wrote:
This appears to be the reason that some devices stick to an Orbi node that most people find incorrect. Network software in devices that are expected to move around are programmed to keep searching and comparing. Devices that are expected to remain in one place often seem to connect to the first WiFi SSID that appears and quit looking. Drives people nuts. After a power outage, for example, often the router WiFi comes up first and devices connect to it and are no longer looking when a nearby satellite syncs with the router and begins broadcasting the same SSID.