One router & 2 APs, what do I set to avoid having to connect to different networks?

[brucefal]

I have a Netgear AC1750 router and 2 EX6100 access points at 2 ends of my home. If I first connected to the internet to AP#1 (in Window's Network & Sharing Center as it had the strongest signal), as I walk across the house with my laptop, the AP#1 signal drops, AP#2 increases, but the router doesn't automatically reconnect me to the stronger signal. I have to do it manually thru the Network & Sharing Center.

Is there any way to set the AP or the router to automatically switch me from AP to AP to router based on the strength of signal? Apple's Airport Express does it through sharing a public IP address (using the same network name, security, and password). Or would it work if I changed the EX6100 from an access point to operate as a range extender?

(Using Windows 7)

[fordem]

As a general rule, if you have a single network with multiple access points, all using the same SSID & encryption keys, the client should switch from AP to AP automatically. The EX6100 is a bit of a strange device in that whilst advertised as an extender, it appears to have full routing capabilities, so to use it as described above, it MUST be configured as an AP AND connected to the network via Ethernet.

[brucefal]

Fordem:

Thank you for the rapid reply. I do have the EX6100 hooked up to the Ethernet (hard wired connection) and configured as an AP. That is my quandary.

I don't know (my ignorance) about the SSID or encryption keys though. I see how I can change the SSID, but where/how do I change the encryption keys?

[fordem]

Same place you set them - encryption is the WPA/TKIP/AES - etc.

[brucefal]

Thanks...sometimes ignorance on encryption is bliss. I will try it and see what happens.

[brucefal]

fordem-

Looks like your fix worked, but I am unsure. Now when I walk through the different areas, it appears to be switching from AP to Router to AP like I would like, but some questions remain.

Base info- the bars from Windows in the tool bar are consistently 5 bars throughout the house. However using NetGenie, looking at the wireless signal strength under WiFi Analytics, it doesn't seem to match the Windows toolbar signal strength.

1) On the AP even when I am right next to it, the green client link LED doesn't come on like it did when I had the 3 networks (original post). Is this to be expected when hooked up like this?

2) With NetGenie, the wireless analytics, it identifies the connected network as being the MAC address of the main router (00:52), even though I am next to the AP with a Mac address ending with D4:D6. Is this also to be expected? (the AP becomes an extension of the router?)

3) On one of the AP's, after it seemed like it was working (if the above 2 questions are answered with "expected"), suddenly I received a low signal/loss of signal on the Windows taskbar and NetGenie. I tried rebooting the AP both by turning off and by the program, all lights were correct. Nothing seemed to work. Any idea what is going wrong? Possible conflict in addresses now?

Thanks for your help so far. You already have surpassed NetGear's tech support from last night! (a one hour call and they gave the wrong answer!) Based on the number of reads of this thread just since it was posted and in the process of being answered (in just 12 hours), many others have similar questions and issues.

Thanks again

[fordem]

Ehhh - you've reached the limits of my experience now - I don't use NetGenie so I have no idea what's to be expected when you're using it. With the system I described, you could possibly be right next to an access point and not connected to it - the Windows client is what will determine when you switch access points, and that is, to some extent going to be determined by signal strength, and by a Windows setting generally referred to as "roaming aggression" - it'll be in your wireless card properties but may show up with different names. Question - do your EX6100s have static addresses - I would suggest static or at the very least DHCP reserved ones. You should not have address conflict issues with this system because all addresses are being assigned by the router's DHCP server.

[brucefal]

Netgenie is a simply little program that Netgear issues that monitors the AP's and routers. It has a great little feature that shows the dBm value with time (over about 5 minutes) and you can overlay 4 or 5 different wireless signals on the output plot. With it, you can see at any one location which network has the best signal.

I am pretty sure that the Windows taskbar signal indicator trumps the Netgenie output.

On the EX 6100, I have assigned a static IP address to each, 192.168.1.100 and 192.168.1.101.

The roaming aggression setting may be the helper. I don't know how to get to it (yet!)

Thanks, and any more guidance help is appreciated.

Bruce

[fordem]

I know what NetGenie is, and I do (or maybe did) have it installed on an android tablet - it seems to be more aimed at the consumer product line, and I tend to focus more on the small business (ProSafe) lane, which is why I'm not really familiar with it

[brucefal]

Fordem: Thank you very much for the help.

Just to document for others what to do that solved the issue for me, I post this reply. It may apply to other products. This is what worked for me, but I may have forgotten a step or two. It also is very simple, it's to help people like me who don't know an AP from an IP!

First, it is assumed that you are reading this is because you have already hooked up and installed the EX6100's as AP's and they are working.

1) Log directly in to the router. Check the SSID on the wireless settings on the main router and write it down. If you have a 2.4Ghz and 5 Ghz system, they will have different names so record them both. In the Advanced tab, go to the wireless setup and note the "Security Options" for the (each) network.

2) Log directly in to the Access Point (not through NetGear Genie if it is installed).

a) Under the "Setup" tab, sub-tab "Internet Setup", set a static IP address for the AP. For instance, if the range of IP addresses (as shown in the router) is 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.250, use 192.168.1.100. Click "Apply". It will take a minute to store and reload the change.

b) Under the "Wireless Setup", change the Name (SSID) of the Network to the name you wrote down in step 1. Make sure the radio button for the "Security Options" is the same one that was recorded in Step 1. If the same option (i.e. AES) is not available, go back to the router and change it to a security option available for both the router and the AP.

c) If there is a second channel, do set b) for the second channel. Click "Apply". It will take a minute to store and reload the change.

d) Under the Maintenance Tab, backup Settings, save the current configuration file.

e) Log out. Re-log in (Browser address line 192.168.1.100) and check that the settings changed above have been recorded properly.

3) Do the same for each AP.

4) Change the computer's "Roaming Aggressiveness". For this (Windows 7), open the "Device Manager" on the computer. It will be in the Control Panel. Under "Network Adapters", click on the Wireless Network Connection that is the board in your CPU. Chose the "Advanced" Tab. Click on the "Roaming Aggressiveness" property and set it to the highest value. Click on the "Transmit Power" property and insure that it is on the highest value.

5) Test the system. Walk around with the laptop and watch the internet strength bars on the taskbar. If they are 4-5 bars all the time, you should be done. If it drops to 1-2 bars, wait there for a while and see if the Roaming Aggressiveness kicks in. I am not sure, but sometimes it seemed like it took a few minutes to get another AP. Don't use the Netgear Genie to determine the adequacy of the connection, I'm not sure what it is reporting. It seems to lock into the first AP/Router it seems and just reports that signal strength, even though the computer is using another AP/Router for the true internet connection.

If the 1-2 bars stay, you may have a dead zone and may need to relocate the AP.

The above seemed to work for me. I think the true wireless devices (like phones, iPads, etc.) already have a very aggressive roaming feature and won't need to be adjusted, if it is even possible.

Good luck!