Extender vs. AP mode

[joshdanoob]

Hi guys and gals. I apologize if this is an extremely basic question. I looked around the forums, but still have questions about this.

I am trying to get my whole house (3000+ SF) covered by one router/SSID.

So here's the basics. I have ATT Uverse that came with a Pace 5268AC modem/router. That is located downstairs and provides pretty good coverage downstairs.

However, upstairs gets very little coverage. So I purchased an ASUS RT-N66R router that is wired directly to the Uverse modem with an ethernet cable that runs through the wall. This provides good coverage upstairs as well as for the downstairs portion directly below it. It is currently setup in router mode and has its own SSID.

The problem is everytime I walk downstairs my iPhone automatically connects to the Uverse router. When I go back upstairs it typically stays connected to that router even though the signal is extremely weak. Sometimes I will be upstairs, manually connect to the Asus router and 10 minutes later my phone will reconnect to the Uverse router even though the signal is far far weaker. The reverse is often true when I go downstairs.

This has become a constant annoyance for me and my wife. Having to go into our wifi settings and manually switch to the strongest router whenever we move about.

Given our current equipment, what would be the best way to resolve this problem?

Thanks very much.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Many have had this problem. Cure would be to set the same SSID for both and pray your devices connect to the strongest reception when roaming. I'm sure some one else will chime in with a better solution.

 

[joshdanoob]

Many have had this problem. Cure would be to set the same SSID for both and pray your devices connect to the strongest reception when roaming. I'm sure some one else will chime in with a better solution.

Thanks. I am hoping there is another solution as my iPhone has a bad habit of not connecting to strongest signal.

 

[pete y testing]

It is currently setup in router mode and has its own SSID.

it needs to be set up access point mode as you already have a router

Sometimes I will be upstairs, manually connect to the Asus router and 10 minutes later my phone will reconnect to the Uverse router even though the signal is far far weaker. The reverse is often true when I go downstairs.

you need to adjust the power transmission outout of the asus lower so it doesnt overlap the other transmission , if you can you would also lower the power on the Uverse wifi transmission

Given our current equipment, what would be the best way to resolve this problem?

you have a few choices but it sounds like the issue is the transmissions overlap too much and is why its a bit of a bun fight

if you want seamless roaming with no issues with transmission selection you might want to consider other solutions and hardware , that is if you can adjust the power output so the 2 transmissions dont overlap so much

 

[sfx2000]

you have a few choices but it sounds like the issue is the transmissions overlap too much and is why its a bit of a bun fight

Common SSID - the AP's coordinate and they don't conflict...

 

[pete y testing]

Common SSID - the AP's coordinate and they don't conflict...

but if the overlap is too great then the client devices wont roam and thats the issue he is having , he just has too much wifi and so the client see no need to change

 

[sfx2000]

the overlap is too great

They will not - time is the fire in which they burn - Round Trip Time rules - the AP's talk to each other in a common SSID scenario at the 802.11 layer...

 

[sfx2000]

OP's problem is too much WiFi and lots of candidate AP's, and not much difference between them, so it sticks... when it should hop.

 

[pete y testing]

OP's problem is too much WiFi

i think we are in agreement that the op needs to reduce the wifi to give a clear distinction between the 2 transmissions if he want his client devices to roam between the transmissions dependent on location of the client