RF environment scan does not work on UAP AC Pro

[SSri]

All, we are running 2 UAP AC Pro since the end of 2016 at home. They work fine and are not auto modes.

I am managing the UAPs directly on my iPhone and did not deploy it on my PC.

We are facing two issues:

1. If we were to choose a DFS channel for each UAP, it does accept them. However, the devices will connect only on one UAP. It won't change the UAP depending on where we are at home. This issue will disappear if one is the DFS and the other isn't.
2. We tried to run an RF environment scan. It fails with an error message "error fetching device data". This error occurs on both devices. We always run this scan on one UAP at a time.

We would appreciate any comments and suggestions please. Thanks !

 

[SSri]

We tried to run an RF environment scan. It fails with an error message "error fetching device data". This error occurs on both devices. We always run this scan on one UAP at a time.

I managed to get the RF scan (issue) by restricting the 5GHz bandwidth to 40 MHz and choose the channels on the basis of the congestion. However, I have another challenge in addition to unresolved issue 1.

Both the APs have similar transmit power 17dBm and bandwidth of 80MHz, while the 5GHz channels are different. When I tested walking around inside the house to check the signals, the iPhone doesn’t change to the AP, which has the strongest signal. Example, one AP has a signal strength of -38 dBm and the other -63 dBm. The connection will cling to the weakest AP.

Any insights will be appreciated. Thx

 

[degrub]

Some general thoughts -
The client decides when to switch.
Have you tried reducing power on the APs ?
i have found running more APs at lower power works better for roaming in my house. i have 4 APs on 5 Ghz only, covering 3200 ft2 over two stories, with gypsum board walls/ceilings and wood floors. Some are oriented horizontally (face up or face down), some vertically (wall) to give slightly overlapping coverage.

 

[Tech9]

i have found running more APs at lower power works better for roaming in my house.

In my house too. Do you think your house is special?

 

[SSri]

@degrub and @Tech9 - thanks for your comments. I do find the client not switching to the near by AP, if stronger, a little strange. May be the distance between the two matters, In our house, one is on the first floor landing area - NW - and the other on the ground floor - SW - parallel to each other but

I have been reading a little about the wifi bands and channels. I find both the Apple’s diagnostics on wifi and wifi scanner bundled with Airport utility quite consistent with Netspot.

I measured the wifi strength across the property. I do require at least a couple more - one for the living and the other for the master bed, if not elsewhere. Both will have to be on the table, using the existing ethernet points. I am also planning to add one to the back garden.

Is it safe - health and safety - to install an AP in bedrooms? My understanding is the radio signals from the AP is not significant.

How do you decide the placement, if we know the wifi strength range in dBm please ? I have not prepared a digital floor plan. I just have a hard copy provided by the estate agent a few years ago.

What is your typical transmit power for each of the APs? Do you them the same or different ?

 

[degrub]

my understanding is many clients will start to consider switching at around -65 to -67 dBm.
i use the same ssid across all APs.

There are some more recent protocols in 802.11 that help manage the "seamless" transition, but i am not familiar with those. My understanding is that APs that are managed by a controller are more likely to provide seamless roaming suitable for voice calls. i use CISCO WAP371 APs with single point setup. That has a built in controller if i remember correctly.
.
If you have an upstairs/downstairs area, consider mounting the AP on the wall to cover one end with limited reach in the azimuth and full coverage to the other floor. If you can find the polar and azimuth plots for the AP radio, you can roughly figure relative separation. The polar power is the higher usually to provide more reach. The azimuth power is usually less - maybe 50% of the polar or less as it is designed to cover from the ceiling to the floor rather than reach across the house. However, just use a long ethernet cable and move them around until they provide reasonable coverage. If you have a S.O., you may have to negotiate placement versus roaming quality ;-)

Since i use single point setup, the power on mine are all the same. I had to use orientation and hiding in a closet in one area to get the attenuation i needed.

BTW, POE powered APs are great as it limits the visible clutter. You may also be able to use flat ethernet cable to help.

 

[SSri]

Thank you very much for useful insights @degrub !

All cat cables have already been laid all over the house including 2 for ceiling mount. We can run some for ceiling mount for the 1st floor.

Not having a controller does put me in a disadvantage. I am neither buying their key controllers, cameras nor the routers/switches. As recommended by @Trip, I am getting an RP 4 to run my controller there. The RP 4 can also be multi-purposed as I have plans for smart lights and security cameras.

I will read on the polar, azimuth, and the recent 802.11 protocols.

We use a single SSID for the family on 5Ghz and one guest SSID on 2.4, which stays switched off most of the time.

I will keep you posted.

Cheers!