[PLUG] OT: Looking for some WiFi Networking Advice

[Chuck Hast]

Have have recently done a couple of Unifi networks with
5 access points scattered across 2 buildings. The access
points will setup to hand off the mobile devices as they
move round the buildings. It works great. Indeed there is
a signal level setting that you can change that will force
the mobile device off of an AP when the signal drops too
low to that AP but there is a neighbor that has better
reception of the mobile device. I also did my neighbors
place he works from home and needs to have good
connectivity as he moves around the house as he has
to remotely administer several health facilities during the
night hours. He never loses a call on his network even
when he goes from the front yard to the back handing off
through 3 AP's.

In my home I have Mikrotik equipment and the AP's are
managed by the Mikrotik router, they too handoff as we
move around the house. Wife is a big user of both WiFi
phone (Google Fi will push you off to a good WiFi connetion
if it finds it) and Whatsapp (to talk to her family and friends
in Costa Rica) we never have a dropped call as we move
around our home network. So it can be done you just have
to obtain equipment that will do it. Most of the stuff that is
sold in Best Buy,  Walmart, Costco etc just will not cut it as
far as I can see, and for what you need I would look first at
Ubiquiti as it is easy to setup and just works, or Mikrotik but
it is a bit more technical but if you do Linux you can handle
it.


On Thu, Oct 15, 2020 at 12:56 AM TomasK <tomas.kuchta.lists at gmail.com>
wrote:

> On Wed, 2020-10-14 at 18:29 -0700, Russell Senior wrote:
> > You aren't the exclusive user of the spectrum. All of your neighbors
> > are using the same channels and they may or may not be using the
> > spectrum at the same time. The 5GHz radios are slightly more immune to
> > the neighbors, because the higher frequency RF doesn't penetrate walls
> > as well.  If all the APs have the same SSID, then in theory your
> > devices should be able to hop from one AP to another one with minimal
> > drops, but unless the APs are helping steer the client devices to the
> > AP where they'll get the best connection, then you are dependent on
> > the client device OS for deciding when to disassociate from one AP and
> > try to associate to another one. I think generally, they'll try to
> > stick to the one they are connected to until they start to detect
> > packet loss.
> >
> > You might want to look at the Ubiquiti Unifi stuff. With unifi, you
> > use "controller" software to help manage the client steering.  I've
> > never used it, but I hear generally happy sounds from people I know
> > who have.
> >
>
> I confirm that Ubiquity (Unifi line with their router and unifi server)
> will support roaming between APs and 2.4/5Ghz channels for my
> phone using cell over wifi as well as voip, video calls, vnc, vpn, ....
> without disconnects or noticeable dropouts.
>
> Rebuilding network setup requires planning and funding - if you are
> starting from scratch (2xUAP+USG+unifiServerOnLinux/UnifiCloudKey=3-
> 4xDevices, not counting network switch - possibly POE to power the
> UAPs). That being said - you will commit to build enterprise network -
> you will get enterprise network capable of handling many devices with
> very good service guarantees.
>
> Tomas
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-- 

Chuck Hast  -- KP4DJT --
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Ph 4:13 KJV
Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece.
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