Advice on setting up an Access Point

GGizmo

GGizmo

GGizmo

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Valley of Jade
I'm thinking of buying and setting up a Ubiquiti AP.

I'm new to AP's.

I'm planning on plugging it into an ethernet port upstairs.

I'm wondering do I have to set it's own unique wifi password or will it use the main password of the wifi?
 
Just to add, you can change the Unifi AP’s SSID and password to the same as the existing network and devices *should* intelligently hop to the strongest signal seamlessly.
 
Avalon said:
Just to add, you can change the Unifi AP’s SSID and password to the same as the existing network and devices *should* intelligently hop to the strongest signal seamlessly.
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Unless you are using other ubiquiti equipment with meshing turned on this doesn't work in the real world as once a device is connected to a signal it stays with that one until it loses the connecting by either being out of range or say turning a phone screen off which drops wifi until its needed to save battery.
 
holdin09 said:
Unless you are using other ubiquiti equipment with meshing turned on this doesn't work in the real world as once a device is connected to a signal it stays with that one until it loses the connecting by either being out of range or say turning a phone screen off which drops wifi until its needed to save battery.
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Given I can quite literally watch it happen in almost real time when walking from one end of the bungalow to the other, i'm going to disagree.
 
holdin09 said:
Unless you are using other ubiquiti equipment with meshing turned on this doesn't work in the real world as once a device is connected to a signal it stays with that one until it loses the connecting by either being out of range or say turning a phone screen off which drops wifi until its needed to save battery.
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Can't say I've ever experienced that with multiple APs. What phones turn off wifi with the screen off? :confused:
 
holdin09 said:
You must be getting to the end of the connection range or it simply works but a lot of the time it doesn't.
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I'm sorry, but you are mistaken. In simple terms, handoff is dictated by the client in this case, the client should intelligently switch to the strongest available signal and that's exactly what happens in my example, I start off at one side of the property with the Nokia CPE, walk through the dining room and lounge to the hall and by the time i'm into my bedroom i've switched to the AirCube AC in the loft and can see the traffic pickup via UISP 'live'. It wasn't always like this, 15 years ago I remember apple devices clinging to the AP they landed on forever. Ubiquiti (and a few others) use SCA to try and simplify that process and allow seamless roaming, the other approach is controller based where a disconnect can be triggered if the client is able to receive a stronger signal from a different AP, but what I describe requires neither of those things to function.
 
Avalon said:
I'm sorry, but you are mistaken. In simple terms, handoff is dictated by the client in this case, the client should intelligently switch to the strongest available signal and that's exactly what happens in my example, I start off at one side of the property with the Nokia CPE, walk through the dining room and lounge to the hall and by the time i'm into my bedroom i've switched to the AirCube AC in the loft and can see the traffic pickup via UISP 'live'. It wasn't always like this, 15 years ago I remember apple devices clinging to the AP they landed on forever. Ubiquiti (and a few others) use SCA to try and simplify that process and allow seamless roaming, the other approach is controller based where a disconnect can be triggered if the client is able to receive a stronger signal from a different AP, but what I describe requires neither of those things to function.
Click to expand...
I know how it should happen but a lot of the time it doesn't unless you have mesh to hand the device off. I'm not mistaken I just have a different experience.
 
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holdin09 said:
I know how it should happen but a lot of the time it doesn't unless you have mesh to hand the device off. I'm not mistaken I just have a different experience.
Click to expand...

I know manufacturers love to mix and match terminology which only helps to confuse matters, but a mesh network is where neighbouring access points are able to form a wireless backhaul allowing them to serve clients in a larger area without the need for a wired connection to each individual AP.

The hand off of a client device between APs is called roaming. The two features are completely independent of one another. You don't need to mesh APs in order for roaming to work correctly. If you're having trouble roaming between APs then it's likely that the access points are too close together.
 
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