Does binding a device to a node in AiMesh actually do anything?

[Brad H]

I know what it is supposed to do...lock a device onto a particular node. It is just my experience that you do the binding and then it does whatever it wants to do anyhow. I have a RP-AC56 right by my front door....literally 5 feet from my doorbell. When connected to the node, the strength is around -44db as opposed to around -72 on the router, but probably 3 out 5 times when I check it, it's on the router so my upload speed on the doorbell is not fast enough for a great connection.

I wish there were a "hard bind" to say don't overanalyze this....Bind this device to this node no matter what (other than being offline).

Just don't see the point if it is going to latch on to whatever node it wants anyhow.

Am I missing something?
Thanks

 

[SteverinoLA]

I have no problem binding devices to one of my 2 nodes. The binding works and I have bound every single one of my devices to the strongest node except a few portables. What doesn't really work is roaming for those devices (phone, tablet laptop). They stick to whatever node they first attached to.

 

[tgl]

Am I missing something?

Not really. The problem here is that ultimately, the client device (STA) is in charge of which AP it will connect to. There are (relatively new) WiFi protocols that will let APs suggest which AP of an SSID group a STA should bind to, but the STA may ignore that. The only blunt tool the AP has is to forcibly disconnect the STA, but if the STA chooses to reassociate anyway, what ya gonna do? Constantly kicking it off is not going to be perceived as more reliable service, so few if any AP manufacturers will choose to do that.

In short, I think the blame here falls on your doorbell not the AP. Shoddy implementations of the WiFi standards are not exactly surprising in such gear.

There's a sticky thread on these forums with more detail:

What Are Sticky Clients? 802.11k,v,r Explained​

 

[tgl]

In short, I think the blame here falls on your doorbell not the AP.

I forgot to mention that in principle, you could coerce the doorbell into doing what you want by setting up a separate SSID (different SSID name and password) that is only served by the one node, and connecting the doorbell to that not your main SSID.

In practice this may be problematic for lack of configurability on the AP side. AIMesh does support alternate SSIDs in the form of "guest networks", and at least on my XT8 it looks like you can have as many as three of those. However, it doesn't look like you can ask for such SSIDs to be served by only the node not the main AP. And AIMesh may be too certain that you want the guest network(s) firewalled off from the rest of your LAN.

It's possible that this could be set up below the level of the AIMesh GUI, but I don't have enough experience with AIMesh to know. Alternate firmware such as Merlin's builds might offer a pathway too.

 

[Brad H]

I forgot to mention that in principle, you could coerce the doorbell into doing what you want by setting up a separate SSID (different SSID name and password) that is only served by the one node, and connecting the doorbell to that not your main SSID.

In practice this may be problematic for lack of configurability on the AP side. AIMesh does support alternate SSIDs in the form of "guest networks", and at least on my XT8 it looks like you can have as many as three of those. However, it doesn't look like you can ask for such SSIDs to be served by only the node not the main AP. And AIMesh may be too certain that you want the guest network(s) firewalled off from the rest of your LAN.

It's possible that this could be set up below the level of the AIMesh GUI, but I don't have enough experience with AIMesh to know. Alternate firmware such as Merlin's builds might offer a pathway too.

Good idea but unfortunately, on guest networks, your only options are all nodes or just the router.

Would LOVE to have Merlin but my AX89X isn't supported.

I agree 100% that's it is most likely the doorbell. The doorbell can't handle 2.4 & 5 Ghz under the same SSID either so I put it on a guest network several routers ago & even though I stopped using SmartConnect, I never messed with taking it off and resetting the network. I understand the quirks of the doorbell now after several years but when I first got it, I messed with it for weeks. I'm persistent but will not claim to be good....

Thanks for responding!

 

[Farley]

If it bothers you enough to spend a few dollars on a cheap N300 range extender, something like this TP-Link device might help: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0776QG4P8/.

I had a similar but different problem with a pair of "smart" power sockets at the back of the yard, and I got out of trouble with one of these, which I happened to have in my box of bits.

You can use it to extend either your main network or the guest network, depending on whether you want the doorbell to be able to see your LAN, and if you give it a different SSID as suggested by @tgl you can force the doorbell to connect to it.

The extender can also be setup as an access point if that works better for you. Power can be set to high, medium or low; in my case, low works well but you would need more throughput than I do.

I didn't find this model on Amazon US, so in some markets you might need to go up to a slightly later model.

 

[paolorenzo]

I have this same problem, and I'm looking for a "strict" binding of my son's tablet to my ground floor node. If he comes up, he's still able to connect to the 2F AP. I'd like him to be on the GF only.

Any solution to strict binding? Even if via script?

 

[Brad H]

I settled on using a combination of one aimesh node for things that I want to roam & two RP-AX56's with their own SSID's (ground floor and basement) for devices that I need to lock on to one area. Overly complicated but works very well.

 

[kildare]

I have this same problem, and I'm looking for a "strict" binding of my son's tablet to my ground floor node. If he comes up, he's still able to connect to the 2F AP. I'd like him to be on the GF only.

Any solution to strict binding? Even if via script?

Tried this?


Wireless - Roaming Block List

You can add devices into roaming deny list, and the devices will not be roamed between AiMesh nodes.

 

[Brad H]

Tried this?


Wireless - Roaming Block List

You can add devices into roaming deny list, and the devices will not be roamed between AiMesh nodes.

View attachment 53614

Actually, devices will still switch nodes on their own. This just stops the router from doing it. It is definitely not a "hard" binding.

 

[kildare]

Ok.
If this hard binding is crucial for you, you could switch from an XT8 mesh to a repeater configuration, and in this case it would be possible to ban the device MAC address from the unwanted AP.