What happens when you set 2 different routers with the same SSID?

[Spartan]

Call me curious George but if I have 2 different routers, say an AX-GT6000 in one location in my house and a Linksys or any other brand router in another location, if I set both routers with the same SSID and password, would devices switch between them seamlessly depending on the signal strength or is it not as simple as I am making it sound? Is that where the ASUS AiMesh shines over just simply settings 2 diff. routers with the same SSID?

 

[Tech Junky]

Device should move to the stronger signal. Set the routers on opposite channels on the spectrum with just a little overlap.

 

[L&LD]

With the microcode created when initially connecting/associating to one router or the other, I don't see this as a great way to get the best possible network experience at all. This is the reason I almost always suggest 2x identical routers and new SSIDs for a new (AiMesh, or not), set up.

 

[Tech9]

would devices switch between them seamlessly depending on the signal strength

The devices will switch to the stronger signal at some point, but it won't be "seamless".

1) Two Routers, different ISPs - all connections (Internet) will be lost and have to be re-established
2) Router and Access Point*, the same ISP - there will be few seconds delay in connections** (device re-connection related)

* - or AiMesh
** - note the difference between Internet connections and device connections to the router/access point.

Is that where the ASUS AiMesh shines

It doesn't shine. It's behind some other consumer "mesh" systems and way behind controller managed multi-AP systems.

 

[Tech9]

2 diff. routers with the same SSID

Asus routers in AiMesh have lower aggregate Wi-Fi throughput vs the same Asus routers in Router + AP configuration working on different channels. All devices in AiMesh configuration share the available bandwidth on the channels the Router is set on. Wireless backhaul and retransmissions - even worse.

 

[L&LD]

No, they don't. Only when used in repeater AiMesh mode (i.e. wireless backhaul mode).

 

[tgl]

I think arguing about the backhaul method is pretty much beside the point, because that wasn't the question. As I read it, the question was how much it matters to use identical or not-identical APs given that all else is equal -- in particular, given the same backhaul arrangements both ways.

(That probably means wired backhaul for both cases, because IIUC there are no non-proprietary specs for wireless backhaul. But even if I'm wrong on that, it doesn't matter for this discussion.)

Anyway, as already stated, if you have two APs offering the same SSID/password, clients will connect to whichever one they perceive to have better signal; the clients neither know nor care what make either AP is. Where things get interesting is how smoothly will the clients roam from one AP to the other when you move them around the house. This is really mostly up to the clients, but the APs can offer support for smooth roaming via the 802.11k/v standards.

What you get with two-of-the-same APs is that it's more likely that their 802.11k/v behavior has been tested and tuned by the manufacturer. I think that in theory that stuff would all work even between different manufacturers as long as both implement 802.11k/v ... but there's often a large gap between theory and practice.

tl;dr: it'll work with different-manufacturer APs, but it might work better with two-of-the-same.

 

[Tech9]

backhaul method

Backhaul method with non-Asus router - wired only. Better Wi-Fi performance - Router and APs on different channels. Who's arguing?

 

[tgl]

Backhaul method with non-Asus router - wired only. Better Wi-Fi performance - Router and APs on different channels. Who's arguing?

I concede both of those to be true statements. But I don't think they respond to the original question.

 

[Tech9]

I wasn't sure what @Spartan means by two routers. If it's a router and access point - it works always regardless of make and model. How well the roaming will work depends on multiple factors. Sticky clients and large clients connection delays happen on AiMesh with two identical routers.

 

[Spartan]

I wasn't sure what @Spartan means by two routers. If it's a router and access point - it works always regardless of make and model. How well the roaming will work depends on multiple factors. Sticky clients and large clients connection delays happen on AiMesh with two identical routers.

This is not a setup I would do I was just curious because today I had the ISP technician visit me to help me with my future setup of the 2x GT-AX6000. Basically, my main issue was, my main router upstairs in my office which was the GT-AX6000 is connected to some cheapo Linksys VELOP router downstairs via a LAN cable and @L&LD told me I would need my main GT-AX6000 to be connected directly to the new GT-AX6000 which I'm getting soon and NOT through that Linksys router from the ISP so we were discussing the best way to do this was using a switch.

Today the technician came and did some connection changes to make the LAN port upstairs connect directly to a LAN port downstairs where I am planning to put the 2nd GT-AX6000 for a direct connection.

Now, why did I ask this question? because as we were doing some testing, I was holding my laptop in my hand and it was connected to my SSID upstairs called MATRIX then when I went down it was still connected to MATRIX with full signal from that old router so that got me wondering how does this voodoo magic work, how does the laptop's wifi card know which connection to switch to, and if it was switching to another router since they have the same SSID and password, then this technology has always been available so what's the advantage of ASUS AiMesh vs that basic setup which I just mentioned.

sorry, I know this may sound to n00b of a question but this got me really puzzled and wanting to know how this all works.

 

[glens]

I wouldn't even try doing that with two units both working in router mode. The second one in AP mode off the first one works very well. AIMesh is basically that with some bells and whistles. Perhaps in one aspect you lose some control that you get with "just router" + "just AP", but the mesh really makes it easy to get a lot out the equipment, from one interface for the set.

 

[L&LD]

Today the technician came and did some connection changes to make the LAN port upstairs connect directly to a LAN port downstairs where I am planning to put the 2nd GT-AX6000 for a direct connection.

With this change in your wiring, you'll plug the upstairs (main router) LAN port into this second wall port. On the other end, you'll plug into the WAN port of the downstairs node.

You will need to disable the VELOP router's WiFi for best results.

Ideally, you would Bridge the ISP connection (which should also disable the WiFi radios it has too) to your main (upstairs) router.

Please, keep us updated on this project.

 

[Spartan]

With this change in your wiring, you'll plug the upstairs (main router) LAN port into this second wall port. On the other end, you'll plug into the WAN port of the downstairs node.

You will need to disable the VELOP router's WiFi for best results.

Ideally, you would Bridge the ISP connection (which should also disable the WiFi radios it has too) to your main (upstairs) router.

Please, keep us updated on this project.

I replied to you here: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/complete-n00b-3-to-aimesh.82739/post-814112

The Linksys VELOP is completely out now! Before I dug deep into this, I never realized that the VELOP was connected to the main box from the ISP and thus, my GT-AX6000 was actually getting the internet from the VELOP not from the ISP's box directly! Now my latency is lower and I feel that browsing websites is snappier, the delay from which I click on a link to the time it actually starts loading!