CFUG Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 For those of you using the 7" WiFi, do you experience "EXCELLENT" sig. strength through out the installation? I don't, even when the laptops do. My question is mainly for those with multi-AP experience. With several APs all set to the same SSID, how does the 7" deal with roaming? It only allows manual selection of a station. it seems to me that same SSID would get around this. Also, with more than 50% overlap of signals is it mandatory for different channels (1,6,11) or is same channel OK? I suspect problems with same channel (such as all set to 6). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Is there a reason you bring the panel with you everywhere? Roaming with consumer wifi gear isn't pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Huh? I am sure he got the WiFi version so he could take it with him around the house. Isn't that the point of the WiFi version? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 au contraire! The beauty of the WiFi TS is that you have cover art-driven selection in areas where OSD is not available. I have 4 panels that don't have OSD capability so the 7" fills the hole. Aside form any reason I pick, isn't the 7" WiFi one ridiculously-priced solution to begin with? Having to deal with 802.11g coverage issues is a slap on the face to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Huh? I am sure he got the WiFi version so he could take it with him around the house. Isn't that the point of the WiFi version?Yes and no. To be able to take it around your house like he's talking about, using mutliple wifi access points requires a pretty good setup of commercial wifi gear to allow for roaming. Otherwise, he will have to re-associate with each access point whenever he gets where he's going. He's looking for fast roaming and re-association, which isnt a feature commonly found on consumer-grade gear. The wi-fi is great if you're keeping it within range of one access point or you dont mind re-association. It's all subjective though. It would really be beneficial to use a wifi analyzation tool so you can see what's happening - where throughput is poor, where signals overlap, etc. Good Wifi and zigbee coverage just dont "happen" by accident Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 au contraire! The beauty of the WiFi TS is that you have cover art-driven selection in areas where OSD is not available. I have 4 panels that don't have OSD capability so the 7" fills the hole. Aside form any reason I pick, isn't the 7" WiFi one ridiculously-priced solution to begin with? Having to deal with 802.11g coverage issues is a slap on the face to me.The first thing I would try is making sure that your 7" is set to a static IP address, that will at least cut down the time of trying to negotiate one when you connect to another AP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 ^Yes, of course static on the IP. But, Rhapsody cover art does not stream-in with the DNS set to static. When I switch to dynamic under the DNS tab, cover art is possible (?). Just assume that my house is strange and one router signal won't hack it. What would you do? Having multiple APs is really no good unless the device can roam, which it can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I'll assume your house is strange :-pWhat make/model are your access points? Anything further than that is something you wouldnt want to post publicly and we can discuss over email. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Couldn't you just put some seriously large antenna's on one of them? I have a friend who claims to have Wifi access over 3/4 mile away from his house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Yes, I have done jobs for people involving 3000mW transceivers and 18dbi gain antennas that will do in excess of 4 miles LOS. This is where my T2 service came from for four years before going to FiOS. My prob is the Verizon CraptionTec is in a basement. I could hack an antenna in but I have no low-loss cable running to a centralized location upstairs. I have four levels to the house so it is a bear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Huh? I am sure he got the WiFi version so he could take it with him around the house. Isn't that the point of the WiFi version?Yes and no. To be able to take it around your house like he's talking about' date=' using mutliple wifi access points requires a pretty good setup of commercial wifi gear to allow for roaming. Otherwise, he will have to re-associate with each access point whenever he gets where he's going. He's looking for fast roaming and re-association, which isnt a feature commonly found on consumer-grade gear. The wi-fi is great if you're keeping it within range of one access point or you dont mind re-association. It's all subjective though. It would really be beneficial to use a wifi analyzation tool so you can see what's happening - where throughput is poor, where signals overlap, etc. Good Wifi and zigbee coverage just dont "happen" by accident [/quote']I surely agree that spending much more than I already have will allow near-seemless transitioning. I would probably live with it instead of paying Aironet prices. Te probem I'm seeing is that the 7" never seems to re-associate when moving cells and a reset is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I surely agree that spending much more than I already have will allow near-seemless transitioning. I would probably live with it instead of paying Aironet prices. Te probem I'm seeing is that the 7" never seems to re-associate when moving cells and a reset is needed.If that's the case, let me check on the dealer forums to see if anyone else is having the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks. I'll try to gather more info tonight. I need to go back to non-overlapping channels on the APs and note the difference. Also, APs are going through a 8 port Cisco switch before hitting the CraptionTec. I also read that assigning short DHCP lease times would bandaid the lag but that's not really my problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Yeah the DHCP leases wouldnt affect a staticly assigned device.... CraptionTec...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Clarification- The 7" WiFi is not conneting to the director automatically after changing WiFi cells. I must go in and and connect manually. Aside from this, Channels 1,6,11 strategy works much better (with my given overlap) than straight channel 6 across all WAPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 You should always try to overlap and have the channels set for 1, 6, 11 and so on. The panels have been known from day one to not roam. The easiest solution would be 1 AP and 1 Luxul wireless kit on opposite ends of your house. That way you only have 1 AP, 1 SSID and 1 address. Or, you can buy more expensive gear to create the roaming for you.Best package would be the Pakedge WAP-W3 and the Luxul Kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Let me look into that- thanks for the tip!Ok, that won't work for me. I cannot run coax to the antenna. I'll stick with what I got. Connection time is less than 30 sec. from cell to cell. I still don't understand why I cannot auto-connect with the director in the AP cells. Also, I really didn't notice issues with all three radios set to ch6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgbrown Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 You know there are know issues with the FIOS actiontec and embedded linux systems running wirelessly. Run a google on actiontec and sonos. You'll find some interesting reading. You might consider getting another wifi router and getting some cat5 run from your FIOS demarc to it. Then drop the actiontec behind the new wifi gear (and put it in bridge mode). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Yep, considering this butI don't think NAT overflow is what I'm seeing. It's down to the 7" not connecting to the driector automatically on only the APs. In-range of the ActionTec is no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 dgbrown- OK, now you got me thinking. After reading some of the internet dirt on this router it may be hiiting a chord. Not consdiering just the 7" WiFi isssue of mine, I did have other problems with disconnects during high useage periods. It hasn't happened in a week or so but i haven't been riding the CraptionTec hard either. I saw the business about changing the DHCP IP range to start at *.200 but don't understand what that's going to achieve...I will try your idea over the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Try disabling wifi on the ActionTec and using a dedicated wifi AP for your wireless gear..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 ^Right. I need to do this because I'm on a coax run, not ethernet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgbrown Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 The codeman's suggestion will work too.Just an FYI. You can't just take the actiontec out of the picture. Your fios STB's need the moca connection to get guide info, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Yep, but the other threads indicate the ethernet port can be activated (I don't have FiOS TV). At any rate, I'm getting in way too deep with this. Again, the only wall I'm currently up against is the 7" WiFi not auto-connecting to director unless it's in range of the ActionTec's signal. I must manually connect to the director when in the AP cells. Not really a show-stopper at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Yeah the same behavior happens with the Control4 My Home app on the iphone/ipod touch for what it's worth. Happens at The Ranch as we have a Wifi hotspot for the house and one at the Bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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