Using Multiple Pepwave AP One AC Minis

Product Discussion Pepwave AP & Surf
1

I have 3 AP One AC Minis that are working well, but I have some questions:

  1. They are on the same SSID and are all broadcasting both 2.4 and 5.0 GHz radios. The “auto” setting has each of them using a different channel in the 2.4 GHz radios. Should I force them to all use the same channel manually? As far as I can tell, the 5.0 GHz radio seems to use the same channel for each AP on the auto setting.
  2. When I check signal strength in my house using “Wifi Analyzer” on my android phone, the 2.4 GHz radio has higher signal levels than the 5.0 GHz radio. Is that because of better penetration through walls using 2.4 GHz?
  3. My phone supports 802.11ac. Am I likely to have faster speeds on the 5 GHz radio even though the signal level is lower?
  4. Should I enable “boost” on either of the radios? Is there a downside (like shorter equipment life) if you use “boost”?
  5. How do I control or know which radio my phone or laptop is connecting to? Do I have to create separate SSIDs for the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz radios?
  6. Do you have any other advice for the best wifi settings to use?

Thanks!

2

  1. They are on the same SSID and are all broadcasting both 2.4 and 5.0 GHz radios. The “auto” setting has each of them using a different channel in the 2.4 GHz radios. Should I force them to all use the same channel manually? As far as I can tell, the 5.0 GHz radio seems to use the same channel for each AP on the auto setting.
    Ans: Auto should be fine. Different channels actually perform better.

  2. When I check signal strength in my house using “Wifi Analyzer” on my android phone, the 2.4 GHz radio has higher signal levels than the 5.0 GHz radio. Is that because of better penetration through walls using 2.4 GHz?
    Ans: You’re right. Lower frequency has more resistence towards obstacles, while higher frequency gives you more bandwidth.

  3. My phone supports 802.11ac. Am I likely to have faster speeds on the 5 GHz radio even though the signal level is lower?
    Ans: Answer is similar to #2.

  4. Should I enable “boost” on either of the radios? Is there a downside (like shorter equipment life) if you use “boost”?
    Ans: No, but for WiFi it also depends on the capability of the device you’re using to connect.

  5. How do I control or know which radio my phone or laptop is connecting to? Do I have to create separate SSIDs for the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz radios?
    Ans: Our APs support band-steering, since v3.3.1, so using the same SSID should be fine.

  6. Do you have any other advice for the best wifi settings to use?
    Ans: As guidelines, use different, non-overlapping channels. Having maximum power output doesn’t mean best performance. You’ll have to google the rest for more insights. Every deployment is different. :wink:

3

Hi KV,

The IC2 part where do we set band steer? I only know Balance Routers has it. I don’t see on the cloud controller.

Thanks,
Ken Chan

4

Hi Ken,

Please consider using Balance router as WLAN Controller if Band Steering is needed.

5

Regarding wifi power, if you are deployed radios for a dense installation e.g. concert hall where there will be lots of clients close together and lots of access points, you will want to turn the power to low. This will mean that the clients will be connected to a closer AP and there will be less interference.

6

Great advice, thanks GNO! :up: