Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 1:19 Post subject: r6400 as an Access Point
I can get a solid Wi-Fi signal to the edge of the patio with my R7800 if I move it to the back of the house, which I don’t want to do as I lose in house signal strength.
Currently most Extenders are crap below $100, especially the ones that have a gigabit Ethernet port to connect to the main WAN. I refuse to get a Wi-Fi extender as the transfer rates are brutal connecting back to the central Wi-Fi.
As the R6400s are sitting well below $100 Cdn I was thinking of using one at the closest wall of the house which should give me an excellent signal. I am planning to use the same SSIDs on it so that transitions are seamless. Channel choices are excellent with 11 on the main Wi-Fi and either 1 or 3 for the patio. Both have (currently) very weak usage by the neighbours, so that is not an issue.
This will also benefit my Wi-Fi TP-Link external plugs for bark yard lighting and fountain.
I have installed many DD-WRT r6400s for friends who needed better coverage for their TV devices, but never needed the mesh type SSID setups.
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14208 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:02 Post subject:
The R6400 isn't a bad choice, however do you need only 2.4 band or both? You may be able to get away with any supported Atheros TP-Link (Archer C5, Archer C7, WDR3500, WDR3600, WDR43*0, WDR4900v2, WR*N* with the 7xx MHz CPU) - except the WR1043Nv5, still trying to figure out how to flash one...
For the current requirement, 2.4 is a primary requirement (the current TP-Link Wi-Fi devices do not have 5). No one is streaming on the patio so 5Ghz is not mandatory...though if work from home keeps going I will start having video conferences on the patio with beer as the beverage of choice.
As 2.4 has greater distance and the above devices only support it...
Currently I have a r6400 in my cart at $72 Cdn, so I am sure this is the best test scenario I can think of. I tried a couple of old Buffalo, Linksys and TP-Link devices, but just not holding a good signal strength. _________________ NetGear R7800 x2
Netgear R7000P
NetGear R6400V2 x 4
Buffalo WZR-HP-AG300H
Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH2
Linksys WRT54G x3
Cisco NGFW
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14208 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 3:15 Post subject:
That's likely the IoT devices. Most of the time, they have junk wireless hardware that require 802.11g because they aren't 802.11n ... which kills things. Especially if it's the ESP chipset hardware. _________________ "Life is but a fleeting moment, a vapor that vanishes quickly; All is vanity"
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