Home network advice

[Sig_ZA]

I have a Netgear Wireless ADSL router at one end of the house and this is connected using a LAN cable to a Ubiquiti AP at the other end of the house.

The router assigns IP addresses to the devices as well as to the AP.
Both the router and AP have the same SSID and password.

This set up works fairly well, but I have issues where the two WiFi signals overlap.

When a device disconnects from the AP it often takes about 5 to 10 minutes to reconnect to the AP.
This problem doesn't happen when a device disconnects from the router and it reconnects within seconds to the router.

Netgear Wireless ADSL router
WPA2-PSK [AES]
802.11n
Channel: Auto

Ubiquiti AP
802.11n/ac
Channel: Auto

Does anyone have any advice on why it takes so long to reconnect to the AP?

Thanks

 

[bekdik]

If one of the routers allows dhcp relaying, set it up to relay the other router's dhcp

 

[Sig_ZA]

If one of the routers allows dhcp relaying, set it up to relay the other router's dhcp

Thanks. I am not sure what DHCP relaying is.
The AP is set up, under configuration, to configure IP addresses using DHCP.
So the AP gets the device's IP addresses from the router.
On the router I have configured IP addresses for each device using the device's mac address.

 

[rubber_otter]

I would disable Wifi on the Netgear and only use the Unifi to do the wifi connections. If the range isn't good enough, get another unifi.

Two different brands of devices dont like the same SSID. Not with my experience at least.

 

[Sig_ZA]

I would disable Wifi on the Netgear and only use the Unifi to do the wifi connections. If the range isn't good enough, get another unifi.

Two different brands of devices dont like the same SSID. Not with my experience at least.

Thanks. I was thinking of this as my plan B, but I don't know if I will still have the same problem.

The thing is that it is re-connecting to the AP that is the issue, not re-connecting to the router.
So if I get another AP, then maybe I now have trouble re-connecting to either of the AP's.

I don't have much networking experience and I have searched all the AP settings, but isn't the AP blocking the re-connection for a period of time, once first disconnects?

 

[rubber_otter]

No, I dont think an AP would do that, no matter what the brand. Especially not Ubiquiti.

Try what I suggested, disable wifi on the netgear, and see what happens. If it does the same thing, check the logs (or insights) on the unifi controller, assuming you have it installed.

 

[Sig_ZA]

No, I dont think an AP would do that, no matter what the brand. Especially not Ubiquiti.

Try what I suggested, disable wifi on the netgear, and see what happens. If it does the same thing, check the logs (or insights) on the unifi controller, assuming you have it installed.

Thanks. I will try; though with the router wifi disabled, there will be now wifi overlap and thus the AP should stay connected all the time.

I can't find any log files on the Ubiquiti interface on my PC.
Is this something that needs to be separately installed?

 

[rubber_otter]

Do you have the Unifi Controller installed? Or did you configure the AP as a standalone device?

 

[SauRoNZA]

For a start don't use Auto channels.

Use something like Homedale or Inssider to scan channels at each AP and then choose a static channel that is most available.

Then play with the power levels to REDUCE them so that the overlap is less or one is obviously much stronger at the problem location.

 

[Sig_ZA]

Do you have the Unifi Controller installed? Or did you configure the AP as a standalone device?

I believe I have the Unifi Controller software installed .

 

[Sig_ZA]

Some feedback.

I disabled the WiFi on the router and things seem much better, i.e. the AP no longer takes 5-10 minutes to reconnect a device.
Unfortunately the router has no functionality to reduce the power of the signal.

A small part of my house is however no longer covered, so I am considering getting a second Unifi AP, when I get some spare $.

From what I have read, the two AP's should work well together if I play around with the power settings of each.

 

[Dirty Harry101]

You should be able to change the power on the ubiquiti. Also, you should change the channels on each device. Make the netgear say 1 and the ubiquiti 7.

Let us know