Two Routers to one ONT box?

[Mothi17]

Hi Guys/Gals

This is my first post on mybroadband so please forgive any errors. I currently have a fibre connection with Afrihost running of Openserve. During my install I received one ONT box and the Huawei WS5200 router which included a UPS for loadshedding backups. This works fine. My problem is that my internet signal drops behind walls and between floors as does most people's so I purchased a set of Huawei Q2 Pro Mesh Wifi System to help spread the signal. The problem here is that the Q2 Pro's use a standard 16amp plug and cannot be powered by the mini UPS.

So I have my ONT connected to the UPS and the WS5200 which is also connected to the UPS. I then run a ethernet cable from the back of the WS5200 to my 1st Q2 Pro. Each router has it's own WiFi signal, the problem I have is that the WiFi signals on both aren't equal and the WS5200 is able to max my Fibre line while the Q2 network is around 50% slower.

I'm not sure if this piggy backing is causing the reduction in speed so I'd like to find out if it's possible to connect both routers to the ONT box directly and if anyone has done this before?

This will help me still have an internet connection during loadshedding and my full strength signal throughout the house when there is no loadshedding. During loadshedding we can all move closer to the WS5200 because only mobile devices will be in use then whereas with the Q2 Pro system I have my TV's and consoles set up on that network which wouldn't be of any use during loadshedding anyway.

Any thoughts/opinions or advice?

Regards

 

[PsyWulf]

Dont think any FNO in the country allows multiple ports to be used,it bonds to the first MAC

Which makes for a fun adventure if somebody connects a hub/switch and you play "who connects first to the internet today"

 

[Quintrix]

Out of interest, what is your line speed and what are you getting on the mesh?

 

[Polymathic]

Does the Huawei Mesh devices not support PoE(pover over Ethernet)?

 

[wingnut771]

How does connecting to the ONT negate the 16A plug?

 

[PsyWulf]

How does connecting to the ONT negate the 16A plug?

It's a far-off-related issue secondary to the other quandary that he cant get interwebs during outages as they cant use the mini UPS that powers the current router if he switches to the mesh units solo

 

[wingnut771]

It's a far-off-related issue secondary to the other quandary that he cant get interwebs during outages as they cant use the mini UPS that powers the current router if he switches to the mesh units solo

Yeah, I understand. He's better off getting a second UPS for the mesh. Would need to know DC amps and plug size of mesh to make up power connector and bypass the AC transformer? What power connector does the mesh have?

 

[Mothi17]

Thanks for the discussion guys, I have a 200mbps down 100mbps, with the mesh generally the speeds are around 50 to 70mbps but at times it's as low as 10. Unfortunately the mesh does not support POE because it also uses the power lines to help build the mesh, in fact that's one of my primary reasons for choosing that particular model. It's supposed to be able to connect to the network even without a WiFi signal from the other mesh units but doesn't seem to be the case. The mesh is powered with a 100-240v AC current at 0.8A and the UPS seems like it outputs in DC.

I'm leaning towards making the mesh the primary router and leaving the WS5200 configured but nearby so that if I need to I'll just switch the ethernet cable from the Mesh WAN to the WS5200 WAN and power on the W5200 whenever there's loadshedding and seeing from there.

I hoped with all routers being Huawei that they could work smoothly together because I previously had a cheap mesh with similar struggles, I had the mercysus S3 I think and that used to max out at 10mbps on any meshed unit.

 

[SauRoNZA]

If your mesh unit is cabled then there should be no speed drop off.

If it’s wireless and there is a speed drop off then they are simply too far apart.

Also you say “that network” as if they are two separate things? If it’s a mesh then it should all be one single network and not segregated in any way.

Have you not set these up as repeaters somehow or they maybe aren’t mesh units at all? That would explain the bandwidth loss.

****

Also it seems a bit silly to compromise your network 99% of the time to compensate for the 1% of the time there is load shedding.

Build your network properly at peak performance for no load shedding.

Then come up with a secondary load shedding only solution instead. You don’t need to power the entire network for Load Shedding. Just have say on AP operational within reach for if you really need internet access.

When there’s load shedding 3 of my 4 UniFi units go purposely offline. Only the one most central to the house remains online which covers most of the properly although at much lower signal levels for what is only a temporary situation.

 

[wingnut771]

Thanks for the discussion guys, I have a 200mbps down 100mbps, with the mesh generally the speeds are around 50 to 70mbps but at times it's as low as 10. Unfortunately the mesh does not support POE because it also uses the power lines to help build the mesh, in fact that's one of my primary reasons for choosing that particular model. It's supposed to be able to connect to the network even without a WiFi signal from the other mesh units but doesn't seem to be the case. The mesh is powered with a 100-240v AC current at 0.8A and the UPS seems like it outputs in DC.

I'm leaning towards making the mesh the primary router and leaving the WS5200 configured but nearby so that if I need to I'll just switch the ethernet cable from the Mesh WAN to the WS5200 WAN and power on the W5200 whenever there's loadshedding and seeing from there.

I hoped with all routers being Huawei that they could work smoothly together because I previously had a cheap mesh with similar struggles, I had the mercysus S3 I think and that used to max out at 10mbps on any meshed unit.

It sounds like the mesh setup is not providing you any benefit. I think you're better off trying to mount the WS5200 up higher or in a better location to give better coverage. I would also just use 2.4ghz and disable 5ghz. I use wifi-sweetspot app on my iphone to check for dead spots and https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan...oftware-tools/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/ to check for channels with minimal interference.

 

[Mothi17]

If your mesh unit is cabled then there should be no speed drop off.

If it’s wireless and there is a speed drop off then they are simply too far apart.

Also you say “that network” as if they are two separate things? If it’s a mesh then it should all be one single network and not segregated in any way.

Have you not set these up as repeaters somehow or they maybe aren’t mesh units at all? That would explain the bandwidth loss.

****

Also it seems a bit silly to compromise your network 99% of the time to compensate for the 1% of the time there is load shedding.

Build your network properly at peak performance for no load shedding.

Then come up with a secondary load shedding only solution instead. You don’t need to power the entire network for Load Shedding. Just have say on AP operational within reach for if you really need Internet d access.

When there’s load shedding 3 of my 4 UniFi units go purposely offline. Only the one most central to the house remains online which covers most of the properly although at much lower signal levels for what is only a temporary situation.

The system is currently wireless but it is a proper mesh unit system and not set up as repeaters. One of the features of the Q2 Pro is that it has a power line connection of "1Gbps" which is clearly way off.

HUAWEI WiFi Q2 Pro (3 Pack · Hybrid) - HUAWEI Global

HUAWEI WiFi Q2 Pro includes 3 routers - 1 base and 2 satellites. Supported by HUAWEI’s gigabit powerline chip and PLC Turbo, this hybrid home router can cover the Wi-Fi in every corner of your whole home. The extendable router keep your network fast and stably.

consumer.huawei.com

The reason I say that network is currently the WS5200 broadcasts a WiFi Network named Fibre and the Q2 broadcast a network named Mesh. I purposefully kept 2 WiFi networks because if I turned off the WS5200 wouldn't help me during loadshedding because the Mesh would be off.

I do like the option of maybe scrapping the mesh entirely and try find a good point for the WS5200 the main struggle I have is my home office is in a far corner of the house but I might just run a ethernet cable directly from router to my office.

Thanks for the comments guys great stuff

 

[SauRoNZA]

The system is currently wireless but it is a proper mesh unit system and not set up as repeaters. One of the features of the Q2 Pro is that it has a power line connection of "1Gbps" which is clearly way off.

HUAWEI WiFi Q2 Pro (3 Pack · Hybrid) - HUAWEI Global

HUAWEI WiFi Q2 Pro includes 3 routers - 1 base and 2 satellites. Supported by HUAWEI’s gigabit powerline chip and PLC Turbo, this hybrid home router can cover the Wi-Fi in every corner of your whole home. The extendable router keep your network fast and stably.

consumer.huawei.com

The reason I say that network is currently the WS5200 broadcasts a WiFi Network named Fibre and the Q2 broadcast a network named Mesh. I purposefully kept 2 WiFi networks because if I turned off the WS5200 wouldn't help me during loadshedding because the Mesh would be off.

I do like the option of maybe scrapping the mesh entirely and try find a good point for the WS5200 the main struggle I have is my home office is in a far corner of the house but I might just run a ethernet cable directly from router to my office.

Thanks for the comments guys great stuff

That powerline nonsense I’ve never seen work as advertised and could very well be the source of your problems.

If two plugs are on different circuits it makes all sorts of kak and the latency is often outrageous as well and very unreliable.

I definitely wouldn’t forego the mesh for a single router system again that’s catering to the 1% of the time rather than the 99% of the time.

How big is the property you are covering? And how many of the Q2 units do you have? Only 2?

****

You could put a switch in front of the ONT and then run two PPPoE connections from two different routers on that switch assuming it’s the type of fibre that allows you to setup your PPPoE links on the routers themselves.

Then you could have your stand alone router only be available during Load Shedding and placed somewhere more centrally.

Even better is give it the exact same SSID and PSK as your Mesh system and then keep it turned off permanently only to be turned on during Load Shedding. Your devices will then happily connect over that network without noticing it has changed.

You mentioned somewhere it’s a 200/100 link which tells me it’s Openserve and therefore should support multiple PPPoE.

****

Also highly recommend simply running Ethernet between all of the mesh units to solve your drop off problems.

Many people think Mesh is all about being fully wireless and sure it can be, but the major feature is actually that multiple access points are aware of each other and presented as one so there is no client-side decision making to choose which unit to connect to and it hands off seamlessly from the “server” side of things instead.

Ethernet between units will always be better and add stability and reliability with no guessing.

 

[Mothi17]

That powerline nonsense I’ve never seen work as advertised and could very well be the source of your problems.

If two plugs are on different circuits it makes all sorts of kak and the latency is often outrageous as well and very unreliable.

I definitely wouldn’t forego the mesh for a single router system again that’s catering to the 1% of the time rather than the 99% of the time.

How big is the property you are covering? And how many of the Q2 units do you have? Only 2?

****

You could put a switch in front of the ONT and then run two PPPoE connections from two different routers on that switch assuming it’s the type of fibre that allows you to setup your PPPoE links on the routers themselves.

Then you could have your stand alone router only be available during Load Shedding and placed somewhere more centrally.

Even better is give it the exact same SSID and PSK as your Mesh system and then keep it turned off permanently only to be turned on during Load Shedding. Your devices will then happily connect over that network without noticing it has changed.

You mentioned somewhere it’s a 200/100 link which tells me it’s Openserve and therefore should support multiple PPPoE.

****

Also highly recommend simply running Ethernet between all of the mesh units to solve your drop off problems.

Many people think Mesh is all about being fully wireless and sure it can be, but the major feature is actually that multiple access points are aware of each other and presented as one so there is no client-side decision making to choose which unit to connect to and it hands off seamlessly from the “server” side of things instead.

Ethernet between units will always be better and add stability and reliability with no guessing.

Thanks so much for this reply, the house is around 300 Square metres split across two floors with 3 Q2 Pro units together. I'll give this a try, correct it is openserve. This seems like a good solution thank you. I like the idea of having the same SSID and PSK but switching it off and then switching it on when needed I never thought about that.

After using these units I agree that the power line link doesn't really work, I think ethernet cables might be the best way for me to go.

Thanks for the advice really helpful to post directly into a Forum as opposed to searching and coming across something similar.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Thanks so much for this reply, the house is around 300 Square metres split across two floors with 3 Q2 Pro units together. I'll give this a try, correct it is openserve. This seems like a good solution thank you. I like the idea of having the same SSID and PSK but switching it off and then switching it on when needed I never thought about that.

After using these units I agree that the power line link doesn't really work, I think ethernet cables might be the best way for me to go.

Thanks for the advice really helpful to post directly into a Forum as opposed to searching and coming across something similar.

If you go the switching on and off route you don’t even need the switch in front of the ONT.

You could just swop the WAN cable to the other router when switching over to it.

A bit more manual but less hardware required.

 

[Jaseyyxx]

Hi Guys/Gals

This is my first post on mybroadband so please forgive any errors. I currently have a fibre connection with Afrihost running of Openserve. During my install I received one ONT box and the Huawei WS5200 router which included a UPS for loadshedding backups. This works fine. My problem is that my internet signal drops behind walls and between floors as does most people's so I purchased a set of Huawei Q2 Pro Mesh Wifi System to help spread the signal. The problem here is that the Q2 Pro's use a standard 16amp plug and cannot be powered by the mini UPS.

So I have my ONT connected to the UPS and the WS5200 which is also connected to the UPS. I then run a ethernet cable from the back of the WS5200 to my 1st Q2 Pro. Each router has it's own WiFi signal, the problem I have is that the WiFi signals on both aren't equal and the WS5200 is able to max my Fibre line while the Q2 network is around 50% slower.

I'm not sure if this piggy backing is causing the reduction in speed so I'd like to find out if it's possible to connect both routers to the ONT box directly and if anyone has done this before?

This will help me still have an internet connection during loadshedding and my full strength signal throughout the house when there is no loadshedding. During loadshedding we can all move closer to the WS5200 because only mobile devices will be in use then whereas with the Q2 Pro system I have my TV's and consoles set up on that network which wouldn't be of any use during loadshedding anyway.

Any thoughts/opinions or advice?

Regards

You cant unfortunately, only LAN 1 is active on the ONT.

 

[davyb]

You cant unfortunately, only LAN 1 is active on the ONT.

I actually plugged a switch into my lan4 and it worked, only afterwards did I switched it to lan port 1 so it seems the ports are active on my ONT. That being said I did not check ports 2 and 3

 

[Jaseyyxx]

I actually plugged a switch into my lan4 and it worked, only afterwards did I switched it to lan port 1 so it seems the ports are active on my ONT. That being said I did not check ports 2 and 3

Which FNO? I meant that once you have 1 device plugged in already the others wont work as they wont get an IP if its DHCP (Unless your ISP is extremely generous which they arent) I know with openserve you can activate 4 ISPs on the same ONT as each LAN port has a different B number

 

[georgelza]

Hi Guys/Gals

This is my first post on mybroadband so please forgive any errors. I currently have a fibre connection with Afrihost running of Openserve. During my install I received one ONT box and the Huawei WS5200 router which included a UPS for loadshedding backups. This works fine. My problem is that my internet signal drops behind walls and between floors as does most people's so I purchased a set of Huawei Q2 Pro Mesh Wifi System to help spread the signal. The problem here is that the Q2 Pro's use a standard 16amp plug and cannot be powered by the mini UPS.

So I have my ONT connected to the UPS and the WS5200 which is also connected to the UPS. I then run a ethernet cable from the back of the WS5200 to my 1st Q2 Pro. Each router has it's own WiFi signal, the problem I have is that the WiFi signals on both aren't equal and the WS5200 is able to max my Fibre line while the Q2 network is around 50% slower.

I'm not sure if this piggy backing is causing the reduction in speed so I'd like to find out if it's possible to connect both routers to the ONT box directly and if anyone has done this before?

This will help me still have an internet connection during loadshedding and my full strength signal throughout the house when there is no loadshedding. During loadshedding we can all move closer to the WS5200 because only mobile devices will be in use then whereas with the Q2 Pro system I have my TV's and consoles set up on that network which wouldn't be of any use during loadshedding anyway.

Any thoughts/opinions or advice?

Regards

pity you have all the AP's... I'd suggest going Unifi AP's with their PoE, that way you can run Cat5e from the main router to the 2nd and 3rd etc APs. and you can power it from the UPS.
Also this is not Mesh, so you don't suffer on the other AP's.

G