Two APs with same SSID

LlamaThumper

Dear all,
Apologies in advance for this noob question, but, what is the best setup for having two APs on with the same SSID? I have two separate floors and have the issue that the devices downstairs 'hang onto' the APs upstairs, resulting in a bad signal. 
Is there any standard way to avoid this?
I currently have this device upstairs:
https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/ceiling-mount-access-point/eap225-wall/
And this one downstairs:
https://www.conrad.com/p/devolo-business-solutions-wifi-pro-1200i-poe-wi-fi-access-point-12-gbps-24-ghz-5-ghz-1426120
The one upstairs is newer and was thinking of simply getting a second one, replacing the one downstairs in the hope of solving the problem. 
i could also get a 'controller' but understand that might be overkill for two devices. 
so, in summary, is there any way of dealing with the 'handover' effectively between APs?
Thanks in advance for any hints.

LlamaThumper

Dear all,
Apologies in advance for this noob question, but, what is the best setup for having two APs on with the same SSID? I have two separate floors and have the issue that the devices downstairs 'hang onto' the APs upstairs, resulting in a bad signal. 
Is there any standard way to avoid this?
I currently have this device upstairs:
https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/ceiling-mount-access-point/eap225-wall/
And this one downstairs:
https://www.conrad.com/p/devolo-business-solutions-wifi-pro-1200i-poe-wi-fi-access-point-12-gbps-24-ghz-5-ghz-1426120
The one upstairs is newer and was thinking of simply getting a second one, replacing the one downstairs in the hope of solving the problem. 
i could also get a 'controller' but understand that might be overkill for two devices. 
so, in summary, is there any way of dealing with the 'handover' effectively between APs?
Thanks in advance for any hints.

Marc

@LlamaThumper , no its generally not a good practice unless you are using a mesh setup or your router support specifically using the same SSID between multiple access points.  The two unrelated nodes will clash if they are not meant to support this.  Mesh networks specifically support seamless roaming, assuming the host your using does as well and that will allow you to roam and the device your using find the most appropriate node to connect to.

Bud80

It's the endpoint that makes the decision to roam, so even if you were to go with a controller/mesh solution, you might still run into the same problem to where the endpoint will "stick" to the old AP with a much weaker signal.  We've had to deal with this in the Enterprise since the inception of 802.11.  Could you simply disable/reenable the adapter to force association to the closer AP or will the type of applications you run not support that?

LlamaThumper

Thank you both! Will be looking into this.

DavidF

Another important point here is that on many devices, Roaming Sensitivity can be adjusted. Roaming Sensitivity (or Agressivenes) is how quickly your device/wifi card will change from one AP to another. Here is an article that explains it for Windows and how to adjust this setting. 
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/wifi-roaming-sensitivity-aggressiveness
Fully agree with the Mesh solution, which may be better all around. Many of the mesh routers will adjust the strength to minimize overlap, which makes it easier for your device to switch. 
Hopefully, this helps. 
David

The_Vorlon

Marc said:

@LlamaThumper , no its generally not a good practice unless you are using a mesh setup or your router support specifically using the same SSID between multiple access points.  The two unrelated nodes will clash if they are not meant to support this.  Mesh networks specifically support seamless roaming, assuming the host your using does as well and that will allow you to roam and the device your using find the most appropriate node to connect to.

Marc said:

@LlamaThumper , no its generally not a good practice unless you are using a mesh setup or your router support specifically using the same SSID between multiple access points.  The two unrelated nodes will clash if they are not meant to support this.  Mesh networks specifically support seamless roaming, assuming the host your using does as well and that will allow you to roam and the device your using find the most appropriate node to connect to.

This configuration is called seamless roaming and is in fact a 'best practice' provided the hardware (and the client) supports the configuration.  Aside from SOHO routers and most consumer wifi extenders,  any decent AP and enterprise grade extender or mesh point supports seamless roaming.  Access points and wireless cards that support 802.11K, 802,11R and 802.11V handle seamless roaming between access points using a common SSID  very well.

For the record - seamless roaming is not limited to WiFi only - it's what enables cellular service to work without dropping calls as you roam between cell towers. 

PeterP

The other thing to try is to turn the transmit power down a bit on both AP's.  I have a similar situation, two story home with one AP upstairs and another downstairs. Also, the AP's should be configured to use different channels, otherwise you will get signal interference.