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Araknis WAPs? Is mesh best? If so, why do manufacturers continue to make non-mesh WAPs?
ControlFREQ
Member Posts: 1
We’ve been deploying Araknis network products for residential applications. We’ve gone exclusively to the
700 series WAPs, We use the WiFi channel scan and try to separate the channels as much as possible. Still getting complaints from some customers about poor and spotty reception. I notice that sometimes you have to turn WiFi off and back on again on a device to get it to restore a connection to a internet page or to our control App. Suggestions? Reasons why?
I’ve looked into eero, but was warned against using it by the Savant rep. Is mesh best? If yes, then why do manufacturers continue to make non-mesh WAPs?
700 series WAPs, We use the WiFi channel scan and try to separate the channels as much as possible. Still getting complaints from some customers about poor and spotty reception. I notice that sometimes you have to turn WiFi off and back on again on a device to get it to restore a connection to a internet page or to our control App. Suggestions? Reasons why?
I’ve looked into eero, but was warned against using it by the Savant rep. Is mesh best? If yes, then why do manufacturers continue to make non-mesh WAPs?
5
Comments
The Araknis 700's are designed to be permanently housed, and more for professional usage rather than the Home market the Eero's aimed at, so they would make more sense. Do you have the 700's currently positioned, with the ports facing downwards? Have you checked to make sure each one is currently plugged into the PoE? Also, have you used a WiFi scanner to check for dead spots?
I'd say Mesh is best for home usage.
@domenico anything to add on Araknis?
Community Manager at Fing
Community Manager at Fing
I'm not someone who's knows about, or really understands, networking so this may or may not be useful. In a bid to improve the wifi range in my house I have bought and installed an Orbi system by Netgear. It was easy to set up and had been a big improvement over the wifi modem/router I was using (Fritz!box 7490). Its major weakness was the documentation. Nowhere did it mention the web interface - which gives access to a great deal of flexibility - just the app. The app is very handy though so kudos for that.
My 2c worth. Cheers, Grouty
I've used this analogy before; imagine you're trying to tell your friend a story, but this friend happens to be on the other side of a field and can't hear you shouting. You need some method of getting the message over to them.
Lets say you're using two access points, one is your router, the other is in another part of your house and hard wired into your router. In this instance it's like having a second friend stood next to your first friend. You can call either one of them, they can put you on speaker phone and you can tell the story - either way your first friend gets to hear it directly from you.
If you're using a range extender/repeater - this is like having a second friend stood in between you two. You can shout to your friend in the middle, then will turn around and shout your message onto your first friend. Now depending on the distance you may end up having to add more friends into the field, while it sitll may work, there's more chance for the message to be changed by the time your friend firiend gets it. This adds a delay and the possibility of losing some of the message; thankfully your first friend will shout back what they've heard so you can confim they've got the right message...but that all adds a delay.
Mesh networking is more like all of your friends having a conference call, then you can walk around and just speak your message to anyone who's listening. Your first friend will still be able to hear it because you're walking in range of someone on the call. The downside here is that sometimes you'll be close enough to one for it to be crystal clear, other times you'll be between two friends so there's a bit of an echo as you're being picked up by more than one phone.
This is sort of what happens with mesh networking and is why it often disconnects like you've described. The phone has to make a choice between which signal it connects to, while the system itself is also trying to negotiate and grab your traffic. When we set these systems up in a professional setting we tend to map out overlapping signals where you're not likely to be moving. Effectively choosing where the dead zones will be.
Mesh networking is still hugely under development and is constantly improving, but each approach has its downside. The setup you're using is robust, like the first approach, but you're still contending with a device that's trying to cling onto its currently assigned AP. You'll find that you need to give the device a little jog, either by going out of range entirely or forcing a reconnect (turning off the wifi or disconnecting from the AP) for it to pick the best signal.
Community Manager at Fing
-Warden Anastasia Luccio, Captain
This is why most mesh systems are not at all suitable for Business use as you will inevitably bump up against something you can't do. So for Business a higher end mesh or extenders is the way to go.
I use an Asus mesh setup that uses their standard routers (certain models) and configures them in a mesh setup. So they retain a lot of the higher end configuration options. So it sits somewhere in the middle.
I also run an outdoor AP as well that is connected via Ethernet.
For a Mesh System, I am impressed with the AmpliFi HD Mesh System which I helped a neighbour install.
Community Manager at Fing
new here and reupping this thread. Currently fighting w my home install in a multi level 6000 sq ft home. ISP is xfinity. Pull 1.2g straight to my araknis router / switch. Wire drops are hard in this home. Have been able to get drops from basement where the router / rack is to the first floor. Can pull full wired speeds. Have a luxul WAP pulling 600mbps which degrades very quickly. Signal mapping shows it drop from 600 to less than 40 on the first floor. Second floor is about the same. Given the difficult in wire drops, I have added MOCA adaptors to reuse coax which seems to be run all over this house. These pull 100% of wired network speed. I am stuck with how best to fill the gaps. I have an araknis 700 indoor wap, another 700 outdoor wap I wanted for the patio, and an 810 that I was planning to put in the center of the home on the first floor as it purports to be the most powerfully. The 810 can connect to an existing Ethernet drop which has been verified to pull 100% of the speed.
so, what’s the problem you day after reading this build up? The question is do I add a wired mesh solution to the second floor where I’m currently pulling 100% wired right now, or do install the waps upstairs? I also have the added issue of not being a professional installer so working w the araknis equipment requires working w my old installer (which brings its own challenges).
I was thinking of something like an eero pro 6 or an orbi mesh option but could leverage the Ethernet for wired back haul. But again, I’m googling my way to greatness on this...
Thanks!!
best
Michael