Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s

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Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s

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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-02 15:38:38

@JSchnee21 

So looking at Rate and Signal, the three that I have been concerned about, in this order are:

 

My Wife's laptop in the office.

Nest Camera 2 (corner of house)

Nest Camera 1 (right outside her office at front door)

 

Wife's laptop Rate is currently connected to the Garage AP as it should be, on 5ghz, 866Mbps Rate and RSSI -64

 

Nest Camera 2 that has not shown any issues since firmware upgrade, on Garage AP, on 5ghz, 150Mbps and RSSi -72

 

Nest Cmara 2 on garage AP, 5ghz, 150Mbps RSSI -68

 

Brainstorming here, I COULD put the AP, in one of two spots.

 

I could jump move it up closer to the corner of the garage (in the pic below).

Or I could put it IN the ceiling, above the hallway.  It would be in the ceiling though, sitting on top of drywayll.  Would need to figure out a way to have it sit up there without the insulation laying on it.  Maybe just hang it in the crawl space that is between the garage and hallway where I have access, angle towards the office?  Then install the eap225-outdoor somewhere close to the garage door?

 

 

EDIT(Update):  For whatever reason, i never noticed this.

In the pantry, there is an RJ45 jack.  For some reason i always thought it was just a normal phone line.

In my main box in the master bedroom, that wire is a cat5e green wire (my network wires are blue so i always assumed it was a teleco wire).

Couldn't I just cut that wire there in the pantry, rewire it for an RJ45 at both ends (the end I cut in the picture below was already wired for RJ45), and throw an EAP225-Wall there?

That would cover my wife's office, and I could move the EAP245 in the garage closer to the garage door for my cameras?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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#12
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 00:36:28

So update, I have all my APs installed.

You can see the AP in my garage, I have blue dots where I tried installing.  No matter where I put it, I would either have problems with the Nest camera by the front door, or nest camera problems by the side of the house (both are marked in red).

I finally settled on its current spot, but am still having issues.

 

I have all AP setup by default.  I have the one in the living room set to medium tx and the other two are low.

 

Couple of things I have noticed.  A few clients will connect to an AP further away, even though the one closer to it has a better signal.

I have found that my wife's laptop would connect to the AP upstairs, even though the AP in the office is right there.

Quick not on that AP, it is on the wall like in that picture, but WALL MOUNTED, facing the front of the house.

I do have fast roaming turned on.

 

The other problem areas are my three Nest Cameras.  I have not tried 2ghz, as I wanted to connect them on 5.  But I keep having issues.  Mostly the one by the garage, even though the RSSI is low on all three.

 

Nest Cam by the pool in back of the house

 

Nest Cam1 and 2 at the front of the house.  The position I have it set at gives me the same RSSI but different mbps

 

 

Any suggestions on the roaming or how to resolve my nest camera 5ghz signal thing?

 

Should I add an outdoor AP or something?

 

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#13
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 00:43:16 - last edited 2020-06-06 00:45:20

Hi @Lardo5150,

 

STOP!!!  (JK) But you already have too many AP's as it is.

 

What is the problem you are seeing with the Nest?  Are these IQ or regular?  Hello?

 

Your RSSI's are fine.  Is the issue you are seeing the negotiated link speed?  Those look like 2.4GHz speeds.  Turn off Band Steering, and use separate SSID's for 2.4 and 5.8GHz.  Join your Nest cam's to the 5.8GHz.

 

My indoor IQ's connect at 600-866 Mbit/sec.  Except for my Hello which only typically has an RSSI of -86 dBm on 5.8GHz.

 

Also, if you have a steel garage door -- mine is double wall steel with high density foam insulation, the AP in the garage is not going to work well.  RF doesn't transmit through steel.  It would be better to put the AP in the hallway / Entryway.  This will cover the office and your wife's laptop, too.

 

-Jonathan

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#14
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 00:53:50

Hi @Lardo5150,

 

Here are my current Nests (2 indoor IQ and a Hello (which is outside).  I have two more in the box (outdoor IQ) as well I need to install.  They do "move around" to different AP's.  I'm still working on adjusting my 225-Outdoor.  I'm not that happy with it yet.

 

 

-Jonathan

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#15
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 00:58:08
These are the first generation Nest Outdoor Cameras. I do have two separate SSIDs already. I am trying to connect all the NEST to 5ghz. That is how they are currently connected. Because I have two SSIDs already, I did not enable band steering. Yes the garage door is steel, so that would explain why that far one is giving me issues. I can't get in the hallway. Right now I have no way to put a wired AP in the hallway or my wife's office, EXCEPT the spot on the wall/ceiling where I have it now (I have it wall mounted, but if it makes a difference I can ceiling mount it). I can hang an AP anywhere in the garage. I also have the ability to run an outdoor one also, either on the side of house (right next to the far one), or even front of house (right next to the camera at the front door). Just mentioning that if it helps. But yes, my concern is the speeds. That camera on the far side of the house in front by the garage door, will go offline occasionally. I could try, as a test, moving the AP in the garage, RIGHT NEXT to the Nest Cam on the side of the garage door. This AP will still feed my two minis in the garage plus my garage door app. I could see how the Nest Cam by the front door (which is the other side of my wife's office, how it takes to the AP in the office?
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#16
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 01:11:18

Gotcha @Lardo5150,

 

Re: SSID & bands.  Sorry.  Might check the spec's of the 1st gen.  Are the 802.11 a, n, or ac?  You might bring one in (if you can easily) and put it near an AP and see how fast it can go.  If it can do 2.4n (for example) but only 5.8a then 2.4 might be better.  2.4 also transmits further / better.

 

An outdoor could be an option.  So far I'm underwhelmed with mine.  But it is on wireless MESH.  I feel like when my outdoor clients are too close to it doesn't work as well as when they are ~20-30 feet away.  Maybe this is because I have it mounted too high?  8 feet.

 

One other thin to think about is the "directionality" of the EAP RF cones.  There are a few other recent posts here on the board about this R1D2 and/or jonas have some good posts with diagrams.

 

The RF cone from the EAP225/245 is mostly conical in nature (not a spherical -- though it is a little).  So for example, think about how large the "cone of silence" is coming down from your 2nd floor AP.  Where as the one in the Garage is mostly pointed down.

 

You might try, for example, temporary mounting the one in the garage on the back wall facing towards the front of the house.  Mount it maybe 4-6 feet high, roughly centered (in terms of the width of the house).  This should help your Nests and pickup the office as well.

 

You said the AP on the second floor is on low?  You can use the load balancing feature to limit the RSSI of clients to try and encourage them to use a closer AP.

 

-Jonathan 

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#17
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 01:48:12
I just mounted it on the far wall, right next to that nest camera in the corner of my garage door. Wall mounted, and its facing towards the front door camera (so if you were standing outside, in front of my garage door, the AP is facing to the left.) It jumped from 81mbps to 150mbps (from -67 to -52) The camera by the door is now being picked up by the office AP, same RSSI, mbps dropped to 54. All I could find for these cameras is this: 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz/5GHz) Wi-Fi; WEP, WPA, WPA2 encryption supported Its 3000 degrees here in Dallas, so I will try the back wall mount suggestion in the morning. I will need to read up on the load balancing to set this up. Besides the speed issues with the Nest Cameras, I have been VERY happy, with the performance and stability of the wifi in my home now.
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#18
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 01:49:31

Quick FYI, the outside of my home is brick, not sure if that is giving me troubles as well.

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#19
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 01:55:45

Great!  Sounds like you're making good progress!

 

I'm really happy with the stability and aggregate performance of my EAP's.  On any give day, I average ~60GB per day (which is really not very much) and 45-50 clients -- all of my Rokus are hardwired.  But on peak days, if my son is downloading a new game for his laptop or Xbox this could be 100GB-150GB per day.  Nothing by corporate standards, but with Covid we routinely have multiple Zoom, Teams, VPN's, all while simultaneously streaming Youtube on multiple iPads, playing Roblox on muliple iPads, Rainbow Six, Rocket Leage, Valient all without ever missing a beat.

 

-Jonathan

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#20
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Re:Need Help with Signal Strength - Install of EAP245s
2020-06-06 02:01:07

If it is real brick -- e.g. 3+ inches thick, yes, that will attenuate the signal a fair amount.  Not as much as steel.  But much more than drywall / viny siding.  My house is all drywall / viny siding and I get some 5GHz outslde -- for about ~10 feet or so.  That's why I got the Outdoor for the back yard,

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#21
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