@TaylorFusion 

Can you confirm what version of the Controller software / Firmware you are running (latest is 4.4.4), also the same for your APs if possible..

This sounds like a firmware vs controller issue... have a feeling your APs are on the firmware for version 3 controllers and not v4..  but will know more when you post  :)

example below

@Philbert 

I see this for the EAPs

for the controller (software only) I have this:
 

Version: 3.2.14

Copyright © 2013-2020 TP-Link Corporation Limited.

@Philbert 

I successufly upgraded the Controller software to 4.4.4

I reset my 225's and both are adopted and provisioned

I can see my clients on my WiFi

Still not sure about upgrading my 225's firmware but controller is reporting this for both:
 

Model:

EAP225(US) v3.0

Firmware Version:

2.20.1 Build 20200630 Rel. 41064

Please describe where to get and install firmware for my two WAPs

thanks so much!

@Philbert 

Great thanks for the second set of eyes. Successfully upgrade both Aps to 5.0.5

Let me see if my connected clients can now show some metrics.

btw, Is it exected that the download speeds for a single connected client would be slower than connected to the routers' AP (Commscope) at the same relative distance to the antenna?

Also, what are the best settings if I simply want reliable fastest dl speed in a single story 2200 sq ft home.

Finally, do WAPs work best if parallel to the celing? Mine are currently dangling by the cat 6 cable as I assess the quality of this product before returning, if it doesn't meet my needs.

thanks

@TaylorFusion 

Hey

You should have working metrics now, that's a fairly common issue when firmware and versions are out of whack :)

In answer to your other questions.

btw, Is it exected that the download speeds for a single connected client would be slower than connected to the routers' AP (Commscope) at the same relative distance to the antenna?

To be honest, without more info I cant answer that for you.   What router do you have and what model of device are you connecting to it?   Also how are you testing this and what are your results, what channels?..   This can be affected by a number of things, channel selection, channel width, the mode of operation etc..   for example where I live if I use channels 36-48 I only get around 350mbps on an 2x2 connection, however on DFS channels this is ~450mbps so quite a bit faster

If its like for like there shouldn't be any real difference, that said APs do tend to be slightly better range, speed and capacity IMHO.. however its perhaps 10% at most

Wireless Routers are Jack of all trades, Master of none

Also, what are the best settings if I simply want reliable fastest dl speed in a single story 2200 sq ft home.

Your answer to the question above should help this one :)      You have 2x 225 aps?

Finally, do WAPs work best if parallel to the celing? Mine are currently dangling by the cat 6 cable as I assess the quality of this product before returning, if it doesn't meet my needs.

They are designed to be ceiling mounted in the middle of the room, this is the optimal setup.   However I have one of mine mounted on the wall and find no real difference to be honest.

Max coverage, I would go ceiling mounted if possible but its not a biggie

@Philbert 

thank you for the response. I would like to now go a little deeper in the channel settings you suggested.

Do you have a methodology for doing so? Or, would I experiment and what's the best approach to doing this given the information you've shared.

My testing involves comparing an iPhone 8 connected to either the 225 AP SSID (yes I have two of them) and comparing the connection with a Commscope model SAC2V1A router connected to a Hitron EN2251 modem, both supplied by Spectrum.

Please let me know if I need to supply any more information and I appreciate your help.

@TaylorFusion 

Hey

This could be a long reply so apologies in advance :)

Metholodogy wise, the only real way to test this is with iperf3 on 2 separate devices.  One will act as a SERVER and the other as the CLIENT, when the client connects to the server it will run a speed test over the LAN to get you the actual speed between the 2x devices.   The server is best as a PC or Laptop connected to the switch, the client over WiFi.

Running speed tests online (speedtest.net.. fast.com etc) are a waste of time as you are not testing the WiFi or LAN, rather the WAN speeds and a foreign server...  its good for a finger in the air estimate but not the best method for this, iperf3 is the only way actually test throughput.

For example I have a 1GB FTTP connection, speedtest and fast.com depending on the time could be anything from 350-900mbps, seen both of those.  As an example, I literally just ran two fast.com tests over a LAN cable one after another and got widely different results.. see below

Also hate to say this.. Apple devices are not the way to do this, they constantly mis-read stats and never give an honest answer to WiFi Speeds.   To do real testing on WiFi you need Android, Linux or Windows.  I support several thousand Apple devices via MDM in schools and they mis-read stats as its a locked down ecosystem and you cant talk directly to the hardware to get the real stats.   Take Apple results with a MASSIVE pinch of salt.   I like Apple hardware, but you only hear what they tell you.. again honestly, laptop desktop and iperf3 to get accurate results

When you say you have two 225 APs, are these standalone or in a Mesh / Managed by controller?  If controller is roaming or load balancing enabled?

The SAC2V1A has a slight advantage over the 225 in that its a 4x4 device, vs the 2x2 of the EAP225.  That should not matter too much as long as the device you are testing with is a 2x2 (most common if honest)

Incase you don't know, the 2x2 3x3 4x4 thing is the number of streams that can be used for communication between the client and the AP.   On 5ghz each stream is roughly 433mbps wide, therefore a 2x2 card will connect at 866mbps, a 3x3 at 1299, 4x4 at 1730 etc etc..  

The EAP225 is a 2x2 so its limited to 866mbps, its bigger brother the 245 is a 3x3 so can push 1300.   If the client is a 2x2 card it shouldn't make a difference, however the SAC2V1A being a 4x4 will flood a lot more airspace and cause more interference.

In terms of setup, make sure the EAP225 is on a 80mhz channel width and try it on DFS channels (52 - 116)..  Personally I have 3 EAP245s on channels  52  108   52  in that order, as mentioned before I find a big drop when on channels 36-48 due to other traffic.

If you have an android or windows device look at WiFi Analyser, it will tell you what channels are in use and what interference is on each.   Its a good tool, sadly apps like that don't exist on Apple world.

Check out how to run iperf3 test and give that a whirl first, you should see results like this below

@Philbert 

hi Philbert

I have a Windows 10 pc I can use for this test (and a wired connection) my clients are restricted to about 8 various MacOS/IOS. 

Went looking for the WiFi Analyzer and saw SolarWinds. Is this the company? I can get a free download trial but don't see the specific app you're suggesting.

...if not it, please provide a proper URL.

re: "When you say you have two 225 APs, are these standalone or in a Mesh / Managed by controller?  If controller is roaming or load balancing enabled?"

I'm not sure how to validate any of this:

and this:

I've installed:
PS D:\Data\Downloads\iperf-3.1.3-win64\iperf-3.1.3-win64> .\iperf3.exe

...but don't I need 2 Windows pc's? I have one from work but it's a PAW and the only admin control I have with it is on its associated Hyper-V VM so that will be some software emulation involved on the networking stack and may not be optimal.

If I can use a MacBook as a client, let me know. Both have a wired and wireless capability.

Thank you

@TaylorFusion 

Hey

No solarwinds is a different thing, its not what you are after.   Links below for WiFi Analyser

Windows   https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/wifi-analyzer/9nblggh33n0n#activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Android   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en_GB&gl=US

re: "When you say you have two 225 APs, are these standalone or in a Mesh / Managed by controller?  If controller is roaming or load balancing enabled?"

I'm not sure how to validate any of this:

So it looks like you have these ran via a controller?    If so go to settings, and under SITE  tick advanced features, enabled roaming etc

OK so looking at the screens you provided, you are getting a lot of Rx and Tx errors, this is transmission failures.. 

Under CONFIG change the channel with from AUTO to 80mhz..   Then set the channel from 44 to anything higher than 52 and see if that helps!   I would do this for both APs...   Set one at 52 and other at 104 something like that.

If you have downloaded iperf3 on a windows PC.. cable that into swtich and use it as the SERVER.. on a wireless device you can get apps to connect to the iperf server.     HE Netwrok tools is a good one for Android, use it a lot

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.he.networktools&hl=en_GB&gl=US

If you want to use MAC OSx this might help

   http://support.moonpoint.com/os/os-x/iperf/