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Optimum setup with 2862ac & two AP910c ???

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07 Apr 2018 15:24 #1 by macximum
I've had enough of fiddling about now, I really am putting this down to some sort of firmware issue but thought I would put it out there for those of you that are more expert at this than I. Typically I install Draytek in most of my clients very successfully but my own setup is the most frustrating.

Small terraced house with rear extension & loft conversion.

VirginMedia Hub in modem mode.

2nd Floor
Draytek 2862ac ( fw 3 . 8 . 8 ) - rack mounted, aerials on the outside of the cab using magnetic extender bases.

Gnd Floor
AP910c ( fw 1 . 2 . 3 . 2 ) extreme front of the property
AP910c ( fw 1 . 2 . 3 . 2 ) extreme rear of the property

SSID & settings are exactly the same from all wireless APs (inc. Router), using both 2.4GHz (set to 20GHz) & 5GHz (set to Auto 20/40/80GHz)
2.4GHz & 5GHz channels all differ between APs and are suitably spaced apart
Security is WPA2/PSK AES for both 2.4GHz & 5GHz
EAPOL is off
WMM is on
APSD is off
Country Code set to UK

I have a lot of home automation gadgets; led controllers, smart plugs, lightwave, nest, etc - Primarily for my daughter who is severely visually impaired - search #eleanorsvoice anywhere or eleanorsvoice.com for more info on that!

I have tried to have all the gadgets co-exist on the same SSID and things kept dropping off, also my iPhones, MacBook Pro and iPads would just drop off and not renegotiate a connection, sometimes reporting no internet connection or simply 'wrong password'.

I have now created a separate 2.4GHz SSID with WPA2/PSK AES for a good chunk of the home automation gadgets and logged them in to it but even that isn't working & I'm getting the same issues. I've tried having no password and white listing the MAC addresses (keeping the same ACL for all APs) but some of the gadgets 'require' that a password is set for the SSID & there is no option to join an open SSID (TP-Link smart plugs in particular).

Rebooting the router & APs sometimes seems to improve things but not for long. The more settings I switch on the more of an overhead it seems to create & speed tests come out really bad, especially also if I do not have WMM switched on. I have tested 372mb down with Virgin (20mb up) on a wired connection & have been able to achieve this speed wirelessly too on occasion! I'm trying to achieve a house wide 802.11ac 5GHz network & there are quite a few steel beams in the building work.

I just seem to be going around & around in circles with no setting that works solidly.
I think I've included everything, if there is anything missing please just ask.

I had the same issues with a 2860ac as the main router but that's gone now & the 2862ac is the replacement, hoping that it would be the answer to my prayers but alas the problems still exist & I just can't help thinking it is either a firmware issue or something I am blatantly missing.

Can anyone give me any suggestions as to what to try next?

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09 Apr 2018 17:45 #2 by bennyh
I am experiencing issues with a similar setup too, speaking to support about it, taking their sweet time.

Why not try the setup with 1 AP instead of 2, sometimes less is more, if you know what I mean. Maybe you can move the 2862AC to one corner of the house, or the rear, and the AP can be on the front or the opposite corner. The signal will go through the floor too, depending on the material.

If it works better with 1 AP, you know what the issue is.
If no change, did you setup the AP's manually or push out the profile from the 2862ac?

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10 Apr 2018 12:08 #3 by macximum
Replied by macximum on topic Re: Optimum setup with 2862ac & two AP910c ???
I think with the number of APs I have, I am ensuring a good strong 5GHz signal throughout for 802.11ac, if I disable any of them the 5GHz signal drops significantly and the speed too. This is due to building materials and steels used in extending our home.

The 2862ac is located in the remaining space in the eaves at the very top of the house - almost centrally, in a data cabinet so moving it would cause a logistic wiring nightmare.

The APs are ceiling mounted to the extreme front and extreme rear of the ground floor. So I have tried to create a sort of triangle of APs if you like, although this is very much dependant on building materials and locations. I am aware that this might not be the 'actual' case for the signal radius.

Everything has been manually configured, double and triple checked to match.

At the moment I have a variant of stability, but I do see when I move out of range of an AP910c in to range of the 2862ac I get kicked off of the wireless and my iPhone X (typically this is what I use most of the time) tells me I have the incorrect password to my wi-fi network, it takes several retries to get it to connect and I'm not sure which channel it is honing in on once it does connect, as the iPhone gives you very little feedback on which channel it is actually connected to. I can find out the dBM values for each channel using Apple's Airport utility app and I could check with the APs as to what Stations are connected to what.

My guess is that there is something glitchy in the 2862ac (and was the case for the 2860ac) that doesn't match the settings of the AP910c config. The advanced wireless settings of both do differ somewhat, with WMM being in a different place and allowing for different config options etc.

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10 Apr 2018 13:54 #4 by bennyh
I had this issue too, SSID1 on the 2862AC was telling me it was the wrong password even though I was sure it was the correct one, same as on the AP.

This is where Google Chrome (I used that to configure the Drayteks) was applying some password from another website for one of the SSID's only (i probably clicked on yes to a prompt without looking) when configuring, so best to clear the cache/passwords of any entries for the router and AP's, then re-enter the passwords for the SSID's once more, see how you get on.

You could also configure a radius server (on the draytek) for wireless roaming:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J36WrYgLK7o

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10 Apr 2018 13:58 #5 by macximum
Replied by macximum on topic Re: Optimum setup with 2862ac & two AP910c ???
Thank you for all your suggestions so far.

I'm using a mixture of Safari and or Firefox to enter the passwords on the Router and APs, and now that at least the router firmware allows you to 'see' the password entered, I am certain it is correct.

I might have to try the RADIUS server but didn't want to dip my toe in that water until I had exhausted all options for the way I currently have it setup.

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12 Apr 2018 10:09 #6 by macximum
Replied by macximum on topic Re: Optimum setup with 2862ac & two AP910c ???
Still battling with this!

Something that might help Draytek technical...

Despite ALL the wireless settings on the 2862ac matching the AP910c's as best as I can see, it is most definitely the router that is causing the wireless issues.

I have now completely disabled the wireless on the 2862ac and all is well BUT my wireless coverage in the vicinity of the router has seriously degraded (as the AP910c's are way down on the ground floor) and wireless speeds are not what I would like them to be.

I have another AP910c which was destined for a client, so yes I could of course use that (I haven't yet) but it kind of defeats the object of buying a 2862ac, I might as well have bought the 2862 and gone to the extra personal expense of an additional AP910c for that area!

Dare I try a RADIUS server setup? Wouldn't that just introduce another layer of complication?

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