My hAP ax3 has extremely weak 5 GHz coverage. The signal is weak even very
close to the router. At more than approximately 5 meters, it drops sharply and
the SSID often disappears completely.
At less than 5 meters, a phone gets only about 70 Mbps. The same phone gets
approximately 300 Mbps from another router located farther away.
Changing to 80 MHz increased the client-to-AP rate to 865 Mbps, but the
AP-to-client rate remained at 103.2 Mbps and the speed test remained around 70 Mbps.
I also tested 5180 MHz, 20 MHz width, each chain separately, and swapped the
two supplied antennas. None of these tests improved the range.
For country=Brazil, reg-info reports 5735-5835/30dBm/6gain/80MHz, so the
current 5745 MHz channel is not in a low-power regulatory range.
Is this more likely to be a configuration/driver problem or faulty 5 GHz
hardware?
Personally I've come to accept that 5GHz Wi-Fi range on Mikrotik AX devices is simply poor. I've got a hAP ax2 in the house and 5GHz range is disappointing. I've got a STRONG Wi-Fi 6 Extender Booster AX3000 which can be configured as an access point, if I've got time, I'll do a side by side test.
Okay had 30 minutes spare to do a test. Now, I know this is not a scientific test in a totally controlled environment but I've put the two devices side by side:
Ookla speed test in clear line of sight about 3m away and both devices give 260Mbps - the maximum of my internet connection. I then walked into the garden which is about 15m away still with reasonable line of sight and just a glass patio door in the way. My crude mobile signal display starts to show the clear difference:
Speed test on the STRONG stayed at 260Mbps but hAP ax2 dropped to 136Mbps. Both of these devices are MIMO 2x2 with transmit power set to maximum. The STRONG does have external antennae which has been discussed to death. I don't have an AX3 to do the same test with as it should be even more comparable as it's also got external antennae.
As I said not scientific but a good enough real world example to show the hAP ax2 signal isn't as strong (ha!) as a £30 access point. The net result of this lower signal strength means fall back to 2GHz feels like it occurs more with hAP ax2.
Yes, already got that installed on my mobile and use it a lot when installing client Wi-Fi. But for the purposes of this top-level discussion, the mobile Wi-Fi strength is enough to show a clear difference. I have since discovered the STRONG has 160MHz channel width. I put it to 80MHz but no discernible difference. I don't think my mobile can do 160MHz anyway.
I'd say that screenshots with pictograms as proof of signal strength difference is pretty much unscientific (or un-technological if you want). We're on a tech forum, so I'd expect everybody to operate with numbers. That difference in pictogram shown can be either 2dB or 20dB of a difference. The former would IMO more or less end the discussion about signal strength (and would steer discussion towards different aspects of AP performance) while the later would show that the signal strength difference is very much a thing.
And it would also be interesting to see signal difference while WiFi station is close to APs ... even though signal strength is high enough to offer wanted service. I'd expect to see same difference as outdoors.
And a thought: no real antennas have same antenna gain figure over whole frequency range supported. Antenna geometry mostly says that antenna gain is slightly higher at higher frequencies but that's only true when antenna design properly covers that frequency. Most often highest gain (and better VSWR figures) are achieved in the middle of supported frequency band. So I'd definitely try to run APs at frequencies closer to 5500MHz (or even in the lower part of 5GHz band as that's the original part of band) ... so even though shown Tx power might be same, actual EIRP might be higher.
Also: you're claiming that according to reg-info, your AP should be operating with high Tx power ... did you actually check that's true? Run
/interface/wifi/monitor [ find original-name=wifi1 ] once
Two access points configured as best they can - the hAP ax2 looked at many, many, many times (trust me). STRONG AP with of the box settings. The STRONG access point clearly has better signal range - I gave the two speed tests: hAP ax2 136Mbps, STRONG AP full-speed at 260MBps. Are we now denying a real world speed test?
It doesn't need to be rocket science. Time after time, there are posts about poor Wi-Fi range with Mikrotik. If one does have to spend days tweaking Mikrotik, then it's failed in the SOHO market.
Tx Power is 25. The hAP ax2 is configured to use channel 5500/ax/Ceee/D to ensure maximum power in the UK. This channel is also pretty much clear in my house. All other 5GHz devices locally are on 5180.
More observations. My Wi-Fi 6 laptop at about 8m from the devices. The difference in 2.4GHz signal strength is clear. 5GHz -50dBM on STRONG, -63dBm on hAP ax2. We all know that a -13dbm makes a huge difference.
The original poster reported weak signal. All I'm doing here is showing the Mikrotik Wi-Fi could have better signal range by comparing it against a relatively cheap unknown access point off eBay.
We would be better debating why this is the case rather than saying the test isn't valid.
Because you not even use the same frequency. It is like attaching ax2 to different WAN and ISP and different bandwidth plans and then saying: meh, poor speed. and also orientation of a device with built-in antennas can make a difference as well.
How does that effect basic signal strength? Sure, I can understand noise from other access points but as you can see, the hAP ax2 is not competing with another AP. In fact, the STRONG AP should struggle more because there are other devices on 5180.
Trust me, I've spent DAYS looking at Mikrotik Wi-Fi signal strength and it's simply not the best that can be achieved. Is it good enough? Well that's a different question.
No Mikrotik device has TPC capabilities. Maybe the "strong" one has. thus higher dbm. see cheatsheet
Use something like https://analiti.com/ to inspect the networks information elements. APs announce transmit power. Or use wireshark in monitor mode. Everything else is just guessing.
Infact on my cruddy old phone i get 230/240Mbps everywhere ie full speed of my internet. Could I find a dead spot if i tried real hard, maybe my gym yep hu hu huh 60Mbps outside in another world.
You have something Wrong dude!
Ahh so we're now starting to get to why it might be different. So are external antennae better? I've read many conflicting articles on that. There are certainly "better" in one way in that you can see clearly where the antennae are pointing. I haven't a clue where they are in the hAP ax2.
I'll try spinning both devices around and see if it makes much difference.
Referring back to original post those, that was with an AX3 which does have external antennae.
