Hi everyone,
I need some advice, please.
My house has two floors, both with 7m by 14m. I’m thinking of installing a cAP ax centered on the ceiling of the top floor.
Do you think it will cover the whole house?
Thanks
I think not. But it might. And...it depends.
Can you perform an WiFi analyze? Do you have a device like the cAP AX (radio pattern wise)?
I love to have multiple accesspoints in my house. The family doesn't even notice when I perform a RouterOS upgrade.
Hi erlinden,
Yeah…. the wonders of Wifi 
No, unfortunatly, I don’t have any device similar to cAP ax to test.
The problem with multiple access points, is multiple problems to pass cables to connect them :\
Then grab anything that has a WiFi radio and analyze with that.
Maybe the 2.4 GHz, forget about the 5 GHz.
(of course it depends on thickness and material of the deck between lower and upper floor, and of thickness and material of the walls)
Other manufacturers offer software capable of simulating wifi coverage, but of course they don't provide the Mikrotik models characteristics.
A rule of the thumb should be that an AP centered on the ceilng should cover 200 sqm (15x15 or so) but that is in an open environment (think of a classroom).
And the cAP Ax is not reknown for its extended coverage, check:
cAP AX coverage/range issue, and what Mikrotik AP to replace it with?
CAP ax Gen 6 mediocre performance
More generally it also depends on use and expectations, there are people that expect full WiFi 6 speed in every corner of the house and people that are happy with 1/4 of that.
Personally I would try with two wAP Ax's, placed in opposite corners on the two levels (but again it depends on your actual floor plans).
I have a hAP ax³ on the ground floor (old house, 60cm stone walls), and a cAPax on the 1st floor.
I build a 5Ghz WiFi bridge between the 2 - as I have literally a visual line between both devices.
So everyone has to use 2.4Ghz wifi (and before anyone says, do it the other way around - I have IOT devices that will work only on 2.4Ghz). And using the 2.4Ghz as bridge slows down too much when the IOT’s are talking.
One only device will eventually not reach the back rooms.
Planned is for me to get a Cat6 cable from the ground floor to the top floor, and do a decent setup.
I also have Cap Ax first floor and Hap ax2 ground floor, Hap ax2 as router and capsman controller for the Cap AX. If you want solid speeds I would go with 2 devices. I mean I get 750mbps downstairs and from the same spot to my Cap Ax upstairs I get about half that on 5G.
This very much depends on your building construction and desired or tolerable speeds. A cAP ax is a suitable way of covering either room so why not try it in the top room then see whether some further solution might be needed?
If cabling might be needed then a wAP in a corner of the top level connected to a cAP or wAP below will be shortest.
Despite doom stories, I am covering a 270 sq m split three-level house (two stories front half, one intermediate level rear half) with a single hAP ax3 in the top level, with mostly 5 GHz access. It depends on construction and necessary or desired speeds by location. Right now at the rear of the house I am getting only 350 Mb/s but then I am only idling on the internet over breakfast so I do not notice. I can always add a device here if it becomes important.
Thank you everyone.
After reading all of your answers, I have to rethink my strategy. Maybe 2 or 3 APs around the house that aren't wall or ceiling mounted.
Maybe the hAP ax2? Or maybe the hAP ax S. I want to avoid big antennas.
Thank you
Most AP's, including the hAP Ax2 and Ax S have omnidirectional antennas, if you prefer they cover a round area and - ideally - should be placed in the center of the area to be covered.
The wAP Ax is an exception and covers a sector 90°-120° wide (180° in theory) so that they can be placed on a wall or in a corner, which usually is a more convenient place to have a cable, but you don't really need to screw them to the wall, they come with a stand so you can place them - say - on a shelf or library.
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I don't know if this helps you at all, but I have a Chateau 5g right in the middle of my loft space and this covers both floors really well. I've not had any need for another access point. The loft space though is completely open and it's as high as I can mount it in the loft so it really only has to penetrate a thinnish ceiling to the first floor and then go through a wooden floor to the ground floor. It manages to bypass most of the thicker walls in the house this way that 5ghz WiFi won't normally pass through. Your mileage may vary as if you have cap ax mounted on the first floor it will need to pass through some walls still so you might find that coverage isn't good on the ground floor.
I just completed wAP AX install to address coverage problems for devices in the farther areas of my home. Network signal pre wAP ax ~ -75 db and post wAP ax ~ -52 db. This accounts for a couple of sheet rock walls between the wAP and a few of the devices that are connecting (sec. cams. to be precise) The wAP AX is an unassuming footprint sitting on a shelf. In my case, the wAP ax management is cAPsMAN via hAP ax3.
Hello again,
I prefer having multiple access points throughout the house, rather than having visible cables.
That's why I'm thinking of opting for the hAP ax S for indoors, and using the wAP ax outdoors.
As my main router, I'm considering the hAP ax2.
What do you think?
Thank you guys
Just fine...depending on the location you can consider the wAP AX for indoor as well.