Earlier, I got some great help with resetting my hAP ax lite - thanks again for that! Now I’m moving on to the next step of my plan, but I could really use some guidance, as I’m a bit hesitant to dive in on my own.
I’ve also bought the wAP ax, and I’d like to use it to extend my WiFi coverage. The hAP ax lite is my main router, and it’s connected to the internet. It’s located in the main building, while I have another building (a sauna) where I’d like to have a WiFi connection. My goal is to set up the wAP ax as a mesh node via wireless connection.
Using the wAP as a repeater doesn’t seem like the best fit here, or does it? I do understand that running a cable to the other building would give the best results, but that’s quite a challenge in this remote island location. I’m okay with losing a bit of speed as long as it works wirelessly.
So - could someone point me in the right direction, or even walk me through how to set up a mesh node with these devices? I did take a look at the manuals, but they’re a bit too technical for me.
Before and besides the actual configuration, you need to understand whether the WapAx is a suitable device in your use case.
Unlike most Mikrotik SoHo devices, the WapAx has a pretty much directional antenna(s) and emissions, so to use it as a repeater, BOTH the “incoming signal” and the “covered area” should lie in the same 90-120° angle, see:
If this condition is met, the hap ax lite has only a 2.4 GHz radio, so you will need to set the Wap Ax 2.4 GHz as client (station in Mikrotik jargon) and use the 5 Ghz one as AP for the wifi coverage of the sauna building.
Technically it is possible to make this setup even with 1 radio (I’ve done it enough with mAP and mAP Lite). But that requires a slave wifi interface and your throughput will be practically halved because of both interfaces using the same physical medium.
If you have 2 radios, it’s more practical to dedicate one to backhaul and one for clients.
Thanks for the instructions. This is a bit overwhelming to me (maybe not the ideal products for me), but just to make sure before I start, do I reset the wAP with winbox and select NOT to load the default config to have a “blank slate”, then “shoot” those commands (and modify my SSID and passphrase) using the terminal in winbox?
Sorry, I’m not a network expert and this kind of configuring is new to me, although I am an IT pro (workstations and such).
