I have a L009UiGS-2HaxD-IN and hAP AX lite that are both on version 7.12.1. I’ve setup CAPsMAN the same as the example in the documentation[1]. I do have some differences in the configuration. I mirrored some settings that the L009 had already which is “wifi 1” and the “cap-wifi 1” is the hAP AX lite. The location is basically a rectangle and two floors. I have the L009 at the center of the house/rectangle but at the top and the hAP AX downstairs somewhat offset from the L009 and I’ll admit, probably too close to the L009. The house is wooden frame and drywall and we don’t have a lot of other networks close to us.
I’m having a couple different issues. Coverage on the right side of the house isn’t great up or down, maybe a bar or two. I can be on the first floor and be fairly close to the center of the house and possibly 20-30ft from the L009 and my signal still isn’t strong. Speed wise, I’m getting roughly 40-60mbps. We have 1gig fiber line from the ISP that gets roughly 950+mbps on the wire. So I’m confused why my signal isn’t great and why speeds are slow.
I feel like my CAPsMAN configuration isn’t setup right and the L009 wifi isn’t setup right as if they are not operating as a mesh network multi-access point setup(Sorry, don’t know the technical name).
QUESTION:
What can I do to improve coverage?
What can I do to improve my CAPsMAN configuration? Is there any mistakes?
How can I increase wifi speeds?
How can I improve the client handoff from AP to AP?
I know there are a handful of other posts similar to this, but I’m new and I’d like ask again with my specific setup and hopefully learn from it. Any suggestions here, please let me know. I’m not a networking professional, but I know more than the average joe. Thank you ahead of time!!!
Can you please export your full configuration, from that we can say what to improve in your CAPsMAN cofiguration.
To enable roaming you need to enable FT and FT over DS in your capsman configuration.
What can be a problem with speed and range is interference from another APs in your area, also 40 MHz wide channel could decrease speed and coverage if APs are on the same channel, basically they are screaming at each other and interfere with operation. I would set channel to 20 MHz and manually assign frequencies so they don’t overlap.
When you go to create configuration and you press to create new configuration you have tab FT and there you can find FT and FT over DS, that is for roaming.
You should first set channels, be sure to set it in that way so APs don’t overlap. Also scan area for free channels and choose those channels with least amount of interference.
With the CAPsMAN configuration for the hAP AX Lite and the L009 being self-managed, would Channel settings be something I do in the configuration and then directly on the L009 wifi interface? Sorry still new to this.
So for local interface on your CAPsMAN controller you need to do this changes on local interfaces and for your CAP you do this in configuration you created.
Roaming will work as both CAP and local interface are managed by the same ROS instance.
I figured that was the case, but wanted to make sure, thank you.
Another question, I’m used to seeing channels for 2.4ghz at channels 1-11, and with Mikrotik it’s more in-depth. I set the channel to 20MHz like you recommended, but I’m a bit confused on how to set the frequency. I see online here https://systemzone.net/mikrotik-wifi-frequency-band-and-channel-width-explanation/ that I should probably set one AP at Channel 1, so frequency 2401-2423 and then the other AP at channel 11, so 2451-2473. Would that be correct?
I did have a follow-up on this. So far, signal strength has been good since I made the changes you mentioned(thanks again!). There is another problem now where I can be right next to one of the APs and be on a video call, and it will drop out and then back in. There are no errors on those devices that I can tie them to, but my first guess is having the AP’s so close together that the device switches from one to the other. I would run only the L009 if it could cover the whole house, but that’s why I have the hAP AX lite cover the downstairs. I can’t easily separate the two from being too close to each other. Any thoughts on why this might happen?
The second question is, what coverage distance and speed should I expect? Right now if I’m 20–30 feet away from one of the APs I can get around 30-60mbps, and I’m not upset about that, it seems adequate, but I don’t know if that’s what I should expect. Since neither AP has a 5ghz range, I’m guessing that’s why I don’t get higher.
One thing that comes to my mind is that your device roams between two APs, that can be checked in logs in winbox. If your APs are too close, make sure that they are on different channels and maybe it could help if you decrease transmit power. I did this in my house because some of my devices likes to stick to downstairs AP so i decreased TX power on CAPs just enough so I don’t loose a lot of range in my house and now all my devices roams without a problem.
Regarding speeds, that seems about right for me, 30-60 Mbps on 2.4 GHz band when 20-30 feet away including walls etc. This also can depend on amount of interference in the area.