I’m planning to add a second access point to my house and I’m trying to understand how this is supposed to work before I buy anything.
Right now I’ve got one AP running 2.4 GHz on channel 1 and 5 GHz on channel 36.
If I add another one, should it use the exact same SSID and password? And what channels am I supposed to set it to?
I’m assuming having both APs on the same channel would cause interference, but if they’re on different channels, will my phone still switch between them automatically?
Sorry if these are basic questions. Never had more than one AP before and I’d rather not spend money making my WiFi worse lol.
If you’re staying within the UniFi ecosystem, just adopt the second AP. It’ll pick up your existing SSIDs and settings. You don’t need to create a separate network for each AP. Roaming is mostly up to the client anyway. Your phone decides when it wants to switch.
@Subject-Gap-4864 Okay, so both APs broadcast the same WiFi name, but they can be on different channels? Wouldn’t switching channels disconnect my phone?
No, your phone can roam to another AP on a different channel while staying on the same network. Doesn’t mean every roam will be completely interruption-free, but you shouldn’t need to manually reconnect.
For 2.4 GHz, stick to channels 1, 6 or 11 with 20 MHz width. If AP #1 is on 1, put AP #2 on 6 or 11, assuming those channels aren’t already packed with neighboring networks. 5 GHz gives you more room to work with.
@Skeptical.pragmatist What if both APs end up using the same channel? Will devices start disconnecting because they’re interfering with each other?
Not necessarily. APs on the same channel can share airtime. The problem is when they’re close enough that their coverage overlaps heavily and they spend a lot of time waiting for each other. Partial channel overlap is generally worse, since the radios may not be able to coordinate transmissions properly.
I’d just leave channel selection on Auto initially and see how it behaves. But if you want to know whether the APs are overlapping too much or using crowded channels, grab a WiFi analyzer. NetSpot is pretty good for that. You can also map the coverage around the house and see where the signal from each AP reaches. No need to start manually tuning everything before you’ve even installed the second AP.
Auto isn’t magic though. I’ve seen two APs sitting on the same channel while a perfectly usable one was available.
@SilverFox Sure, which is why I said check the result. I’m just saying OP doesn’t need to manually configure every radio on day one.