NWA210AX Pre purchase questions

Noddy

Hi all, I'm looking to move to x2 of these units, using poe injectors connected to a 2.5Gb switch. I have some questions which I'm confused on.

1. Do these support smart mesh as I want to be able to roam on my mobile?

connectivity?connectivity?2. If so, I read that the repeater AP must not see the gateway. Does that mean I have to disconnect it from the switch? If so what does it use for back haul, if not wired? Will I lose my 2.5gb connectivity? Or can I use smart mesh and keep both connected to my switch?

3. What distance do I need for the repeater AP to be safely able to communicate back to the main AP if I have to disconnect it from the switch. The units will be 11m apart (nearly 40ft).

I'm used to using mesh wifi units with wired back haul access so these access points are confusing me slightly in how to configure and how to connect up.

Thanks for any help.

Zyxel_Judy

Hi @Noddy ,

Thank you for your interest in the Zyxel NWA210AX AP.

The NWA210AX supports both smart mesh and roaming features. However, it's important to clarify that smart mesh and roaming serve different purposes and are not directly related.

Nebula Smart Mesh allows an AP (Repeater AP) to connect to the network through another AP (Root AP). This means there's no need for an Ethernet cable for the Repeater AP. For a deeper understanding of smart mesh, please refer to this FAQ. It's worth noting that in a mesh scenario, the throughput decreases by half with each hop.

If your primary need is to ensure seamless roaming for your mobile devices, simply ensure the following two conditions are met:

• Both APs should have the same SSID name and security method. They can either be configured with Ethernet cables (with both APs connected to your switch) or via smart mesh (one AP connected to the switch and the other wirelessly).
• Ensure there's an overlapping coverage of 15% to 20% between the two APs. This overlap guarantees smooth roaming for wireless clients between the APs.

The optimal distance between two APs can vary based on environmental factors such as obstacles and walls. While the placement of APs should primarily be based on signal strength rather than just distance, a signal strength of -70dBm or better is recommended. If you've set a dissociation threshold, ensure the signal is above this level. Generally, a distance of 11m (approximately 40ft) is considered a safe range for effective roaming ỏ doing smart mesh between APs.

Noddy

Think I may have confused myself with all this smart mesh nonesense. Reading this article is what I wanted. Can anyone confirm that this is possible on the NWA210AX Access Points please?

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/3153/how-to-set-up-seamless-wireless-roaming

jpblanch75

The article is a bit out of date but yes it works fine.

802.11k/v is one setting that helps with roaming and the other is 802.11r.

802.11r setting is not available in Stand-alone mode but is when using a Cloud or an AP Controller

For me I was using the Nebula Cloud Controller and now I'm using Stand-alone mode. I don't find that using The cloud with the 802.11r setting helps….. it works fine.

Zyxel_Judy

Hi @Noddy ,

Thank you for your interest in the Zyxel NWA210AX AP.

The NWA210AX supports both smart mesh and roaming features. However, it's important to clarify that smart mesh and roaming serve different purposes and are not directly related.

Nebula Smart Mesh allows an AP (Repeater AP) to connect to the network through another AP (Root AP). This means there's no need for an Ethernet cable for the Repeater AP. For a deeper understanding of smart mesh, please refer to this FAQ. It's worth noting that in a mesh scenario, the throughput decreases by half with each hop.

If your primary need is to ensure seamless roaming for your mobile devices, simply ensure the following two conditions are met:

• Both APs should have the same SSID name and security method. They can either be configured with Ethernet cables (with both APs connected to your switch) or via smart mesh (one AP connected to the switch and the other wirelessly).
• Ensure there's an overlapping coverage of 15% to 20% between the two APs. This overlap guarantees smooth roaming for wireless clients between the APs.

The optimal distance between two APs can vary based on environmental factors such as obstacles and walls. While the placement of APs should primarily be based on signal strength rather than just distance, a signal strength of -70dBm or better is recommended. If you've set a dissociation threshold, ensure the signal is above this level. Generally, a distance of 11m (approximately 40ft) is considered a safe range for effective roaming ỏ doing smart mesh between APs.

Noddy

Thanks both.

@Zyxel_Judy as well as same SSID and security, I was just curious about 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz channels. Do both APs need to be on the same channel as well for seamless roaming to work, or do they have to be on different channels to avoid interferance with one another but roaming will still be OK? Sorry for the silly question but this will be my first access point setup so just want to make sure I'm prepared.

Thanks.

Zyxel_Judy

Hi @Noddy ,

Whether two APs operate on the same or different channels, seamless roaming can still be achieved as long as they share the same SSID and security settings, and there is overlapping coverage between them. Don’t worry and experience a new level of wireless connectivity with Zyxel! 😊

Noddy

Pleased to say I went with x2 NWA220AX-6E units in the end and spent this weekend getting everything up and running. Had a bit of a struggle with the NR7101 not wanting to revert out of Passthru mode, but once factory reset everything thankfully sprang to life and the x2 APs are all setup and everything is being controlled via Nebula. All pretty sweet.

Roaming is working as well which is great but these units are powerfull. I've knocked nearly 10dBm off the transmit power and still have mega overlap. Not the end of the world. Lots of time ahead to tweak settings.

Thanks for all the help.