Building a home network with multiple access points

McZion

Hi!

I plan to upgrade my home network in the near future, but I wish to do it in 2 steps.

I am interested in getting 2 of these APs - NWA130BE (BE11000). For me, it is a bit overkill, but pretty future-proof. They should be enough to cover a relatively big apartment.

I wish to get those APs first and use them in my existing network with an ASUS router + Zyxel GS1200-8 switch (APs will connect to the switch). After some time, when I'm ready to spend more on networking improvements, I was planning on getting the XMG1915-10E switch (maybe the one with PoE). But might not be ready to buy the switch with the APs at the same time.

That is why I have a few questions:

1. What needs to be supported in the router and/or switch for the APs to work nicely together, so the connected Wi-Fi devices have seamless roaming between APs? Disabling the Wi-Fi in the ASUS router IS an option and possibly the thing I will do after getting the APs.
2. If the configuration with my router and switch will not work, do I need a specific switch or other network device for seamless roaming? Or the XMG1915-10E switch will be able to handle this task without issues?

If I'm not mistaken, the support of 802.11k/v/r is highly recommended for achieving my goal. Which is not supported entirely by my ASUS router (AFAIR, the "r" part is not supported, but ASUS has its technology).

Zyxel_Melen

Hi @McZion,

You don't need to set anything on the router or switch for roaming. You need to make sure these items:

1. The SSID's name and password should be the same as your wifi router. (15-20% overlap is recommended)
2. Wireless signal coverage areas must overlap between the wifi router and Zyxel APs.

For more information, you may reference this FAQ:

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/17244/how-to-set-up-seamless-wireless-roaming-on-nebula

Additionally, it is recommended to enable 802.11k/v/r on NWA130BE.

You may reference this FAQ to configure:

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/19913/what-nebula-features-are-used-to-optimize-roaming

jpblanch75

Hey, You don't need anything special to use the APs and you can surely use what you have now to get started. If you want to utilize 802.11r you will need to use Nebula Cloud Control to set them up. Honestly its the easiest way to configure them and there and many tutorials in this community that it will get you going no problem. Good luck!

Zyxel_Melen

Hi @McZion,

You don't need to set anything on the router or switch for roaming. You need to make sure these items:

1. The SSID's name and password should be the same as your wifi router. (15-20% overlap is recommended)
2. Wireless signal coverage areas must overlap between the wifi router and Zyxel APs.

For more information, you may reference this FAQ:

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/17244/how-to-set-up-seamless-wireless-roaming-on-nebula

Additionally, it is recommended to enable 802.11k/v/r on NWA130BE.

You may reference this FAQ to configure:

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/19913/what-nebula-features-are-used-to-optimize-roaming

McZion

Thank you jpblanch75 and Zyxel_Melen so much for the information!

From your answers, I see that NWA130BE can be configured with the feature I need because it supports 802.11k/v/r. Even if I had a much worse router, it only needs to manage the IP routing for everything to work.

Just for my knowledge, if the APs (any different model and/or vendor) do not support 802.11k/v/r (or some part of these protocols), then roaming should be managed by the router or switch to which they are connected, right?

jpblanch75

Roaming is an AP/Client thing. But if you use different APs then they likely won't roam as smoothly. With normal data it will be fine but for Video meetings or WiFi Calling you could have issues. If you only use the Zyxel APs for your WiFi you should be fine.

McZion

Thank you jpblanch75 !

I think now everything is clear.

koaly

Hi there!
I have had similar plan to redesign the existing home WiFi network, based on 2x Asus AX-routers. What I was missing in Asus was a proper VLANs implementation, as I needed to set up at least 4 different VLANs with different access rules. To make this work, I not only had to replace the main Asus router, but also get a managed switch and APs.
I started with a router and opted for a free pfsense running on a Sophos xg115.
Then I got myself a perfect switch, the Zyxel XMG1915-10EP. It was an easy choice. The device is excellent.
But choosing two APs with roaming capability was much harder. I do not want to rely on any cloud controller, so many of brands did not fit the bill. TP-Link and Unifi required a local controller, otherwise they had very poor performance and limited options. Cisco had a good integrated controller, but the radio performance was very poor. Tenda offered APs with powerful radios, but very poor UI and no roaming capabilities.
I decided to try Zyxel NWA50AX Pro and installed 2 APs in a standalone mode. These NWA50ax Pro fit the switch's 2,5Gbe POE uplink and averaged around 6W as an average per AP. The initial setup was straightforward and intuitive. It was possible to set up k/v roaming without Nebula and it works with clients that have proper support for these protocols. Unfortunately, fast roaming does not work without Nebula.
Given that I have no BE7 clients, that the AXE or BE7 AP is twice the price of an NWA50AX Pro and that the WiFi 7 standard is not yet available in many countries, I felt that BE7 APs would be an overkill for the time being.

McZion

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/comment/65972#Comment_65972

Thank you for this explanation. My decision becomes clear, now I just need to get the XMG1915-10EP and 2 APs. I still will go with WiFi7 ones, because of future-proof and upcoming upgrade of my devices. They will most probably have WiFi7 out of the box. But if not, I will upgrade that :)

Rizzkhan

To ensure seamless roaming between your APs (NWA130BE) and connected Wi-Fi devices, the key is to have support for 802.11k/v/r standards, which help devices move between access points smoothly. Since your ASUS router doesn't fully support 802.11r, it could affect roaming. Disabling the Wi-Fi on the router is a good idea once you have the APs.

As for the switch, your Zyxel GS1200-8 should work for now, but it doesn't directly impact roaming. Later, when you upgrade to the XMG1915-10E (especially with PoE), it will provide better power and performance, but it's not required for seamless roaming—your APs handle that as long as the network supports 802.11k/v/r.

In short:

1. Disable ASUS Wi-Fi and rely on the APs for 802.11k/v/r.
2. Your current switch is fine for now; XMG1915-10E will boost overall performance later.

Thanks Regards
Rizwan, Team UnoinDevelopers