I've set up 802.11s on my R6100 and currently I'm meshing on both bgn 2.4 GHz and nac 5 GHz.
The wireless mesh network ssid is the same ("R6100-Mesh") and it's unencrypted.
The idea was that by meshing on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, the routers will communicate as fast as they can negotiate--rather than restricting distance (if I were to only mesh on 5 GHz), or restricting bandwidth (by restricting to 2.4 GHz.)
The network is working, but I've seen some quirkiness, such as some stuttering in online games and difficulty in discovering/controlling a Chromecast. Thus:
Is meshing on more than a single network OK?
Will this cause any problems?
Should I only mesh on a single network, why or why not?
Meshing on both 2.4 and 5.8 is perfectly fine. But not with native tcp/ip and not with BATMAN/ADV. If meshing on both frequencies use OLSR v2 or CJDNS.
Cjdns is a learning curve so if time don't permit don't do that. Then rather go with OLSR. The basic setup gives you "backhaul" on 5.8 and delivery on 2.4, but follow the instructions and mesh on both and switching is stable on both bands.
To eliminate "quirkiness" as you put it add the SQM package, determine your network speed, set accordingly and eliminate bufferbloat. Default SQM settings is just fine just add your network speed. That stabilizes the entire system.
I guarantee SQM will solve your gaming lag problems. I have implemented it over many years in South Africa which has the worst stability you can imagine and have not failed once using SQM. Set your bandwidth slightly lower than your speedtest. SQM will do the rest.
Thanks for the ideas, werner. I'm actually meshing over 802.11s, not BATMAN/ADV or OLSR (or CJDNS?).
Any idea of meshing on both would be problematic for 802.11s?
I've already got SQM installed and set up using Cake's "Piece of Cake" algorithm, and it's working fantastically. I know the lag isn't coming from bufferbloat, or internet issues--it appears to be either something brought about by the mesh network, or was an issue on my PC's end.
This is the root of why I'm asking if it's a problem, as if it is, that would explain it. However, if meshing on both on 802.11s should be fine, then I'd assume the problem is on my PC.
Mesh-Communities like freifunk are using 11s (as replacement for ad-hoc), disabling the 11s built-in mesh-mechanism in order to use olsr and/or batman-adv and/or bmx6 for meshing.
if you have only a few devices and no mesh-community to support you might not need these routing-algorithms, and use the 11s built-in "mesh"