Batman-adv vs normal AP

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

Hi,

After alot of tinkering, i'm coming to the conclusion that the wifi in the attic is still not sufficient for one of my devices (surface pro 1) I'm currently have a repeater (ex6120) in the attic to resolve this issue, however I want to make a more structural change.

I have 2 options at the moment that I want to consider

  1. I can use the repeater as an extra wired AP
  2. I can install openwrt on the repeater and have the setup exactly as in option 1. Difference is that i will be using Batman-ADV to make sure that the handover between the two AP's is done seamless.

My question, does option 2 make any sense? In the future i might add more wired AP's, but for the next year that is not something I am considering yet. Will Batman-ADV have any advantages over just a simple extra AP?

Furthermore, the repeater has a 100mbit ethernet port (don't ask me why, i regret buying this device, but alas i have it now). Wireless is however not restricted ( i think theoretical limit of 1300 mbits). Does it make sense to connect the repeater wirelessly to the main router (say via 2.4 ghz) and use it as a 5ghz AP to bypass the wired ethernet limitations? or would i still be better of with a 100mbit hardline?

2

pair of PLC adapters + any AP

3

I'm not sure that is an answer to my question. I'm fine running a line up to the attic. My 2 questions are specifically

  1. Does Batman-ADV have any advantages over a vanilla AP given that in both cases the device will be hardwired
  2. Does it make sense to use a wireless connection on one band and broadcast on the other band given that the AP has an ethernet limit of 100mbit but the wireless connection does not.
4

OK, if you can run a cable I would go that way.
Generally speaking, mesh system should not bring any benefit in this particular situation.
For testing purposes I would try to connect the repeater wirelessly to the main router via 5 GHz (assuming the signal is strong enough) and use it as a 2.4 GHz AP to bypass the wired ethernet limitations. There is still no need for the mesh, regular client connection should be enough for testing.

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5

Clear on question 2.

On question one I'm still unclear. Given that I will run a wire anyway. Is a normal AP or a Batman-adv enabled AP the better way to go? I'm mainly concerned about client handover between AP's

6

Using mesh will not improve client handover, you can play with 802.11r for that.

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