I am looking for advice on setting up seamless WiFi roaming. My setup consists of an Imou HX21 (running OpenWrt) as the main router and several wired Dumb APs throughout the house.
Currently:
- All APs and the main router use the same SSID.
- The networks are "Open" (no password, it has captive portal).
- Devices stay connected to the main router even when the signal is weak, instead of switching to a closer AP.
I would like to implement a solution where my devices automatically switch to the strongest AP. how could I do this ?
Roaming is primary a client decision.
The key to good roaming is to have a setup where each AP has the same SSID + encryption type + passphrase (or in the case of your request, open is fine, but the SSID must be the same across all APs).
From there, you'll want to optimize the devices by ensuring that neighboring APs use different, non-overlapping channels. You also need to adjust power levels such that you minimize the area of the overlap region while still providing the desired overall coverage.
I generally say that you should not use 802.11r, 802.11k, or 802.11v as they can cause problems in many setups. If you have a demonstrated need for these methods, only enable them after the foundational work is complete.
And regarding DAWN and band steering -- for small deployments (I.e. home, small business, etc.) it is often not beneficial and may add a lot of complexity (which can also result in sub-optimal or misconfigured setups). The client devices will roam dynamically based on the signal quality, so just like 802.11k/v/r, band steering and DAWN aren't usually helpful.
I really like the following video that explains how to optimize your wifi:
