I've set up an OpenWRT 24.10.1 mesh network using BATMAN on six ASUS Lyra MAP AC-2200 which is all working fine.
I also have six TP-LINK Deco X50/S7 access points which recently received an update to allow them to support 'EasyMesh'.
I know that BATMAN on OpenWRT implements 802.11k & 802.11v which i can enable in the WLAN Roaming tab, but is it possible to add an OpenWRT access point into an existing EasyMesh network?
What would I need to change/add to my OpenWRT/BATMAN config? Do the SSID's of the EasyMesh & OpenWRT need to match? Presumably the 'Mobility Domain' needs to match? (the TP-LINK Deco app doesn't show you a 'Mobility Domain', is it possible to find it using OpenWRT somehow?)
Is what I'm asking about (ie. joining an OpenWRT/BATMAN access point to an existing 'EasyMesh' network) even possible?
Okay, if I just wire my OpenWRT access points to my Deco Mesh network, I guess that works for WiFi access at wherever that access point is, but does this mean the access point is 'fully integrated' into the mesh as such? I guess if I give them the same SSID, ip subnet, DHCP, DNS etc etc, then yes?? But is it not possible to do it wirelessly with a 5GHz backhaul from the OpenWRT router to the Deco 'EasyMesh'? (perhaps this is expecting too much?)
Okay, so 802.11k/802.11v aren't BATMAN things - it's a voyage of discovery for me, so you'll have to forgive my cluelessness
Yes, I want to leave the Deco Mesh as the main (cost me £300!) and the OpenWRT routers as EasyMesh access points (cost me £20!).
The TP-LINK Deco app doesn't really give you any config/options to play with as regards 'EasyMesh' - it's either on or off. But it looks like is searches for available clients to add, but presumably nothing will be found unless they are 802.11k/802.11v and presumably matching SSID & security. And perhaps 'Mobility Domain' has to match, but I would expect if the Deco app lists client access points, then it would perhaps somehow sync it's 'Mobility Domain' to all connecting EasyMesh client access points?
No. You cannot join them as they are totally different things.
Easymesh is not a mesh at all, it is a proprietary WDS like thing, and is not OpenWrt compatible.
It seems you have been taken in by marketing hype of some manufacturers, where "mesh" means your devices can roam from one access point to another.
The IEEE standard for mesh is 802.11s and this is to create a wireless backhaul network, usually used for connecting access points wirelessly together.
Normal User devices cannot connect directly to a mesh backhaul, instead they use a "mesh gate" to do so indirectly. A mesh gate is often a software "Access Point" running onboard a mesh backhaul node.
A mesh backhaul has nothing whatsoever to do with roaming.
You can, in theory, cable connect a mesh backaul network to an Eastynet network, as @frollic says. But you are likely to meet up with numerous problems, such as mutual channel interference, ip subnet problems etc etc.
So I think I have understood what you've said, but I'm still a bit confused:
So, the 'mesh' bit is really the wireless backhaul, as the individual Access Points are just you're standard WiFi 'islands'
So on my OpenWRT/BATMAN mesh, I have 3 radios: a 2.4GHz & 5GHz WiFi (so that's the standard WiFi 'island') and a 5GHz wireless backhaul (so that's the 'meshy' bit?)
So when TP-Link talk about "What is EasyMesh?" here:
and say:
"EasyMesh is a standard certification launched by the WiFi Alliance, which brings a standards-based approach to multiple AP networks. It is a basic standard that defines the protocol for the interconnectivity between different APs. The latest version is EasyMesh R2. WiFi EasyMesh networks use a common standard that allows devices from multiple vendors to be onboard, configured, and able to communicate with each other"
what you're then saying is that's all fine, devices with firmware built according to the 'EasyMesh standard' will be able to share wireless backhaul, but OpenWRT isn't one of them & my misunderstanding that 802.11k & 802.11v (as implemented in OpenWRT) doesn't mean they can 'talk EasyMesh'? I guess what I had thought, was that 'EasyMesh' was just a marketing/brand-name for 802.11k/v as that's obviously easier to sell to Joe-Public.
So, I think you're saying, not a chance of joining an OpenWRT router with 802.11k/v to a TP-Link 'EasyMesh' wireless backhaul network
IEEE802.11s mesh is a wireless network frame-type/mac-routing-protocol that as been part of the Linux kernel for some considerable time. It allows "mesh" type multi-point to multi-point interconnections in two or even three dimensions. A 2D version: https://www.omnisecu.com/images/basic-networking/wireless-mesh-topology.jpg
An 802.11s mesh device does not need to be Tri Band. It will work just as well with one, two, three or more radios.
EasyMesh is a trade mark of the WiFi alliance. It uses a WDS like connection to create a chain of point to point connections, using where available, closed source, built in functionality of wireless chips, with router manufacturers purchasing licences for access to the libraries that make use of the inbuilt functionality. A vendor independent "open source" version of EasyMesh provides only an inter-vendor software shim.
Usually, EasyMesh hardware will be TriBand, ie has three independent radios. These are used, one for 2.4GHz, one for 5GHz and the third used to passively scan both bands looking for other EasyNet devices.
Neither 802.11k nor 802.11v are used by an 802.11s mesh (Batman is an example of an 802.11s mesh)
As far as I am aware, EasyMesh does not use 802.11k or 802.11v either.
802.11k and 802.11v, along with 802.11r are used in very large cabled networks of access points (think large corporate buildings with hundreds of access points), to drive efficient roaming.
I think I understood each of your points, in isolation, but I can't help thinking that all this stuff is a bit like trying to do a 1000-piece double-sided jigsaw where you're only allowed to view a dozen pieces at any one time - not easy
