I'am new to openWrt. OpenWrt has an option for mesh operation (?).
As far as I understand the access points in a mesh network talk to each other by wifi. Correct?
In my case there are 3 buildings. It is more or less impossible to connect from one building to the other with wifi. One building has a internet connection and the other buildings are connected to the 'internet building' by underground utp cables.
In the ideal situation you can walk with your mobile from one building to the other without doing a new log in. Can you do that with openWrt?
yes, you can, but roaming is a client decision, not the APs.
Looks like you don't need any kind of mesh, but dumb APs, with roaming enabled.
Is this a typo? You mean I DON't need a mesh but dumb APs. Roaming enabled is on the AP or on the mobiles?
No, this is not a typo. You do not need mesh.
Roaming and mesh are often confused.
Mesh refers to a network where you have multiple wifi APs that are wirelessly linked to each other. There is nuance to the specific methods by which the APs are wireless linked to each other since there are multiple techniques/technologies by which this can be achieved, but all that really matters here is the fact that a mesh node is one that is connected wirelessly to the other nodes or the main router.
When you are using a wired backhaul (i.e. the APs are all linked together with wires), there is no need for mesh or any other wireless uplink technology.
Roaming, on the other hand, is a client side process by which the client device will transition from one AP to another based on various performance metrics. No special standards/technologies/modes need to be setup on the APs for roaming to work -- all that is required is that the APs have the same SSID and password (and security type).
In all systems where clients will roam from one AP to the next, it is a good idea to tune the APs such that roaming is encouraged. Power levels should be set appropriately -- in almost all cases, this means power should be reduced to make the coverage area overlap as small as possible. And it is also necessary to ensure that neighboring APs do not use the same channels.
This video is a pretty good resource about how to tune your APs for best performance. It deals with Unifi, but the concepts apply to all Wifi systems (as long as the controls are exposed to the user).
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Yes definitively a typo, I just fixed it, sorry.
Thank you for all insights. I think I understand a bit more about how it works.