Wireless devices (WDS) with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz?

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

My main limitation is from 1 floor to another floor. Within a floor 5 GHz is (probably) fine, because 2.4GHz is very strong, but from one floor to another 5GHz is very weak.

There is no ethernet connection between the 2 floors.

So I am asking, if the following is possible.

Wireless connection (WDS) between the floors 2.4GHz

Wireless connection (WDS) within the floors 5 GHz.

In other words, the band has to change from 2.4 to 5GHz after it arrived in the other floor.

It will be no problem to use more routers / extenders for testing, I have enough old ones. At the moment all are running 2.4GHz.

Wondering, that an iperf3 test with the weak 5GHz connection was better than with the strong 2.4GHz connection.

2

You can choose freely between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, you just have to decide -for each individual repeater- which one to use as uplink (as there can only be one configured as uplink). Obviously you can decide differently for each repeater.

In general, 5 GHz is always to be preferred as the uplink due to its much better throughput - but if 2.4 GHz is necessary to go through the walls/ floors, that's going to be your (only) option. Just be aware that you are limited to throughput you'll get over this 2.4 GHz uplink - no problem using 5 GHz for the clients, but the speed is dictated by the 2.4 GHz uplink.

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3

I fear there is no other way, maybe with mesh, not ready to do tests with mesh at the moment.

So I have to disbale the 2.4GHz APs, if I want to use 5GHz or are both possible?

I have another idea.

Please forgive the naming, I will explain what I mean.

In the ground floor there is a "mainrouter" with openwrt, connected to a 2nd router, a DSL-Fritzbox without openwrt.

In the 1st floor I have a wireless connection to the ground floor,at the moment with WDS, works, but speed is bad.

I am thinking on a 2nd "main router" in the 1st floor. So not every router in the 1st floor connects to the router in the ground floor, but only 1. All other routers in the 1st floor connect to the "main router in the 1st floor".

I mean I could put the main rounter in the ground floor as close as possible to a place in the 1st floor, which is about 7m distance. All the other routers in the 1st floor connect to the main router in the 1st floor and not to the router in the ground floor. In theory this could be bring better performance.

What do you think?

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4

It's much simpler than that... Once the routers are connected, ethernet traffic will flow across your network, and it does not matter how it reaches each router.

5

I second this scheme.
I use a WDS link between the main router and an AP using 5GHz. Than the 2.4 GHz for clients (mainly smartphones). It works very well.

6

Here it is the opposite. I have to use 2.4GHz between main router and AP. If I check with the android phone 2.4GHz is 22dBm better than 5Ghz.

My question still is, if tt makes sense to have 2nd main router in the other floor. There are about 10m more with 2.4GHz with another AP, if I connect directly to the ground floor. The connection within the 1st floor would work with 5GHz everywhere.

7

Which channel do you use for 5 GHz? There are some channels that have low power transmit due to regulations. Change channels.

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8

Channel 36.

Which channel do you recommend. My phone doesn't show any other 5GHz channels than my own. I am free to choose. Width is 80.

It Is pretty weird with another 5GHz situation. The AP in 1.5m distance is weaker than the AP in 10m distance.

This is an Archer C7 in 10m distance. Only 5GHz is active

root@C7v5-K1:~# cat /etc/config/wireless | grep tx
	option txpower '17'
	option txpower '17'

The netgear repeater has a distance of about 1.5m. Increasing tx to 14 shows a very strong signal, but tx10 shows a very weak signal.

root@EX6150v2:~# cat /etc/config/wireless | grep tx
	option txpower '14'
	option txpower '14'

With another AP and TX 0 (!) is fine within the room.

9

I'm also using this one. It has no regulation, so keep it.

Can't you raise this? Try 20 on both the router and AP.

10

Of course I could, but it is not necessary here. It is an example how strange the situation is here. Larger distance, but better signal. If it is too strong it could influence my other AP. The upstream router has no limits, it is "auto" with this old openwrt and manual I could set 30.

11

have you tried any tests with lower band width, I believe that choosing 20 gives more effective power output to your antenna.

Choosing a bandwidth of 40 might give you the best but testing is required. I would also suggest installing iperf3 on all of your client machines to do your tests

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12

No, to do tests, I need 40MHz working. SInce it needs probably illegal settings here, I don't know, I gave up. It is not important. I tried to optimize my settings. Actually not important, if it is a little bit faster. Surveillance cams are connected.