2 Routers, 1 home network problems

[Daniel_1104]

So I have 2 routers, I have a Linksys WRT 1900ACS and the router my internet provider gave me a Virgin Media Super Hub 3.0. The super hub 3 has pretty good wireless, but i’m a bit overkill so I use a powerline (temp solution) from my 1st Superhub router to my 2nd 1900ACS upstairs. It has a bridge mode which I used but it wasn’t a seamless experience because you had to turn wifi on and off from the device for it to change routers. 
 

Today I tried a static IP on the 1900ACs but that seems to have made it worse and it keeps connecting to the same router for some reason. 

 

Im not really a networking expert so if probably missed something simple or that just the way it works and it don’t just switch between routers automatically. Maybe I need to get another device instead of the 1900acs.

 

Please let me know thanks.

[Falcon1986]

8 hours ago, Daniel_1104 said:

So I have 2 routers, I have a Linksys WRT 1900ACS and the router my internet provider gave me a Virgin Media Super Hub 3.0. The super hub 3 has pretty good wireless, but i’m a bit overkill so I use a powerline (temp solution) from my 1st Superhub router to my 2nd 1900ACS upstairs. It has a bridge mode which I used but it wasn’t a seamless experience because you had to turn wifi on and off from the device for it to change routers. 

Is this your setup?

 

ISP —> Super Hub —> powerline —> Linksys

 

What is the make and model of the powerline adapters?

 

What do you mean by it “wasn’t a seamless experience”? Do you mean wireless connectivity? You weren’t able to roam freely between devices?

[Daniel_1104]

9 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Is this your setup?

 

ISP —> Super Hub —> powerline —> Linksys

 

What is the make and model of the powerline adapters?

 

What do you mean by it “wasn’t a seamless experience”? Do you mean wireless connectivity? You weren’t able to roam freely between devices?

The powerline is an TP link AV1300 but that’s not the real issue. The diagram you sent is correct, the super hub has a built in wifi access point and I have other router, so I wanted to have full coverage of my house with both routers. One upstairs and the super hub downstairs. 
 

So what I mean by it not being seamless is my impression of what’s meant to happen is the device is meant to switch automatically between both the superhub or the Linksys depending on what gives the stronger connection. Maybe that incorrect but how it works is when you walk around the house it stays connected to 1 of the 2 even if it’s getting poor signal off it, so I have to turn the wifi off and on for it to select the device with the best signal.

 

Honestly it’s a very 1st world problem and not a massive issue. But if it could work in the way I thought it would be nice

[HawkJ]

Hey, 

 

So I’ve been in the same situation. What you will need is APs that has seamless connectivity feature. How it usually works is when one AP detects that signal is low, it hands it over to another AP with better signal. So it usually has to be an AP that supports it as well as all the APs must be from the same brand, to talk to each other. 
 

There is another way but it is not exactly seem less but gets the job done. You will have to play with the wireless antenna power. Decrease it or increase it until the AP in the first floor has barely any signal going through to the ground floor, so the endpoint disconnects and connects to the AP in the ground floor. A bit tricky as you will to play with those settings but yeah. 

[Falcon1986]

8 hours ago, HawkJ said:

So I’ve been in the same situation. What you will need is APs that has seamless connectivity feature. How it usually works is when one AP detects that signal is low, it hands it over to another AP with better signal. So it usually has to be an AP that supports it as well as all the APs must be from the same brand, to talk to each other. 

You don't necessarily need the same brand of AP throughout, although, if supported, seemless hand-off can work like that. Most of the time, it's up to the client to switch.

 

8 hours ago, HawkJ said:

There is another way but it is not exactly seem less but gets the job done. You will have to play with the wireless antenna power. Decrease it or increase it until the AP in the first floor has barely any signal going through to the ground floor, so the endpoint disconnects and connects to the AP in the ground floor. A bit tricky as you will to play with those settings but yeah. 

Yes, this should work.

 

Wireless APs generally distribute their signal well in a horizontal direction. There can be vertical propagation but it's not as good.

 

In addition to doing what was suggested, the OP should ensure that each wireless radio is broadcasting on a non-overlapping wireless channel, whether it's on 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

[Alex Atkin UK]

On 7/15/2020 at 4:18 PM, Daniel_1104 said:

Im not really a networking expert so if probably missed something simple or that just the way it works and it don’t just switch between routers automatically. Maybe I need to get another device instead of the 1900acs.

Only a mesh network is really designed to handle this, as others have mentioned when you have multiple Access Points its entirely down to the client to decide which to connect to and once connected it will not switch unless you lose the signal or force it manually.