Is it recommended to set up 2 non mesh wifi/router as 1 ssid?, 'mesh' wifi on cheap ?

[TukangKopi]

Have anyone run those kind of experiment ? is it recommended as cheap/broke alternative for mesh wifi ? how did it compared to proper mesh wifi router ?

[Kilrah]

No, that doesn't support roaming so when your device is say connected to AP 1, you go closer to AP 2, your signal to AP 1 is now crappy while signal from AP 2 is full but your device stays connected to AP 1 until it drops out completely leading to terrible experience, and since you have the same SSIDs you can't even manually go to wifi settings and select AP 2.

Systems that support roaming will kick the device out of the weaker AP so it moves to the stronger one anytime there's one.  

 

That's the pain we had to deal with before mesh/roaming setups became available at a consumer level.

[LAwLz]

3 hours ago, Kilrah said:

No, that doesn't support roaming so when your device is say connected to AP 1, you go closer to AP 2, your signal to AP 1 is now crappy while signal from AP 2 is full but your device stays connected to AP 1 until it drops out completely leading to terrible experience, and since you have the same SSIDs you can't even manually go to wifi settings and select AP 2.

Systems that support roaming will kick the device out of the weaker AP so it moves to the stronger one anytime there's one.  

 

That's the pain we had to deal with before mesh/roaming setups became available at a consumer level.

Fun fact, which access point a device connects to is mostly determined by the host device, not the AP or WLC. There are some techniques around this but in general, it's the device itself that chooses which AP it is connected to.

Using the same SSID is not a great idea for other reasons though, and proper roaming setups have other advantages (such as the device not having to reauthenticate when moving from one AP to the next).

 

OP, just run two different SSIDs. It will give you similar performance but far greater control (like being able to manually change between the two).

[Allan B]

As Kilrah said it is a pain if you do it, before I got the 3 pack of Deco X20s (which i completely love btw), I used a 2nd router as an AP only for the back yard as a power switch to control my pool pump wouldn't stay connected to the main wifi when the pump was on, (i could remotely turn it on, but not off)  I had to use a separate SSID though as the device would not switch away from the weak unusable signal as it was just in range to "see" it.  Also sometimes other devices in the house would connect to the slow back yard wifi.  

If you are really on a budget and have areas with unusable wifi, you can do it, just use separate SSID's and setup devices to only "know" about the closest SSID within the house, you can have others devices like phones\laptops know both, but you will find yourself manually switching SSIDs as you move around.