Will I experience worse latency?

matt4realz · April 10

Hey guys,

I currently have an ASUS RT-AX56U and about to receive another TP-LINK EX510 as part of a sign up package.

I am looking to turn the ASUS router to the "Access Point Mode" and connect it to the TP-LINK's RJ-45 Port. The intention is to use it as sort of a "Wired Mesh"

Just a few questions:

Will this work?
If I connect my desktop to the ASUS router via an ethernet cable, will my latency be affected?
If the ASUS router is configured to the same SSID/Password, will this work to "strengthen" the use of WI-FI?

Needfuldoer · April 10

27 minutes ago, matt4realz said:

Will this work?

Should be fine.

27 minutes ago, matt4realz said:

If I connect my desktop to the ASUS router via an ethernet cable, will my latency be affected?

Not enough that you'll notice it.

28 minutes ago, matt4realz said:

If the ASUS router is configured to the same SSID/Password, will this work to "strengthen" the use of WI-FI?

Yes, with caveats.

Picture an imaginary "bubble of WiFi" around each router. You want them to overlap, but not by a lot. Adjust the power and roaming settings on each access point so that your devices don't end up yelling across the house at an AP it can barely hold onto, while you're standing right next to the other AP.

Honestly unless you live in a huge house built out of concrete, or you're in a multi-family house where everyone has WiFi devices that are all screaming as loud as possible, most of the time you don't actually need mesh WiFi in a residential setting.

Kilrah · April 10

4 hours ago, matt4realz said:

If the ASUS router is configured to the same SSID/Password, will this work to "strengthen" the use of WI-FI?

This usually makes it a pain. Your devices will connect to one, then as you move close to the other it'll stay connected to the far one with poor signal and won't switch until it fully loses connection.

Alex Atkin UK · April 11

10 hours ago, Kilrah said:

This usually makes it a pain. Your devices will connect to one, then as you move close to the other it'll stay connected to the far one with poor signal and won't switch until it fully loses connection.

Indeed, I have always used different SSIDs so you can at least easily tell when this happens. Unless roaming actually works properly there is no benefit to a single SSID vs multiple, as the same rule applies that it will connect to the strongest one in the list you saved on the device either way.

Plus if you have any fixed devices you can then force them onto the closest AP rather than relying on the strongest signal, which isn't necessarily the fastest one due to quirks in wireless communications.