Question

Hi Sir,
We intend to set up the RUT240 in our building on each floor (total 3F)and both of the RUT240 have carrier SIM card inserts to connect to the network.
Also, those three RUT240 routers (RUT240-1, RUT240-2, RUT240-3) all have identical SSID, but there are some use scenarios that have confused me so want to hear the suggestion.

(Draw a simple diagram to explain below)
1. If the user finds the Wifi SSID on 1F with a laptop and connects to RUT240-1 through the carrier SIM to the Internet. And what if due to some problems with the RUT240-1 can't work normally, then do my laptop Wifi access will automatically jump to RUT240- 2 and then connect to the internet due to those two routers have the same SSID and both having the SIM network?

(The above assumes that the signal of RUT240-2 can reach out to 1F, but the signal  strength was relatively weak)

2. Furthermore, if both RUT240-1 & RUT240-2 have problems and cannot connect to the Internet, can users connect to RUT240-3 automatically?

3. If the above methods are not feasible, what are the suggestions to achieve this goal for this use case?

4. How many clients can available to access the RUT240, intend to know the limitation the router can provide.

thanks,

Answer 1

Hello,

  

We're glad to help you answer these questions!

I'll answer questions 1 - 3 in the same response - the roaming between access points like in your described configuration is mostly handled by the WiFi client itself, rather than the AP. In some cases, 802.11r can be utilized (it is supported on our devices) which can speed up the authentification step when moving between the APs, however, the move itself needs to be initiated by the client. 

In your setup, as you will have multiple WAN sources, joining all of the devices under the same subnet is not really an option, thus in your situation it would be worth experimenting to see how the client devices behave in such a situation. In theory, most modern WiFi clients are designed to disconnect from the network once it loses connectivity, so they should disconnect from RUT240-1, but as the RUT240-2 shares the same SSID, I'm not sure if the client will connect to it.

So to summarize - your desired setup is not ideal for WiFi roaming, however, it is worth experimenting to see how the setup behaves. For the best experience of WiFi roaming, please check out this Wiki article.

As for the maximum number of clients that the RUT240 can handle, the answer is around 50.

  

Best regards, 
DaumantasG

Comments

Hello,

No exact tests have been done regarding the number of mesh clients, however, as long as the clients are only sending text-based information, both RUT956 and RUTX11 should be able to handle them.

RUTX11 is more powerful, so if future expansion is a possibility, I'd recommend going with RUTX11 as a mesh gateway. It also has a Cat 6 LTE modem, so it will be able to achieve higher speed if the environmental conditions allow it to.

Best regards,
DaumantasG

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Hello,
Review the router couple of days and thought the RUT951 and RUTX11 could be better for our use case.
Still, wonder to know what if we used RUT951 or RUTX11 as the host gateway and mesh node and what's the distance you have to recommend between the gateway and the node?
Consider how to place the router gateway and the mesh node in different situations such as indoor or outdoor so please kindly let us know each of the scenarios of the distance.
thanks,

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Hello,

  

The wireless range of these devices depends on:

• Which frequency band is being used for mesh (2.4GHz vs. 5GHz) (RUT951 only supports 2.4GHz)?
• RF interference in the area;
• Obstructions between the devices;
• How much throughput is needed;

 I would say in the worst-case scenario, the devices should be spaced ~15 meters apart, but if you have a clear LoS (line of sight) between the devices, then the distance could be much longer.

  

Best regards,
DaumantasG

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Hello,
Thanks for the clarification and the frequency should be 2.4Ghz.
And the setup region is most likely on the parking lot so the space should be wide opening but might be in the building or outside somewhere else.
Are these setups could have better performance and up to 30 meters from the gateway to the node or the mesh node from one to another?
thanks,

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As long as the antennas are not in a metal enclosure, there should be no issues. However, since there are still a lot of variables, I would recommend testing the setup to make sure everything works as intended.

  

Best regards,
DaumantasG