[SOLVED] Difference between Mesh and An access point (with the same SSiD)

[siaan312]

In my house, i have a router/modem/switch/ap from the ISP, and have a gigabit fiber connection.
It is located in my living room, but, in my room (which as concrete walls) and my sister's room (right behind it) you can't get a signal, or just a bad one.

I found an old Ap/repeater doodad from tp-link and i configured it to act as an access point, and put it in my sisters room.
Ethernet is connected through a PowerLine network adapter.
I firstly put it as a different SSiD and it worked well, and It had 2 networks that i could connect to either, but that isn't very user friendly, and I know my sister would get tired of it and keep using mobile data.
So i put it as the same SSiD, and now both the main router and this ap are the same network. the problem is, the phones don't connect automatically.
I would get 0.2mbps and it would still not reconnect to the closer ap.
If i turn off then turn on wifi on the clients (the phone, and smart TV) they connect straight to the closer ap.

This is good enough for now, and I would only upgrade down the road when i feel it's necessary
But i would like to know if this is what is supposed to happen (not reconnecting to a closer ap) and Mesh just makes it so you reconnect automatically
Or
If this AP is bad (Meaning it should reconnect), and mesh is just a different way to deploy multiple APs (I know how mesh setups work, just not sure if multiple APs with the same SSiDs should connect to clients automatically when moving closer.)

 

[USAFRet]

just not sure if multiple APs with the same SSiDs should connect to clients automatically when moving closer.)

Actually, just the opposite.

The client system is in control of the connection. And they do NOT want to give up a working connection, even if a stronger/faster one is available.

Roaming and switching AP's is not a feature in consumer grade equipment.

 

[siaan312]

Actually, just the opposite.

The client system is in control of the connection. And they do NOT want to give up a working connection, even if a stronger/faster one is available.

Roaming and switching AP's is not a feature in consumer grade equipment.

Then what is the best way to make wifi easier and better at home?

I mean, with consumer grade gear even if it is a little more expensive.

 

[bill001g]

Explain why you actually want automatic roaming. I can only imagine the idiots watching netflix and falling down the stairs

Wifi was never designed to be a mobile platform unlike a cell phone that was designed from the start to move between locations.

The problem is the end device only has a single radio and it can not scan for better connections. The network might know a better connection but it has no way to tell the end device. There are all kinds of hacks to try to get around this. The most common one is the network forces a disconnect and hopes the client connects to the best signal.

It is much easier for you the person to know when there is a better signal and you can stop and start the wifi to cause the same switch. I tend to actually use different SSID so I can control exactly where it connections. Sometimes the strongest signal is not always the best since signal level is only one of many variables.