Making a seamless network with multiple routers. One login without logging in from router to router for access.

[insainlewey]

I've been trying to extent or repeat a wireless signal. I have one main router (Asus RTAC66U). I want to be able to seamlessly go all throughout the house without having to connect to each network. I have an Ethernet cable run to the other side of my house from the Asus and I've tried many things to get this to work the way I want. I would prefer a wired signal from the main router instead of wirelessly copying the signal and repeating it. Mainly because I want absolute full speed from each router.
What happens with all the devices I've tried.(Including those wall plug in one button repeaters and also wired routers on the other side of the house) It makes another (second) network or SSID. Sometimes it adds an ext to the end of the network name. So when I'm in the middle of the house it fights between networks. Or if I'm connected to one and I get near the furthest end of the connection, it stays connected to the further crappy signal even though I'm so close to the other router.
I've also tried naming them the same SSID and Key and get the same results.
What am I doing wrong?
Isn't there a way for 2 routers to work seamlessly together without having to jump between SSIDs?
If so do they have to be identical routers?
I'm completely stumped on this and I usually get computer stuff so easily.
I would be so forever grateful to one that can guide me to make this possible.
Thanks so much!!!

 

[bill001g]

You've done nothing wrong. You have described the issues you see with the various options you have very well. The problem is consumer equipment is not designed to do what you want to do. Mostly it is the end client devices are not designed for actual mobile use. Unlike a cell phone that is designed from the very beginning to move from tower to tower.

There is no simple solution to this. To really do it right you would need to have a WiFi system that has the ability to actually control the end devices and tell them when to switch. Even the most expensive commercial systems still have issues. You can get a basic system from ubiquiti to work with their AP. They provide the controller software for free. It sorta works but still you will have issue of the device not switch cleanly.

Pretty much the problem is the end device can not actually look for a better signal since it is using its radio to talk to the AP. It will wait until the signal gets really bad to look. You can to a point adjust this but you take the risk then of it disconnecting looking for better signal finding none and reconnecting to the original. You now get constant small interrupts.

 

[BFG-9000]

I have never had an issue putting the same SSID and WPA2-Personal key on a router and all of the APs. If the APs are repurposed routers instead of actual APs then you do have to disable DHCP in them to avoid double-NAT.

No, the problem is the devices don't like to switch to another AP unless you space them so far apart they barely overlap. Android phones and tablets will stubbornly hang on to a very weak signal even if you move right next to another AP with a much stronger signal (install an APP like “Wifi Roaming Fix” app or use hardware with WDS which essentially is a repeater/range extender that preserves the MAC address of the original router's WiFi radio) and iOS is somewhat dumb about it too. Perhaps they are trying to avoid the 5-seconds it takes to re-establish the connection.

In comparison, encouraging handoffs between APs is easy with laptop (it's in the roaming aggressiveness/sensitivity settings of the driver panel in device manager--set to "Highest").