I have fixed the TP-Link_4690 network overlapping the other networks, good times

An update to my WiFi Journal Post from a few days ago.
I went to a friends last night to help them fix their WiFi.
Their WiFi setup was like this:

  • Network name: WiFi_Network. Location: Kitchen. (longer range but slower)
  • Network name: WiFi_Network_5G. Location: Kitchen. (limited range but faster)
  • Network name WiFi_Network_EXT. Location: Upstairs. (longer range but slower)

Each device on the network was connected to one or more of these WiFi networks…
Now the problem with this is…
You enter the house in the kitchen, your device connects to WiFi_Network_5G because the signal is strong and it’s the fastest network. You go to the living room, now the network WiFi_Network_5G has a much lower signal strength and slows right down but is still connected so your device does nothing. Go upstairs and you loose WiFi_Network_5G and it connects to one of the others, but then as you move around it stays connected to one, even if the other is stronger.
This is because all the network names are different (even though they are all on the same internet connection) and for your device to switch between them is a big task, lots of things happen in the background to make that work and it interrupts what you are doing…
So I set all the WiFi networks to be the same name, with the same password (and some other stuff has to be the same too)
Now when they connect to the WiFi they see just one network name

  • WiFi_Network

As they move around the house their device switches between the three different bits of hardware it can connect to (a WiFi router does two and an extender does the one previously called EXT).
So sitting in the kitchen they are connected to the 5G faster WiFi, but as they go upstairs they are switched over to one of the other ones automatically without noticing any drop of internet…
I’m off on holiday now so I will leave you with Tim!
Thanks
Mike ! 🙂
PS, if you followed my previous post about the multiple TP-Link_4690 WiFi networks messing up mine and the neighbours you will be pleased to know that I fixed this! 🙂