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How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux

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How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-05-28 02:48:07 - last edited 2020-06-02 10:33:53
Model: EAP225-Outdoor  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

Trying to install and setup two EAP225 access points. After install I find that apparently there is NO MAC OS support(!!!) I have iMAC/iPads/iPhones. Where is the workaround to do the initial setup withOUT a PC? Web based? App based? there must be a way to avoid having to *BUY* more hardware? I could *borrow* a PC for initial setup however, the instructions indicatethat the "controller must be running" in order to use the ios app?!?! Does that mean that the EAP 225s *require* a dedicated PC running all the time in order to use the access points? This is bizarre, if so. I'm running an Archer C4000 with two EAP 225s in separate locations. Someone tell me how to make these devices work withOUT having to *BUY MORE HDWE* 

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Re:How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-06-20 21:20:20 - last edited 2020-06-20 21:23:50

@MrSurly 

 

These are business class APs and therefore management software for them is available for the most used OSes for this type of application - Linux and Windows.

 

Each AP can be managed separately via their IP, either from a DHCP lease or statically set.

 

https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1000/

 

If you want to use them to roam, you're going to need something to manage them - Omada software is free, but you will need a PC or Server to install it on, Windows or Linux - for cheap you can even install the software on a Raspberry Pi.

 

Even if you borrow a device and set them up to roam and be a pair using the same SSIDs, if the controller is not available, then roaming and hand-over also becomes unavailable. It's the software that manages this.

 

If i was you i'd look at a used Raspberry Pi, however the software can run on a virtual machine too, but for much of the functionallities, it needs to be running all the time.

 

 

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Re:How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-06-20 22:10:36 - last edited 2020-06-20 22:45:56

 

Rod-IT wrote

Even if you borrow a device and set them up to roam and be a pair using the same SSIDs, if the controller is not available, then roaming and hand-over also becomes unavailable. It's the software that manages this.

 

Basic roaming is part of the 802.11 standard since very beginning (through ESSID/BSSID). The ESSID (mostly just called »SSID«) is the common name for the WLAN, while the BSSID is used to select the AP (Basic Service Set, BSS) of an Extended Service Set (ESS). A controller is needed only for fast roaming according to 802.11k.

 

Thus, basic roaming works with every AP and WLAN router from whatever vendor, even in mixed environments:

 

 

 

@MrSurly, you can use any OS to set up EAPs through their built-in web UI or you can use the Omada app, which is available for iOS, too.

 

BTW, even the controller provides a platform-independent web UI. As for the controller itself, it needs to run on a server or an OC200 embedded system. Soon a generic cloud version of the new Omada SDN controller will become available from TP-Link, which runs the controller natively. You could even run the current version of Omada controller in the cloud (e.g. an AWS, Digital Ocean or any other service provider's instance) or on a public Internet server if you have one.

 

Being a MS-free zone here, I use only MacOS to deploy EAPs and Linux servers to run the software controller. OC200 uses an embedded Linux, too. I tried to port the Omada SW Controller v2.7 to MacOS (since MacOS is based on FreeBSD, which is pure UNIX, on which Linux – and even the Windoze kernel since NT – is based on, too), but I gave up due to Apple's very special launchd method for starting daemon processes at boot time and the platform dependency introduced in Omada Controller by TP-Link starting with version 3.0.

 

See this FAQ for various ways to manage Omada EAPs.

 

 

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#3
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Re:How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-06-20 22:13:05

Like the other poster said, just set them up using the web UI.

Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EheP64iNGw or https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1000/

 

Short answer: Plug in the EAP into your network via cable and the POE injector. Find the SSID of the EAP (search for new wifi networks and pick the TP-Link one, either 2.4 or 5G). Access  http://tplinkeap.net via browser. Login with admin/admin as username/password.
Setup the SSID (use the same as your existing router so clients roam between them, and the same wifi password).

You can do all this setup from a phone, tablet or computer (any OS).

 

You can roam between different APs on the same SSID, it is just not fast roaming. Fast roaming only happens for mobile devices (some laptops, but not Macs) and is basically seamless switchover between 2 APs on the same SSID. It requires APs from the same manufacturer and usually some type of controller from that manufacturer. You basically never get it betweeen different vendors.

You can roam between an EAP and a wireless router (TP-Link or other), it's just the normal handover with a small blip during switchover. You won't notice when streaming or browsing, but might during a VoIP/video call.

 

The IOS app is for when you have the controller software running locally and have cloud access enabled. I have the former (on a RPi), but disabled cloud access.

Before I did this, I just setup APs from my Mac via their web UI.

I don't use the IOS app.  Really, once you setup wireless, you really never really look at it again (in a home setting).

Our home is 80+% Apple (macs/iphone/ipads), with some Android and one PC. I don't use the PC at all as it's my son's gaming PC.

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#4
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Re:How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-06-20 22:13:08
Thank you for clarification on the roaming - as you may tell i am not a network guy. Windows Server / Virtualization admin. But I learn and will note that information.
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Re:How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-06-20 22:23:57

 

nojak wrote

The IOS app is for when you have the controller software running locally and have cloud access enabled.

 

You can use the Omada app to manage EAPs in stand-alone mode, no controller is required.

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#6
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Re:How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-06-20 22:40:09

@Rod-IT, you are welcome anytime.

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Re:How to setup EAP225s Only MACOS OR iOS devices? No WIN PC or Linux
2020-06-21 02:13:36

Hope that helped. Ask more if you have questions. 

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#8
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