help with mesh network and captive portal/social login

help with mesh network and captive portal/social login

help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-23 11:07:11 - last edited 2023-11-24 20:17:23

Hello i need to configure a mesh network in my restaurant

I need 7 ap, and one must be outside, so should be outdoor capable

I also need to have my customers to access the wifi via social login (facebook and instagram as minimum)

For what i understand i can achieve my need with the omada series

Right?

Can anyone suggest me what product i need to do all this?

thanks alot

 

p.s.

all ap can be connected to the system with lan cable

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login-Solution
2023-11-24 19:43:20 - last edited 2023-11-24 20:17:23

  @stefanocps 

 

245 is designed for ceiling or high wall mount and can support mesh, 235 is designed more for desk level install using wallbox and has 3 usable ethernet ports for other devices, one supporting POE passthrough but no mesh.

 

The controller optimizes user roaming experience...so if they are moving around in restaurant this will give you better/more seamless coverage and better user experience.

 

The controller gives you the capability for a Captive Portal, I don't use them, but from what I recall they are pretty basic things..perhaps others can chime in?  In any respect, TPlink are nowhere near the level of customer insight you would gain from say a Meraki solution or even Ubiquity for that matter.

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login-Solution
2023-11-25 16:30:15 - last edited 2023-11-25 16:50:25

  @stefanocps 

 

Omada can do a basic hospitality deployment cheaply and without issue, I'd focus on the hardware install and setup.  You can get fancy later with portals and splash pages.

 

Your biggest issue, being in a very dense euro city, will be the amount of competing wireless networks in the area.  Wifi is unregulated and there are no rules on who can have how many, where they put them, what channels they are on etc.  You might consider only making Guest access on the 5.8G channels for fewer complaints and I would be very careful if you are using wireless payment terminals that only run on 2.4G...you may have to add some extra APs to 'drown out' competing signals from nearby neighbours.  Pay attention to your frequency plan and channel widths.  I would highly recommend forcing the APs to use the narrowest channel possible, especially the 2.4G band (ie fix at 20Mhz).  I would also consider doing your own manual frequency plan using the 1,6 and 11 channels only in 2.4G band...you know you're going to have interference from the surrounding area, might as well not interfere with yourself right!  Google it!  Based on your physical AP placement in the restaurant, have a look at the design on the left side below (right side would be more 5.8G channels, but not sure if this diagram was for EU or not)

 

 

 

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-23 22:22:44

  @stefanocps 

 

If all APs can be wired, you don't need a mesh.  If you need to mesh, do not buy wall APs for indoors, they do not support meshing.

 

Facebook login is no longer supported (because of Facebook, not TPlink).

 

No need to go top drawer for AP technology...ie you don't need the 6XX series APs, you can can get away with the 2XX series which should save you a bunch.

 

If you are going Omada, make sure your switch is manageable (ie SG2XXX series) and I'd recommend the 7206 router to round things out.

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 07:46:44 - last edited 2023-11-24 08:19:26

  @d0ugmac1 thanks for your answer, need some clarification

You say i don' need mesh if ap are wired.Why?

My aim is to avoid black spot when people move around.

for  example: If a customer move from his place to a toilet he will probably loose the connection to the ap where its table is and he will need to connect to the ap near the toilet. Not to talk of the workers that will move around and need to be always connected at the best strenght

this is for me the reason of mesh, mesh will automatically switch to the closest ap with no user intervention. Also i will have a unique ssid

..isnt'it correct?

 

Social login:

is it disabled in the single ap, or in any case(though facebookk still has a list of ap that would allow it) ?a captive portal would still allow it?

I have the isp router..so you suggest to put another router in cascade that will effectively connect to the ap right?why the managed switch?

 

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 08:49:16
anyway i have just spoken with tplink support and they say that the deco line support the socila login! so how is th ehting?support or not support?
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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 14:07:20

  @stefanocps 

 

First, the Facebook issue:

 

https://community.tp-link.com/en/business/forum/topic/605740 

 

What you are asking for is 'seamless roaming' not 'meshing'.  The addition of the Omada controller will allow you to set up and optimize seamless roaming (ie users changing which AP they are connected to based on signal/location without dropping their connection).

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 14:59:31

  @d0ugmac1 

facebook issue: i have heard form other companies that provide capitve portal of this issue with facebook that is often changing their rule, so many are giving up with doing this. Facebook and instagram login, anyway, is a marketing tool..to have the restaurant name spreaded around in the web..any other means to obtain this is will be good anyway

 

So what is the difference between mesh and seamless roaming?

Many are telling me that i can just use some AP and there will be no problem for customers to connect, no blackspot or connection breakdown even if they move(as long as the area is covered of course)

While i want to give the more flawless internet experience to customer i also want to keep all the system as easy as possible, to avoid servicing often. It is a restaurant and they have no much time to be there and managing devices, also there is not en expert there to look after it. The expert is called when needed..so less call the better is for them.

Resuming the choice must be done ( mesh, seamless roaming or classic ap whatever will be)  keeping in mind flawlessy experience for users and easyest configuration to setup and expecially to manage;

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 15:33:27

  @stefanocps 

 

Honestly, I think you could get away with a POE switch with enough ports and power to support your 7 APs (maybe 2210MP), an OC200 hardware controller, and 7 indoor APs...if the restaurant is high density...ie >150 patrons, consider some the HD AP models for better performance.  Omada Controller (OC200) will give you pretty much everything you need to setup and monitor the wireless network (including some automatic features to optimize the radio channels etc.) with a browser based UI.

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 15:45:43

  @d0ugmac1 

the restaurant have 74 sits..sometimes there could be someone standing at  the bar, plus all the workers..so at maximum could be 100 persons..but 100 i think it is rare

So you think i could just get 7 normal AP (but one must me outdoor)

Any of the tplink ap works with omada or only the business series?

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 17:18:26

  @stefanocps 

 

You'll want the EAP (Enterprise APs) for compatibility with Omada.  But you won't need anything super fancy...I would suggest the EAP610 line it comes in ceiling, wall and outdoor and gets you some future proofing.

 

The absolute lowest budget combo I would suggest today would be EAP245 ceiling, EAP235 wall and EAP225 outdoor, keep the OC200 controller, but you can go to a cheaper unmanaged POE switch like the TL-SL2428P

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login
2023-11-24 17:50:23 - last edited 2023-11-24 17:54:43

  @d0ugmac1 

ok good suggestion

245 and 235 differ only for where they will be placed right?

these ap have omada integrated i read

So the controller is absolutely needed or it is just for a better management?

 

One thing again i lost some passage:

Will Omada give me some marketing functionality(facebook like, mail collection, review system, custom home page for users) or i need a 3rd part portal?

i tried omada demo and i did not see anything about

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Re:help with mesh network and captive portal/social login-Solution
2023-11-24 19:43:20 - last edited 2023-11-24 20:17:23

  @stefanocps 

 

245 is designed for ceiling or high wall mount and can support mesh, 235 is designed more for desk level install using wallbox and has 3 usable ethernet ports for other devices, one supporting POE passthrough but no mesh.

 

The controller optimizes user roaming experience...so if they are moving around in restaurant this will give you better/more seamless coverage and better user experience.

 

The controller gives you the capability for a Captive Portal, I don't use them, but from what I recall they are pretty basic things..perhaps others can chime in?  In any respect, TPlink are nowhere near the level of customer insight you would gain from say a Meraki solution or even Ubiquity for that matter.

<< Paying it forward, one juicy problem at a time... >>
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