TL-WA7210N Issues

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TL-WA7210N Issues

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TL-WA7210N Issues
TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-06 18:26:31
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Hi forum. Am new. Nice to meet you all. It as a result of a persistent challenge i have been experiencing with the TL-WA7210N device. I use this device in AP mode to spread wireless signal for internet in my office. I have a router which i connected all my access point to. I reserved an IP range from .3 - .24 for the access points. This means the first access point has .3, the second .2 and so on in that order till the last one. these access points are on the same subnet with my router. The access points are configured to be on the same channel and have same SSID. This configuration has been in this state for more than a year yet, users complain of poor service. I personally noticed that the access point signals hangs for a few seconds thereby no data packet sent or received and after a few moment, data activity continues. That gap is what users complain. Secondly, the signal doesn't travel far enough which resulted in having as many as 22 access points to cover blind areas. Please folks, is there any other configuration i have to apply to curb this lingering challenge of mine. Also, does there exist a software that can enable me remotely accessing all these access point without having to go to them one after another?. Your profession advice and best practical approach to solving this issue will be highly appreciated.
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#1
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-07 01:48:22

handsome wrote

The access points are configured to be on the same channel

wrong, they have to be in dif. channels, use 1,6 & 11
the closest AP to another has to use a Dif channel
you chose the wrong device, 7210 was meant for outdoor
check EAPs here http://www.tp-link.com/en/search/?q=eap
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#2
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-07 21:13:32
Thank you danymarc for your response. Before now, i configured some of the APs to channel 1, 6, and 11 but the network was so unstable that i thought putting all of them to one channel solves the problem since they all have the same SSID. The thing is, the AP are quite close to each other (just three to four feet apart). This is so due to the fact that the AP isn't covering enough area in its position which is why you have another one installed right at the point where the signal of the first one drops. Now, if i configure the first one to be on channel 1 and the second one to be on channel 6 and the third one to channel 11, when i go upstairs, the signal on the second floor wouldn't be very strong. So i installed three more access point to cover the blind spot. Now in this case, i can't configure the ones on the second floor with the same channel number since the ones on the first floor already has those channels. So in this case, what happens?
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#3
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-07 22:52:14
You will only use those 3 chs for all your 72s
Make sure you don't use the same to the one close to
In this case the ones upstairs use the same 3 channels
Your deploy is wrong, having three 72s apart by 3 feet, that is way wrong
One should be enough
As I posted, you chose the wrong gear for indoors
Simple 740 routers on AP mode will do way better work
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#4
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-08 14:52:51
Your responses have been useful danymarc. I now understand that choice of to link model have been the reason behind the network challenge I've been facing. But one of the 72s could not cover enough area within a shortest range. Even as I position an Ap right in front of a room, when you go inside the room with doors closes, inside the room and the next two close to the Ap experience very poor WiFi signal.
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#5
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-09 14:23:34
why do you use TL-WA7210N for indoor Wi-Fi, it's with directional antenna....TP-Link has a good solution for indoor Wi-Fi, EAP series
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#6
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-10 17:56:40
@YXCY Well, we learn everyday. Before now, i had no idea why my network keeps having signal problems. i already branded TP-Link products no fit for network infrastructure but with the responses i have been getting so far, i think changing to indoor devices will go a long way curbing the problem. I just keep thinking if changing these outdoor will curb the problem in the first place because, at some point, the signal disappears on the device that is connected to it and reappears and when it reappears, it ask the user to log back in to the hotspot. the access points are all connected to a mikrotik router with static ip assigned to all of them.
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#7
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-11 02:08:50
Just to be sure: did you have selected "indoor" for the distance setting on the WA7210 (menu "Wireless -> Distance Setting")? This should be selected if used indoor.

Anyway, what you are experiencing might be the "hidden node" or "exposed node problem" (see wikipedia) or some kind of other interferences caused by too many APs for your office area. Or maybe, newer client devices in your office support newer WiFi modes and are causing interferences (read on for an explanation/solution).

Generally speaking, you can use the same ESSID (ESSID = AP group, BSSID = AP) with different channels. If you need to support 802.11b, choose 1, 6 and 11 or even better 1, 7 and 13 if available in your country) in circular fashion around bordering APs. If you just need to support 802.11g or n, you can use a step width of 4 channels, this means 1, 5, 9 and 13. If you use n or mixed b/g/n mode, be sure to select 20 MHz channel width. If you insist to use 40 MHz channel width, the step width between non-overlapping channels can be up to 8, so you have only two such channels (3 and 11).

But having all APs use the same channel is a guarantee for problems sooner or later, no matter what ESSID is used.

Also make sure that the APs (even on different channels) do not interfere with each other by reducing transmission power. To do this correctly, you should measure the WiFi signals in your office (I use the free NetSpot utility for measuring WiFi coverage), check for bad signal/noise ratio (SNR) and adjust the AP's power accordingly or even change the placement of the APs. This requires some time and effort, especially if you run speed tests - what you should -, but at the end it will work if carefully tuned, even with WA7210 set up indoor. :)
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#8
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-11 08:30:59
what do you mean by the signal disappear? lose connection? no SSID broadcast?
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#9
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-11 22:46:28
All suggestions are in place and helping me to see the issues. before now, i gave them channels 1, 6 and 11 but the problem continued. So i decided to put them in one channel. I strongly believe the problem can be rectified even using the already existing APs though it was a wrong choice. Major problem is that the APs are on the same corridor and just three rooms apart from each other and i said the reason for this is because the coverage area of the Ap is just too narrow.
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#10
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Re:TL-WA7210N Issues
2016-10-11 22:48:55
At a point, you will no longer see the SSID on you device then after a few seconds, it comes back on. Am really troubled. Don't know where i got it all wrong.
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#11
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