Byteguy wrote

The CPE 510 supports 2.4 and 5GHz but the EAP only 2.4 GHz.

Wondering if this is a problem. Why not use the CPE210 along with an EAP110? Is it because the CPE510 is more powerful?

CPE 510 supports only 5 GHz. EAP110-Outdoor supports only 2.4 GHz. The reason why you want to combine a CPE510 and EAP110-OD is because this way the backhaul operates on a different frequency band, thus significantly decreasing interferences. Next point is that 5 GHz band isn't overcrowded as much as 2.4 GHz.

Just to be sure we are talking about the same network topology: this is how a network with CPE/EAP combo looks like:

Second question: looks like we must have a CPE/EAP combo in every client location. If I understand the configuration correctly, a CPE access point can talk to a number of clients.

CPEs are designed for long-range directional links. They concentrate RF energy by using directional antennas, which means the WiFi signal is bundled to a relatively small beam of 45º (for CPE510) in one direction only.

EAPs are designed to provide a WiFi signal with 360º coverage by using omnidirectional antennas. The RF energy is much lower at a beam width of 360º. Since smartphones, tablets and laptops have even worser antennas compared to an EAP (and thus much smaller coverage when sending data back to the EAP), an EAP is the best choice for the »last mile«, while two CPEs are the best choice for a long-range backhaul over distances up to several kilometers. CPEs are not designed to serve clients around them.

That's why you combine EAP110-OD with a CPE connecting to the main AP (second CPE) if the distance between the main AP and the clients is more than, say, 50 meters.

OTOH, for distances up to ~100m you could alternatively use two EAP225-Outdoor with omnidirectional antennas connected together via meshing. Note that standard clients such as smartphones and tablets won't be able to cover 100m.

Anyway, you will need a free line of sight between the CPEs (or the EAP225-OD if you choose them). This is the most important point in such a setup.

Yes, a mesh will definitely give you better WLAN availability on the remote side. Depending on where you place the CPE510, you can minimize interferences somewhat b/c CPEs have directional antennas.

Note that the number of clients can not be increased by adding more mesh nodes – a mesh network can serve at most the same number of clients (~40 to 60) a single EAP225-Outdoor can serve. However, you can deploy more root nodes (= EAP225-Outdoor mesh nodes wired to the CPE) to increase the number of clients if needed.

@Byteguy, you're welcome. Have fun with the project! EAPs are nice devices and even easier to configure compared to CPEs, so you will become familiar with them soon if you already know how to set up CPEs.

@Byteguy, right, EAP110 does not use mesh. TP-Link mesh is implemented so far only on dual band APs such as EAP225 (and soon EAP245). A mesh network helps to greatly simplify deployment of more EAPs since only a cable for power supply is needed, but the mesh does not increase the total client capacity. That's why I asked how many clients you want to support.

Thus, if your EAPs are either too far away from each other to be meshed or you want to support more clients than what's possible with a single EAP225-Outdoor (meshed or not), the solution with a CPE510/EAP110-Outdoor combo is preferable over a CPE510/EAP225-Outdoor solution. Also keep in mind that for a mesh you need to deploy an Omada Controller.