Hi @samc269,

There are a lot of variables to consider here.  What was your goal in replacing your previous AP?

Are we talking 2.4GHz range, 5.8GHz range?  Speed?  Which mobile devices (STA's)?  How far away?

Are you getting no signal at all or are you getting signal but its slower?

Generally speaking, business class access points are designed for stability (you don't have to restart it very often) and capacity (total number of STA's per AP).  NOT RF range or maximum possible speed.

That said, my two EAP225V3's easy cover the interior of my entire ~2200 sq foot home with 5GHz and speeds of 100 Mbit/sec or greater.  Closer to the AP's I usually see ~350-450Mbit/sec on my iPhone XSM.  iPerf speeds can be up to 500-600Mbit/sec.

I use separate SSID's for 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz so I always know which band I am connected to.  20MHz for 2.4, 80MHz for 5.8.  Fast Roaming enabled, but air time fairness and band steering disabled.  802.11b/g/n on the 2.4 and 802.11n/ac on the 5.8.  Both AP's are Ethernet connected and set to different radio channels.

-Jonathan

@samc2696 

APs like the EAP225 (and EAP245) are normally ceiling mounted, so the antenna pattern is basically a hemisphere down from the ceiling (or up from the unit if it is on the floor or on a table).

Most routers are unidirectional, like a sphere in all directions.

Some more details on where you are not getting the same signal in terms of distance, direction and number of obstructions (walls, ceilings/floors, etc.) would allow us to give you more help.

Hi @JSchnee21 

My goal was to try and get a more consistent, wider WiFi connection all over my house. There were a couple of crucial deadspots.

It's strange because on my phone (Samsung A70) it says only 1 bar of WiFi signal but when I speed test I get the expected download speed (c.70mb/s). I get that speed all over my house. But then suddenly because the signal is so weak I presume my phone goes to 4G.

My previous AP was built into my Virgin Media Super Hub 3.0. The new one is wall mounted in the same location fyi and the router hidden away in a cupboard. With my old Virgin Hub if I was showing low signal it would just be slower speeds. 

I'm not sure which range I'm on as the SSIDs have unified to one name. Which one should I use?

Thank you for any help, I am rather new to all this stuff. 

@nojak 

It's mainly upstairs and as described in my previous post the speed doesn't slow down but when my phone says there is 1 bar of signal it sort of gives up trying to connect. 

Thank you!!

@samc2696 

How is the EAP mounted?
On the ceiling of the first floor? If so, the signal is mostly down and horizontal, with very little up.
On a wall? If so, the signal is basically in front of the EAP and to the sides, but not the back.
On a counter/table/floor lying face up on the first floor? Then you have signal horizontally on that floor and above, but not to basement.

A router transmits in all directions (unidirectional). Think of a sphere around the antenna, going in every direction. So it transmits in the same floor, to the floor below and the floor above.
The EAP transmits towards the front of it and to the sides. Think of a hemisphere (half a sphere). Not much going to the back of it. So it transmits in the same floor AND (either the floor below or the floor above, but not both).

@nojak 

Hi, okay so it's on the ground floor and wall mounted above a door that's basically in the centre of the ground floor. 

Would you recommend it be mounted on the first floor on the ceiling?

Thanks again

@samc2696 

Since it is mounted on a wall imagine that wall extended into the next floor. Anything on the side of the wall where the EAP is mounted gets good reception, anything on the other side of the wall, not so much and decreasing quickly as you move away from the back of the wall.

I would recommend you take it off the wall and have it facing downward to see how that is (I expect most of the top floor to not be great).

Then place it facing upward (I expect the basement to suffer).

You may need to put it on something to achieve this, or have somebody hold it for a few minutes, while you walk around measuring signal levels.

In the end you may be trying to get unidirectional coverage from an access point that is not built to be unidirectional. All of the ceiling mounted access points share this characteristic (they were really designed for workplaces, mounted on the ceiling and radiating downwards.

The EAP225-Outdoor are omni-directional, like routers and wifi repeaters.

You may also find that a wifi repeater will give you more unidirectional coverage, as these generally have unidirectional antennae in them.

Hi @samc2696,

Generally for residential installations, many folks have at least two, sometimes three, EAP225 or 245's installed in their homes (depending on size and shape).  I have two EAP225V3's and an OC200.  My home is a ~2200 sq feet, "raised ranch" style -- basically a long skinny, two story rectangle.  Due to the layout of my home, most of our living space is upstairs.  But the placement of my broadband (FIOS Gigabit) is in a downstairs office/bendroom at one end of our house. 

I have one EAP, at one end of the house, on the first floor sitting on a table top facing up, and the other ceiling mounted on the second floor at the other end of the house.  In this way, on the second floor, my clients see two "signal cones" from the EAP's -- one facing up from downstairs, and one facing down from the same floor.

This arrangement works well for me.  I generally see at least 150-200 Mbit throughout my home on 5.8GHz.  Most locations are typically 200-300 Mbit.  Areas with strong signal max out around 350-450 Mbit.

For my home it would actually be best to ceiling mount both EAP's on the second floor, facing down.  But I don't have Ethernet in that location.  In my case the signal penetrates the interior drywall / flooring just fine (coming up from the 1st floor).  But if you had large HVAC ductwork running down the middle of the house this could be a problem.

The EAP225V3 is on sale now at Amazon for $59.  But more, in a small area like a home, is not always better as there are only 2 to 3 open channels in the US.

-Jonathan

@samc2696 

I have many TPlink access points in many locations.   In my experiance the EAP225 outdoor range performance is seriously lacking, to the point I try to never use them.

In one case I had an old EAP110, the old wide one, had great coverage, replaced it with an EAP225 and the coverage was 1/4th of the EAP110.   This was in a rural non interfearance location.

All my problem spots seem to be related to the EAP225 outdoor.

The indoor units seem to be much better, but I've only used the EAP225 indoor multiple versions, EAP225 outdoor, EAP110 outdoor widebody, and the EAP245.

Outdoor I try to use a EAP225 indoor or the EAP245 indoor in a protected place.    The EAP245 seems to do slightly better than the EAP225 (indoor).

The best range was the widebody EAP110 but its 2.4 only.

This is just my observation, I'd love for the EAP225 outdoor to perform better, not going to buy any more until they do.