I'm in the process of upgrading my network and setup, which (among other things) involves adding a second WiFi access point to try and improve the spotty WiFi performance at one end of my house. I'm not that familiar with more than the basics of networking, so thought I would toss a few questions out there for those with more knowledge. My basic network consists of a Wireless Router in the spare room, in to which my main PCs and NAS connect. I then extend it out around the house (bedroom, living room, spare room) to my other equipment (media players, DVD recorder, music streamers, TV, Sky box etc) using Ethernet-over-powerline. This works well and I get stable connections with good throughput. However, my WiFi performance isn't great, particularly downstairs, and I want to fix this. I have acquired a TP-Link powerline adapter which also functions as a WiFi access point, and I want to set this up to improve WiFi coverage. (Note, isn't a WiFi repeater, it will is access point that ties tied back to the router using powerline networking, conceptually the same as using wired Ethernet). 1. Choice of SSID I have been giving conflicting advice about this. One bit of advice was to set up the access point using the same SSID (and password etc) as my main router/network, so it's seen as the same network by devices. The other was to set it up as a separate SSID as, apparently, some wireless clients will lock on to the device (router or access point) they first connect to, and refuse to change from one to the other when I move - even if the other is putting out a much better signal. So my first question is whether to set the access point up with the same SSID, or as a separate network?And if I do set it up as the same SSID, should I expect devices to hop to the strongest signal when I move around the house?2. Choice of WiFi Channel My second question is, if I set the access point up with the same SSID, do I set it for the same channel or a different (non-conflicting) channel? Again, I have had different advice on this. 3. Anything I have overlooked I would also appreciate any thoughts or comments on anything else that I may have overlooked.
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