Hello all,
I’d be grateful for some help.
I have an NDX2 which is connected by WiFi to my Sky Q router. It works well.
What doesn’t work well is the iPad Naim/Focal control app. It regularly drops the wifi connection. Of course, this is not the fault of the app but the wifi network in our house, as occasionally other apps also lose connection. The iPad can be only a couple of feet from the NDX2 when it loses connection, but the connection to the NDX2 seems rock solid. So there seems to be dodgy wifi in this room but the NDX2 shrugs it off.
I thought that I would get a wifi extender (a TP-Link AC1900) which I would plug into the same room as the NDX2, but there are things that I don’t know.
My SSID of my wifi network is SKYA2070. When the range extender sets itself up it will automatically name the extended network SKYA2070_EXT, although this can be renamed to whatever I want, maybe SKYA2070 again.
Will it work? Is it classed as the same network as far as the NDX2 is concerned? My Synology NAS is plugged into the back of the Sky Q router.
From your description, the extender is making its own WiFi network, so you’d need to have both ndx2 and phone connected to that else it won’t work.
What you really need is a WiFi bridge; this connects to the existing WiFi and just sends out the same network thus extending the existing one without making its own.
I need to read whether the TP-Link AC1900 works in bridge mode.
This one TP-Link AC1750 £55 in Argos: possibly the slightly smaller brother. Has an Ethernet port for the ndx2, and WiFi for your phone.
Reading the manual, there’s no mention of it making its own ssid by default; it should be a seamless continuation of the existing WiFi network from your sky router.
I suspect exactly the same from the ac1900 it just has a little bit more output; which you probably won’t notice so choose the cheaper one.
Thank Robert. I don’t think it works in bridge mode, I’ll investigate. It also has an ethernet port but the power sockets near the NDX2 are inaccessible so I wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the ethernet.
It might be that a way to do it is to connect the NDX2 to the extended network as well as the iPad. I’m loath to fiddle around with what already works. However, the NDX2 on wifi can see the Synology NAS which is wired into the router, so maybe it will see the control app which will be getting its signal from the same router at least. Suck it and see I suppose.
I’m changing ISP next year to full fibre with a different provider (900 Mb/s). That’s why I’ve ordered this one. Otherwise I could just have bought the Sky extender.
Thanks for taking the time to look into this for me.
I have a TP-Link RE655 wifi repeater / extender, placed at the “corner” of our flat (ie half way between the service provider modem/router/wifi box and the bedroom “dead zone”). It’s set up to reuse the same wifi name, not to create a new one. My iPhone travels seamlessly and controls the Atom from the entire living space, exactly as desired. With two in-built radios, it does not cut bandwidth in half from the bedroom. Expandable to be part of their mesh wifi if desired. Fit for purpose and now about 65€. Can’t go wrong at this price imho.
This is not universally the case. I have a VM Superhub 2ac which sets up two WiFi networks with different SSIDs, one on 2.4 GHz and one on 5GHz. And I have an Apple Airport Extreme fed by Ethernet from the router. The Airport sets up two more WiFi networks, one on 2.4 GHz and one on 5GHz, using the same SSID for both. So there are four WiFi networks with three different SSIDs. Our iPhone/iPads are on whichever 5 GHz Wifi network they happen to be on (or the Apple 2.4 GHz network) and they always instantly see the several Naim streamers that are connected by Ethernet to the router via a chain of switches, as well as the Qb Gen 1 which is connected to the VM Superhub’s 2.4 GHz WiFi. It all just works perfectly, always.
Thanks, that sounds promising. By default it adds “_EXT” to the wifi existing network name, but this is easy to change in their app. The point is so that you can easily see if your device is connected to the original wifi or the extension.
I am filled even further with hope!
Hoping to add clarity not confusion, I’d just point out that you can have many SSID network access points all attached to the same intranet network within your home (ie with the same IP address range, such as 192.168.0.xxx or 192.168.1.xxx or whatever (including the 10.x.x.x class A series)).
In David’s example, there is almost certainly only one internal network, but several access points each with one or two SSID names (differentiating 2 and 5 GHz for example).
These related concepts are distinct, and as you say the different SSID names are mainly to let you know which AP you’re using to connect to the (same) network. One advantage of having only a single SSID for all APs is that iPhone roaming is more seamless and you can switch to the stronger AP as you walk from room to room without first completely losing signal on the weaker AP. In my experience, this is the preferable mode for your use case … leaving other SSIDs and other networks for Guest Access (ie connecting over your infrastructure to the external internet without seeing your internal intranet devices and computers and so on).
Thank you.
The problem I have is puzzling. The iPad that I’m writing this on, and also use for my Naim app, currently has a strong signal. However, without moving, that signal can fall away to nothing - just in this one room in the house (where the NDX2 is) even though the NDX2 doesn’t lose connection.
I want to put the WiFi extender in this room. The iPad will be able, most of the time, to connect to the original WiFi signal. I want it to keep that connection all the time (not unreasonable!). Bearing in mind that, when the extender is added, the iPad will have access to the WiFi network from two sources at the same time (router wifi and extender). I don’t know how it will behave if one source has “_EXT” after the network name. Will there be confusion? I’ll just have to try with and without the suffix.
I declined SkyQ because of the problems which users had reported with wifi. That may or may not be the issue in your case. I assume you also have a Sky Q streaming box.
When networks work properly, they are seamless. Your other option is to disable wifi on Sky Q router (if you have an additional tv box this isn’t so easy). Then by borrowing or trialling a Ubiquiti WAP, hard wired as a temporary measure and see if you have the problems you have posted.
The Ubiquiti is not plug and play, requires configuring but plenty of info on the web or ask, several of us use them. They are capable, stable and reliable units.
I’m not sure why your iPad loses connection to your wifi network when there is strong signal… that is likely its own issue. Hmm. I’ve not experienced that…
If you install an extender, it’s best to put it half way between the source (eg your wifi router) and the trouble spot (eg your HiFi room) - this will optimize coverage vs putting it in a low signal area and hoping to just amplify that (it’s a repeater, not an amplifier).
If you use only one SSID on all APs, your iPad will automatically switch to the strongest source; if you use different SSIDs, it will hold onto the one it’s connected to as long as it can. You don’t need to do anything else to make this work properly.
To me, if it’s really the case that you have strong wifi in your NDX2 room but the iPad drops (which would be very unusual), you might need to explore other factors - such as contamination of your wifi channel by a neighbour - rather than assuming you understand what is causing the disconnection.
Either way, ordering a TP-Link repeater / extender from a shop with a good return policy is a low risk way to check an alternative solution and maybe give you extra diagnostic information … best wishes!!
Plus one for installing wired-backhaul Ubiqiti access points and disabling the wifi on your ISP router. But that’s a wholesale system change, and might be a sledgehammer solution to a carpet tack problem…
Yes I agree. That is certainly the case.
It is a puzzling problem. It isn’t the neighbours as we’ve installed new ones owing to the last ones being unsatisfactory. There has also been a no-neighbour period which didn’t change anything.
I had the same problem with a previous (non-Q) Sky router, so it’s probably not that. Also the router is more or less in line of sight and only about 20 feet away. I think that it may be something in the room. My listening position is beneath an RSJ that enabled an extension to the room. Any WiFi extender may fall victim to the same problem. BUT…. the NDX2 doesn’t have any problems.
Lol, nice one.
I don’t know what that means… are you saying it’s creating a wifi dead spot where you use your iPad?
I’m just entertaining the possibility. If it was that, I would expect it to be consistent.
Hmm. What is an RSJ? Not familiar with the term.
Rolled Steel Joist, also known as a Universal Beam I think. You use one when you want to take away a wall that is load-bearing. The RSJ or UB holds up what the wall held up before.