Airport Extreme Workaround
- Thread starter ctitanic
- Start date
,
Good catch!
In addition, once both machines were using the 802.11AC 5GHZ connection as indicated in the SSID entry, not only was there an improvement (especially for the SP3), they were identical! Initially the SP3 was not connected with this protocol and band, making it an unequal comparison.
Good catch!
In addition, once both machines were using the 802.11AC 5GHZ connection as indicated in the SSID entry, not only was there an improvement (especially for the SP3), they were identical! Initially the SP3 was not connected with this protocol and band, making it an unequal comparison.
I used to have a 5th Gen Airport Extreme in my house and from day one I always had the SSID for the 5Ghz radio named differently (mainly because I like to actually KNOW which radio I'm connected to) and I still have had the same issues as tons of other folks with not being able to automatically associate after wake or losing the adapter completely on the SP1/2/and 3 (although I haven't had the Houdini act happen on the SP1 or SP2 in a long time). Not saying that it wouldn't cause any issues, but it's certainly no silver bullet to solving the myriad of wireless issues in the SP line.
I have owned simultaneous dual band routers since they were introduced, with 801.11n (Linksys WRT610) and now 802.11ac (WRT1900AC). I also have always created 2 different SSID's for the 2.4 and 5.0 GHZ bands. If the device I am using is capable of 5 GHz, I always use that band. Presently I have both the SP1 and SP2 (will be ordering the SP3 in Mid October). I for one have not experienced the after wake non reconnection, or losing the adapter completely. Perhaps I am in the minority but I always shut down my Surface devices and my Router overnight. I als0 shut down my modem in conjunction, about once every 2 weeks. I have always installed all of the updates manually with a fully charged unit and hard wired (Ethernet connection) to the gigabit ports on the router after having system file checked (sfc) and run CCleaner on the units before hand. Perhaps this is overkill but it has worked for me. YRMV
Bandito
Active Member
From what I understand, there are two ways for an adapter to find and connect to a WiFi network: one is to scan for networks and join the first known network encountered; the other method is to scan for known networks, then check them for the highest throughput and connect to that network.
Apple uses the second approach to ensure the fastest connection. Other adapters can, and often do, use the first method. As you can imagine, the second method will take a bit longer to complete. That's why many adapter manufacturer's avoid using it, but using this second method always ensures that no matter what the WiFi configuration is, you get the best possible speed.
The first method will fail to give you the fastest connection under several circumstances, such as when the SSIDs are the same for both frequencies. Most adapters scan the 2.4GHz band first, so if they encounter a known network on this band, they connect and are done. They will simply ignore the 5GHz connection. To correct for this issue, separate SSIDs must be set up and the 5GHz connection must be given priority in the WiFi adapter's configuration.
As with most anything in life, there are always compromises.
Apple uses the second approach to ensure the fastest connection. Other adapters can, and often do, use the first method. As you can imagine, the second method will take a bit longer to complete. That's why many adapter manufacturer's avoid using it, but using this second method always ensures that no matter what the WiFi configuration is, you get the best possible speed.
The first method will fail to give you the fastest connection under several circumstances, such as when the SSIDs are the same for both frequencies. Most adapters scan the 2.4GHz band first, so if they encounter a known network on this band, they connect and are done. They will simply ignore the 5GHz connection. To correct for this issue, separate SSIDs must be set up and the 5GHz connection must be given priority in the WiFi adapter's configuration.
As with most anything in life, there are always compromises.
Also take note that 2.4Ghz building penetration is higher than that of 5Ghz, so while the 5Ghz may have more unoccupied channels and even better throughput in ideal situations, signal loss may actually mean that the 2.4Ghz connection might win out. In any case, I think it should be an accepted "best practice" to name the SSIDs separately so that the situation can be explicitly controlled.
