Hi all.
Please give an advise regarding network architecture for home.
Plans are next: I want to create seamless wifi roaming (capsman, wds?) for 4 rooms. One MT device in each room (for example hap ac).
Scheme is something like this:
1) Main device. ether1 connected to ISP, to ether2-ether4 will be connected rest of devices. Wifi APs will run on this device and it will be a capsman manager.
2) Other 3 devices must connected to main device via ethernet cables, for example to ether1 and provide wired internet access to rest ether ports (ether2-5). Also they need to provide wifi roaming in these rooms.
Is this configuration possible and normal in sight of architecture?
P.S. main device in capsman manager mode must have wifi interfaces or this is non necessary?
P.P.S. afaik WDS "cuts off" a half of bandwidth or I'm wrong?
So what is the best configuration to make what i need? What to use, capsman, mesh, wds?
Thanks in advance and sorry for my English. This is not my native language.

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Mikrotiks don't support proper roaming. I haven't found a consumer grade device that does.

WDS can be a disappointment. You will have 3 WDS and 1 actual access point. The WDS must be within range of the AP. If they are too close you might have issues. Too far and you'll have issues. And if I recall, they do NOT use cables to connect back to the network. A WDS device receives data and then transmits it on the same frequency. So it's more of a repeater. This is why bandwidth is halved.

Anther product called Open-Mesh supports Zero Handoff. All APs are wired, and ideally they're barely overlapping. The APs work together to offload clients to each other, all on the same frequency. The client only sees one network, so totally transparent to the client. Ubiquiti does this too but they require a java based controller to be installed on a computer somewhere (or use a ubiquiti switch that has the controller built in).

Is this configuration possible and normal in sight of architecture?

The configuration is possible, architecture sounds rather reasonable. You don't need WDS. I suggest you use CAPsMAN in manager forwarding mode (turn local forwarding off). Running individual radios (APs) with somewhat reduced transmit power usually results in a better roaming experience.

P.S. main device in capsman manager mode must have wifi interfaces or this is non necessary?

This is not necessary. You have to have wireless package installed on your CAPs manager device, but locally installed wireless cards is not a requirement for the manager.

Hi all.
Please give an advise regarding network architecture for home.
Plans are next: I want to create seamless wifi roaming (capsman, wds?) for 4 rooms.

You cannot do that with MikroTik equipment. You need to spend big money on e.g. Aruba networks managed WiFi.

you can take a MikroTik hAP ac lite. With the 5 GHz can you make the mesh network. The 2,4 Ghz can you take for the CAPs.

This reply is not relevant to the described situation and issue.

This string is PRETTY CONFUSING for neophytes who are trying to design and build robust and future proof HOME networks! Each new reply seems to contradict the previous reply.

Forum Friends, we are not asking for a design recommendation for a MESH network for a hospital, school, hotel, or data center. We are asking for advice on how to design a better and FUTURE PROOF MESH wifi network in a house with wired ethernet backhaul. We just want something that might be better and more FLEXIBLE than what we can buy from Best Buy!

Could someone please draw and describe a SIMPLE Mikro Tik MESH network and include a Mikro Tik Bill of Materials for an average single family home (say 2500 square feet on 2 floors.) One CAPs-MAN and 3 CAPs/ WAPS and perhpas a managed switch.

For my part I expect that this could be done with one CAPsMAN and 2 or 3 CAPs / WAPS. Ideally this would be installed using ethernet for backhaul from CAPs to CAPsMAN instead of using 2.4 Ghz for backhaul.

Maybe it would look like this:

where <===> all cable is sheilded Cat 6A ethernet backhaul

<==> CAP1 x mitting 2.4 & 5 Ghz
ISP modem router <===> CAPsMAN <===> CAP2 x mitting 2.4 & 5 Ghz
<===> CAP3 x mitting 2.4 & 5 Ghz

I expect that this could be done with the following Mikro Tik hardware:

1 only Mikro Tik hAP ac router
3 only Mikro Tik wAP ac acess points

If more ethernet connections were required; the homeonwer could add a Mikro Tik gigabit switch onto the hAP ac router. It seems to me that all 3 of the wAP ac ethernet cables could be piggybacked behind the switch that was plugged into port 2 on the hAP ac.

There is a business opportunity here. Mikro Tik or one of our forum members with more knowledge than us newbies could create this MESH in your labs and save the config files for the hAP ac and wAP ac and then share them on-line for a fee. Each of us newbies could by the hardware and then load your saved basic MESH config settings and then further customize our own Mikro Tik MESH networks from your basic starting point.

As it is now; in the resedential market Mikro Tik / Router Board is not well known. Unfortunately for most home users, Mikro Tik is an enthusiast GEEK based product. There is a possibility that given a chance more dissatisfied consumers would move away from locked down Linksys, Netgear, Ubiquiti, Securifi, et al and consider buying Mikro Tik. With the debut of resedential MESH networks [http://www.pcmag.com/roundup/350795/the ... rk-systems] Mikro Tik has a chance to 'break out" in 2017.

Can we leverage the new interest in MESH Networks to make this happen in 2017?

Don't use the word MESH all the time, because that confuses the issue.
MESH is commonly used for the topology where all the APs are only operating wireless (with the exception of one that has the internet connection).
Both the connection of the users and the interconnection of the APs is done wireless (and on the same channel).

Possible, but avoid that topology whenever possible. Use wire for the interconnects and use the wireless only for access.
To have multiple access points serving users on a single network is called WiFi Roaming.

Thanks for posting my question and answering some of it. My reference to MESH comes from the article in the magazine and references to MESH on various web pages offering info on Mikro Tik hardware. In my case I am doing a new build home so I can run Cat 6A cable everywhere in the house and of course to the CAPsMAN and all of the APs.

That said; indeed what I am looking for is seamless wi-fi roaming.

Simply put how do I provide wi-fi roaming and what is the best way to enable the best performance and FUTURE PROOF my home nework and its overall ethernet and wi-fi capability.

Am I going to be able to achieve this by using the Mikro Tik hardware described in my initial question? How do I force my backhaul traffic to only use the etherenet cable between the APs and the CAPsMAN? How do I force my seamless wi-fi roaming network to use wireless only for access? Are there any special secrets or settings that must be made to make this all happen?

I will say again that there is a business opportunity here for someone to set up a simplified but optimised seamless wi-fi roaming network using CAPsMAN with 2 or 3 APs and then share the config files for the CAPsMAN and APs

I have deployed this same configuration successfully in several different environments. Using cAPsMAN works great, and if your radio coverage is optimized you can hand off from AP to AP with only a missed ping or two. All APs broadcast the same SSID. There is no need to force the traffic to use the ethernet backhaul, you bind the service to a port when you configure the AP.

As for a hardware recommendation...
Controller
https://routerboard.com/RB750UPr2
APs
2.4Ghz - https://routerboard.com/RBwAP2nD
5Ghz - https://routerboard.com/RBwAPG-5HacT2HnD

Simply put how do I provide wi-fi roaming and what is the best way to enable the best performance and FUTURE PROOF my home nework and its overall ethernet and wi-fi capability.

Mikrotiks support roaming "fine" as-is. (At least as well as anything else in the price range.) Handoff is less than 2 seconds and connections aren't dropped. Only VoIP really suffers, but you need some type of managed roaming to avoid that, which Mikrotiks can't do today.

How do I force my backhaul traffic to only use the etherenet cable between the APs and the CAPsMAN? How do I force my seamless wi-fi roaming network to use wireless only for access? Are there any special secrets or settings that must be made to make this all happen?

You don't need to do anything special. APs don't forward traffic between each other wirelessly unless WDS is specifically enabled, and even then, higher bridge port path cost of WDS should keep traffic on Ethernet. Just don't turn WDS on and backhaul traffic will always stay on Ethernet.

The last reply is correct I have also installed many similar setups myself and can assure you that It will meet your needs quite well I would think that two aps will cover your area fine if you can get them at opposing corners. Message me if you need help with config

I have deployed this same configuration successfully in several different environments. Using cAPsMAN works great, and if your radio coverage is optimized you can hand off from AP to AP with only a missed ping or two. All APs broadcast the same SSID. There is no need to force the traffic to use the ethernet backhaul, you bind the service to a port when you configure the AP.

As for a hardware recommendation...
Controller
https://routerboard.com/RB750UPr2
APs
2.4Ghz - https://routerboard.com/RBwAP2nD
5Ghz - https://routerboard.com/RBwAPG-5HacT2HnD

@Zonfor

I've just purchased the following HW:
Controller: https://mikrotik.com/product/RB750Gr3
APs: 2 x https://routerboard.com/RBwAPG-5HacT2HnD

I'm planning to create a single SSID WiFi network with both APs (one at each level of my home). I would be very happy to have the configuration you used to set up your devices.
Thanks a lot.

I'd be grateful if you share your setup config.
This would many people thinking to do the same