Band Steering on Pace 5268 modem?

Internet access discussion, including Fusion, IP Broadband, and Gigabit Fiber!
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by brent314 » Mon Nov 20, 2017 7:01 pm
I have Fusionx2 and a sonic-provided Pace 5268.

I have been using it in bridge mode and using my own router, but now I am considering eliminating the other router and just using the Pace modem.

I would like to know if the Pace modem supports band steering, to direct devices intelligently to either the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz connection using the same SSID.

If the answer is "yes" I would also like to know if band steering can be turned on/off by the user, or if it is always on.

Trying to figure out what I'm getting into before I get into it.

thanks!
by dane » Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:40 pm
It does not. We actually have a project underway to rename the 5Ghz SSID, members can select and see which one they are on.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by Sonic user » Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:16 am
Have a look at the UniFi APs... I have a couple AC-LR's with band steering, airtime fairness, etc. enabled -- both using same SSID. Performance is excellent.
by danielg4 » Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:35 am
When the FTTN tech installed the Pace 5268AC, he said that the bands must have different SSID's, or all Apple devices will break.
by dane » Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:45 am
danielg4 wrote:When the FTTN tech installed the Pace 5268AC, he said that the bands must have different SSID's, or all Apple devices will break.
The issue I see isn’t with Apple devices, it is mobile devices. Without steering, and with a single SSID, the device connects as you arrive to the longer range but slower 2.4Ghz signal, then when you move inside and closer to the AP, it doesn’t move to the 5Ghz option, even though it would deliver more bandwidth.

This was largely a non-issue in the era of DSL, with most customers at 20Mbps or below. But now that nearly a quarter of our members are on full Gigabit fiber service, it’s become a real issue for many of them. The symptom we see in Support is 30Mbps speed tests from Gigabit connected members, when testing on a phone or tablet right near the AP. The cause: it’s “stuck” on 2.4Ghz.

This is why we are now configuring for two SSIDs, allowing members to easily see and configure for the best connections.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by danielg4 » Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:51 am
What he said was that Apple devices will not know with which to associate and will constantly keep switching back and forth between the two.
by brent314 » Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:54 am
Sonic user wrote:Have a look at the UniFi APs... I have a couple AC-LR's with band steering, airtime fairness, etc. enabled -- both using same SSID. Performance is excellent.
I do have Apple devices (both macs and iphones) so the concerns expressed here about that may apply to me.

Have you had success with the UniFi APs with Apple devices, or are you entirely windows/android/linux?
by Sonic user » Tue Nov 21, 2017 5:48 pm
Have you had success with the UniFi APs with Apple devices, or are you entirely windows/android/linux?
I have all of the above including a couple iPhones (6 series). Only issue with the iPhone's connectivity was when I enabled fast roaming (by default the LRs use aided roaming). Besides that these APs have been solid and firmware updates are frequent. That said, you will need to use the UniFi Controller software to configure and update the APs. I use a Cloud Key for this but you can also run the controller from Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.

Obviously these are APs only so you'll still need a router/DHCP server... The USGs aren't bad but I stuck with pfsense for more flexibility. You could always stick with the 5268 for this and simply disable WiFi on it.
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