Help with WiFi point to point

GeoffColl

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Hi all,

My house network is covered by an ASUS aimesh setup, with one node out in the outside garage - its nearest indoor node is 3 metres with breezeblock, double glazing and wood in the way.
The link to this node is wifi and is then connected to my cams through a couple of switch boxes.

The node loses connectivity routinely, I suspect the cold weather (?).

I have a pair of kuwfi cpe units to try and improve the situation, replacing the garage node.

The cpe units are paired but don't communicate, ie they didn't 'plug & play'. I have one connected to the switch box, the other to the indoor's mesh node. There is direct line of sight through
window. They are supposed to connect across 3-5km, so a few metres should be doable!

I have a choice of 5 options for connectivity in the web interface, I chose AP mode (I know router and waspi aren't correct - other choices are universal repeater or repeater).
Still they don't connect.

Can anyone shed any light on what might be an issue? I've changed cables around. Should I have chosen repeater? I want a seamless connection within the imesh

If this doesn't work it'll be time to get out the drill! More reliable, I know, with wiring!
 

TonyR

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If I understand correctly, you're having poor results with the Asus Aimesh making it through windows, etc. to a garage node and want to try getting to the garage instead with a Kuwfi PtP bridge.
I've installed a dozen or more similar PtP bridges using Ubiquiti NS2, NS5, NS2 Locos and NS5 Locos but maybe the Kuwfi are similar in some regards.

Specifically, which model are the 2 Kuwfi CPE's ?
 

GeoffColl

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The point-to-point are KuWfi CPE 5.8, set as AP. When they didn't pair and run satisfactorily on plug&play I manually set them
up as AP in the GUI. As that didn't work, initially I was tearing what hair I had left, out!

And your understanding is correct. The ASUS AiMesh connects but is unstable, the Dahua's stay online the longest whilst others (Wansview/Reolink yech) drop out - as does a wired in astrocam computer.

I've got them going after a lot of swearing and moaning and kicking.

However the result is no serious improvement.

So that's similar instability running with powerline adapters, then AiMesh, and now point-to-point wifi linked to the closest indoor node.

Which leads to the culprit possibly being one or more of the switches, although that doesn't explain the mesh node's instability. The nodes are CT-8, relatively new - run as direct wifi, or for a while through the powerline.

The switch boxes are unmanaged, so difficult to track where an error might be.

I have 2* 4 port and 1 * 2 port, so might be a case of trial and eliminate.
 

sebastiantombs

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It could be that your WiFi is becoming saturated. Remember that surveillance video is constant, non-stop streams. Watching a movie allows buffering which cannot happen with video surveillance. That constant stream, especially from multiple cameras, can overload a WiFi connection very easily. Typically, more than two cameras results in constant dropouts. I tried WiFi and had dropouts with one camera on a very lightly loaded WiFi system.

That said, you'd be better off with a dedicated wireless link for the camera traffic. The previously mentioned Ubiquity equipment works quite well. I have three cameras linked with a Nano Loco M5 and never have a dropout unless there's a power failure, no UPS at the remote end. Yes, they're more expensive but they are well worth the investment,
 

GeoffColl

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It could be that your WiFi is becoming saturated. Remember that surveillance video is constant, non-stop streams. Watching a movie allows buffering which cannot happen with video surveillance. That constant stream, especially from multiple cameras, can overload a WiFi connection very easily. Typically, more than two cameras results in constant dropouts. I tried WiFi and had dropouts with one camera on a very lightly loaded WiFi system.
Maybe, but the same setup has been running for over a year, it's only in the last 6-8 weeks that things have become flaky and more so in the last 4 weeks. The 'only' wifi part is between the house and the barn - once inside the node (CT-8) is wired back to the router (RT-AX92U). Where I now have the KuWfi across the gap, I originally had two AiMesh nodes. At the moment there's only 4 cams connected, the setup once ran 6 with little issue.

I was thinking it might be the switches, as we have had numerous power outages, but they should be protected by surge protection - not one but two. The port lights flicker as they're supposed to.

Getting a bit flummoxed at the moment.
 

GeoffColl

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Of notice, this morning during some investigation. Two cameras have the same IP address - not helpful in that the router doesn't seem able to remove one with a static address!

I have my 2 Dahua cameras on separate switch boxes. One is stable, the other won't connect.
Will leave for a while and then switch the two switches in the assumption the cameras stay as they currently are.

EDIT: Fing didn't pick up the IP conflict, neither did the router app.....Odd or not!?
 

TonyR

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Of notice, this morning during some investigation. Two cameras have the same IP address - not helpful in that the router doesn't seem able to remove one with a static address!
Aren't ALL cameras configured with unique, static IP's chosen from outside the LAN router's DHCP pool?
 

GeoffColl

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Fing didn't and doesn't!

Cams, currently, are set as static IP addresses, but for some reason one of Reolink cams has the same IP (Auto) as one of the Static ones, albeit with :8000 added on the address.

The router seems incapable of removing that Auto address - so the camera is now off line!

Bypassing one of the switch boxes I now have a stable 2 cam feed. I'll monitor that for a while, but it looks as though one of the boxes is flaky - YuanLey 5 port POE switch.
 
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