"dumb" AP's and pfsense as the authorizer?
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This is maybe a dumb question.
In essence I want more than one Wifi Access Point (I use a router in AP mode right now) and if I understand correctly it will be 2 different wifis (2 x SSID) and I will manually have to switch between the two because they do overlap, just with different power.
So my question is really. Can pfsense act as the "SSID" with password and the access points just work more or less as antennas?
I'm thinking of how my university did, you had one SSID all over campus (yes I connected with username and password and got a cert)
And please not a too technical lingo.
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That is done in the APs. Set the same SSID and password in each and the client will chose the best one and "roam" among them. Put the APs on the same layer 2 network and on different channels. Use any 5GHz channels and channels 1, 6, and 11 on 2.4.
Note that which AP is used is completely up to the client. Larger campuses usually use controller-based wireless solutions from Ruckus, Aruba, Cisco, etc. A cheaper alternative exists in Ubiquiti gear. The controller has software that helps ensure the clients are using the best AP and to try to steer them from 2.4 to 5Ghz, among many other things like pushing SSIDs out to hundreds of access points.
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I agree about using ubiquiti unifi. You can't beat the price point! If you are in US you can get best price from Amazon.