Is it preferable to use the same SSID name when creating multiple WiFi zones?

Question

I have an Airport Extreme and Airport Express connected via an ethernet cable to different parts of my home. Is it preferable to used the same SSID name? Will my devices automatically connect to the stronger signal?

Answer 1

On my ground floor I have an internet connected dsl wifi-router (fritzbox) from my provider with the possibility of wifi on 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz or both. I have both and distinguished them by adding 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz to the ssid names.

On my second floor I have a Time Capsule. I had configured it first with a different ssid names than the machine on the ground floor but then my devices did not reconnect to the stronger signal. They kept as long as possible connected to the machine below. When I changed the ssid names on the Time Capsule exactly to the ssid names below with the same passwords, the switch works perfect.

You can test it by walking with connected device (iPhone) from the ground floor to the second floor. Halfway I saw my wifi reception getting lower but more upstairs it took the stronger signal from the Time Capsule automatically.

Answer 2

It depends on what you want from your network. If you'd like to have devices/computers connecting on either the Airport Extreme/Express to be on the same network, you can use the Airport Express to extend your network (see this Apple support page for details):

Question: Can AirPort Express act as a bridge?
Answer: AirPort Express can act as a bridge in three different ways:

*  If you have an existing wired network, it can bridge this network to wireless clients.
*  If it is set up as a WDS remote or relay station, it can bridge the wireless network to wired clients.
*  If it is set up as a WDS remote or relay station, it can bridge the wireless network to wireless clients (or "wirelessly extend" the range of the network).

More info from Apple about using Airports to extend your wireless network is available on this article.

If you want your devices to be on separate networks, having different SSIDs on each of your Airports would provide that separation.

Answer 3

Just my two cents here, but I would suggest the opposite of what Matteo does. I have different names, because in this way I know which one is the strongest, dependent on where I am (the two networks cover the whole house, but not with the same strength).

For a Mac, it connects following the order specified in System Preferences, Network, Wi-fi, Advanced, Wi-fi.

For iDevices, I have no idea, but the problem, at least for me, it that when I move to the part of the house where the other network is stronger, I can manually change the Wi-fi, and I'll immediately know which one I have to choose (not trivial if the names are the same).

Answer 4

I have a similar setup: same SSID and same password. My devices (laptop, iPhone, iPad) connect automatically. Roaming from one zone to the other is failing from time to time but generally I have no problems.