Hi, I have a lawnmower that’s connected to my Wi-Fi network.
The charging base is about 5 meters from one of my AP6-PRO access points, with a fairly direct line of sight. The signal strength there is usually around -48 dBm, which is great.
However, when the mower is out working, it tends to connect to another AP that happens to be closer at the time — which makes sense. The issue is that when it returns to the charging station, it often stays connected to one of my indoor APs in the kitchen, which is about 20 meters away and behind several walls. The signal from there is usually around -74 dBm.
Why does it remain connected to a weaker access point instead of switching to the one right next to the charging base?
If I manually press the reconnect button, it immediately connects to the correct AP near the base station, with a signal around -47 dBm.
For reference:
Both the kitchen and outdoor APs are set to high transmit power.
The closer AP (between the kitchen and the base) is set to medium power.
I haven’t mastered and fully understood it myself…Maybe someone can contribute with more info on of this a viable way to provide steering in this case, or not.
The behaviour of when and how a device roams is entirely up to the client device itself. It’s the product vendor who defines the connection logic—how the device chooses which AP to connect to, when to roam, and what thresholds to consider.
Access Points can suggest a better AP or influence roaming behaviour using certain features, like setting a minimum connection strength (RSSI threshold), or employing tricks like 802.11r/k/v. However, even with those in place, it’s still up to the client to decide if and when it wants to roam.
Some vendors are transparent about their roaming logic; most are not. For instance, Apple is one of the few that publicly shares how their devices decide to roam. You can refer to their roaming guidelines here as a solid example of how this logic is defined.
Regarding the signal you’re seeing at -74—keep in mind, that’s the signal received by the AP. What matters more is what the client (e.g., the lawnmower) sees. It might still hear that same AP at -65, and unless it reaches the vendor-defined roam threshold (say, -70 or worse), it won’t consider switching. It’s really that straightforward.
If you want to encourage a device to roam sooner, minimum RSSI settings can help, but they require careful tuning. These settings work based on how well the AP can hear the client (STA), not the other way around. But remember: it’s the client’s perception of the AP signal that drives roaming decisions. Adjusting AP TX power is probably a better place to start, since lowering the transmit power can reduce how loud an AP appears to the client, prompting it to roam more predictably when signal levels drop.
