Background:
I use an ASUS USB-AC55 (external) wireless adapter on a Windows 10 laptop because it has adjustable roaming sensitivity. I keep it set to roaming sensitivity = “disabled” and use the WiFi Management tool in NetSetMan to select the channel I want to connect with. The adapter thereafter stays on that channel since roaming is turned off.
Why do this? It’s a work-around for what I’m convinced is improper setup in my community’s WiFi configuration, per what I see using EyePA and InSSIDer. System management is uninterested in user suggestions, although at some point I may be able to get some changes made. But in the near term I have to live with congested 2.4GHz channels or lower-power but uncluttered 5GHz channels. Allowed to make its own choice, all adapters I’ve tested tend to choose a higher-powered channel unless the congestion is truly dreadful. In our situation, a -65dBm 2.4GHz channel typically provides 2-8Mb/sec (per SpeedTest) due to congestion while a -73dBm 5GHz channel provides 70-150Mb/sec. But adapters almost always gravitate to a 2.4GHz channel.
My question:
I ordered and this evening received a new ASUS USB-AC55 adapter for my wife’s PC. Its appearance is different from the one I’ve been using and its packaging refers to it as “hardware version B1”. Before I unwrap it (thereafter making it non-returnable?) and test it to determine whether its chipset will support variable roaming sensitivity including a “disable” choice, perhaps someone in the MetaGeek Community can tell me whether the B1 version of this adapter has this capability? I poked around the ASUS site looking for details (nope!) or a way to contact a human at ASUS (also nope!).
Alternatively, perhaps someone can tell me whether there are other adapters on the market that retain the capability to adjust roaming sensitivity and turn it off?
Martt
marttharding@gmail.com