Multiple airport express

Is there any way to choose which access point the phone uses if they all have the same SSID?

Sorry, but no.....at least automatically.

iPhones and iPads do not normally do a good job of automatically choosing the "best" wireless access point as they move from area to area when multiple AirPorts are installed.

About all that you can do is temporary switch off the WiFi on the iPhone or iPad when you start to move it from one area to another, then switch it back on when the iOS device is at the new location.

Turning Airplane Mode off and then back on again will accomplish the same task on the iOS device.

See the previous reply for the answer; no.

As for an alternative, I’ve replaced various Apple Wi-Fi AP-configured gear with Ubiquiti Unifi APs.

The TCs had Wi-Fi disabled, were wired, and became Time Machine NAS devices.

Coverage and performance improved, and the Wi-Fi drop-outs disappeared.

I’ve needed fewer APs, too.

Couple of reasons you cannot use different names.

#1 If the express are setup to extend wireless they MUST use the same wireless name.. that is how extend wireless works.

#2 If the Express are setup with ethernet connection and all have different SSID then roaming and transfer from one AP to next will be even worse. The problem is Apple set the point where it begins searching for another AP too low and you cannot change it. By the time the signal actually drops out completely it has failed to work properly long before.

#3 Changing the SSID will take even longer for the phone or device to accomplish.

But I do suggest you give it a go.. I believe in testing stuff yourself. Wire a few of your Express by ethernet and use different SSID on all of them, then walk around and see if the phone switches easier between each AP.

The advantage of mesh systems or Ubiquiti type is several new standards that improve roaming in wireless AP.

Apple cancelled the whole thing before they got there.

What’s the benefit of having the same network name for all access points?

First of all, if the Expresses are connecting using wireless, the remotes won't even connect to the main AirPort unless they use the same wireless network name. So, you have nothing.

If the Expresses are connecting using Ethernet back to the main AirPort......then......you can assign different wireless network names for the Expresses. But.....you will have to manually switch from one network to another and vice versa.

It is much easier and much faster to simply flip your phone or iPad to Airplane Mode for a second or two as you move it from one area to another and then turn off Airplane Mode when the device is at the new location.

The same SSID is the same network.

If you use APs, you (usually) want to wander, without having to re-negotate and re-connect to each cell (AP) in the network.

Re-negotiating to another SSID gets a new IP address, new connections, etc.

If you want to have everything drop and restart at each transition, have at.

I had “fun” with the Apple Wi-Fi gear on recent firmware.

Unifi APs have been rock solid.