Roaming Network Latency?
I've been using an AirPort Extreme (6th Gen) for a number of years, but recently added a 2nd (6th Gen) in order to create a roaming network via ethernet. The issue I'm having is that there is a noticeable latency when the 2nd AirPort Extreme is connected :
(Router > Airport 1 WAN port / Airport 1 LAN Port > to Airport 2 WAN Port).
I set this up using the Airport utility Wizard, & both Airports have identical settings, & both are set to Bridge Mode. No switches are involved & firmware on both units is 7.9.1. The Airport utility displays them vertically (with solid line connections), so my assumption is that they are correctly connected.
My primary AirPort Extreme has always been very snappy with web browsing in my preferred location, but much less so with the 2nd Airport in the chain. I am using the same ethernet cables whether using one Airport or two, but have tried alternative cables, & even swapping the two Airports locations. Both Airports perform well when in singular mode, so the problem doesn't appear to be with one of the units.
I have also tried connecting both Airport Extremes directly to the ports on my Router (BT Business Hub6, with 4 Gigabit ports). The Airports still have the same identical roaming configurations, but are displayed in an upside down "Y" pattern). Latency is much improved, but I suspect this could potentially cause issues as they share the same IP address?
I'd read that there should be no performance drop when using Airports connected via Ethernet, so can someone please confirm that this is either expected behaviour, or that I might have overlooked something?
Although the Airport Extremes may be long in the tooth now, it's always been a pretty solid system for me. Having tried a MESH system (eero Pro's), the Airports still appear to have better speed & range over many modern equivalents.