Cisco Access Point Signal strength is weak

[sheryllaggabao]

Hi Everyone,

We have 2 WLC  :

AIR-CT2504-50-K9

in our hotel and AIR-LAP1041N-E-K9 WAPs in the hotel. When it was installed, it was fine 2 years ago but now when the mobile phones are connecting to our network, the signal is weak even the access point is outside the guest rooms. We have tried fine tuning the WAPs power strength but it didn't work and also, changing the channel of some WAPs but it created an issue.

To provide temporary solution to our hotel guests in the room, we have provided an external routers to be installed oin the room during their stay. Our support vendor has upgraded the firmware in April, 2014 but still it's not fixed. Is it because of the interference of the routers? We have disabled the DHCP in the router and use the LAN port.

Can someone please help, this is very critical now and we need advise from the experts.

Thanks.

[Stephen Rodriguez]

How are you determining the signal is weak? Are you using something like Airmagnet or Ekahau to view the signal strength?

[sheryllaggabao]

Hi, Stephen!

Hotel guests are complaining when they are in the room though the WAP is just outside, infront of the door. I don't rely on Ekahau coz the actual signal strength is low esp on Apple devices which antennas are located on the bottom. I am thinking that the routers that I have installed are causing interference. I have tested the signal with an iPhone,  it's only giving 1 signal bar even the WAP is very near to the room. Something is wrong somewhere, that we need to know what it is.

[Saurav Lodh]

How about other clients? handhelds and laptops?

[sheryllaggabao]

Hi, Saurav! 

Mobile devices and tablets have low signals compared to laptops. Signal varies. Apple devices gave 3 bars maximum /samsung Galaxy has 4 maximum/laptop has 5 max. During the wifi project, it was provisioned for laptop but new technologies coming in and muliple devices are carried by guests. We receive complaints more on handheld devices than of laptop. 

[Francesco Pettene]

Hi

you should start with some deterministic measurement, do not trust

the bars on client devices.

- RSSI and SNR on clients:

find the mac of a client and type

wlc>show client details <client mac>

- from the wlc gui check channel utilization of your APs

- if you disable 802.11b speeds (1,2,5.5,11 mbps) is coverage still good? if so do it

you should also perform passive and active survey assessments in your site, and

probably try to check for noise and interferences with some good tools

if this doesn't work, attach here (but dont post it please!) the output of your

show run-config

it is a pretty verbose output, keep it in mid when you collect that.

regards

fp

[abwahid]

Hi,

This issue seems due to the interferance

you need to do some active analysis using any tool.

If you don't have Airmagnet or Ekahau

Try once with InSSIDer wireless channel analyzing tool, which is free you can download from the below link

http://www.inssider.com/downloads/

Configure only that channel on your AP which is having low noise / interference in you environment.