Cisco WLC V8.5 Flex connect Local Switching

[jykim]

Hello, everyone.

Now I'm building WLC and AP by building a new site.
The configuration is 1 WLC, 14 APs, and I would like to have the AP manage traffic if the WLC fails later.
So I'm trying to do AP mode with Flexconnect, but the clients say they can't communicate.
The structure in which each AP radiates each SSID.
However, the wireless user ip band (WLC interface) is the same.
We created 14 AP groups and 14 Flex connect groups, and we mapped WLANs in Flex connect group.
This symptom is the same.
The local switching function was enabled on the WLAN.
I've looked up a lot of data, but everyone has problems with the connection between the head office and the branch office, so it's hard to handle them alone.
Do you see what I missed?

[Scott Fella]

One controller and 14 access points, so why so many ap groups? Can you detail more on your design?

[jykim]

ex) AP Location : 1F-1    ->   SSID 1F-A

Since AP only emits one SSID each for its position, it has created 14 AP groups.

[Scott Fella]

Why would you have one AP per location?

[Scott Fella]

Please explain the overall design in detail. Why would you have separate SSID’s in a building? Are you providing wireless to separate companies within a building? What issues are you having and how is it currently setup in detail?

[jykim]

The customer asked me to organize it more intuitively, and I tried to change the mode to flexconnect, but it didn't work as I thought. Did I do anything wrong?

[Scott Fella]

To be honest, I don’t have enough information to even answer your question. What are the requirements:

How many sites?
Is the controller located in the same site as the access points?
What is the purpose to have a separate ssid per access point?
Is there a requirement for users to roam from one ap to another?
How many users per access point?
Is there a requirement for guest access?
If guest access is required and will guest be roaming from one ap to another?
Is there a secure ssid requirement with radius and would users need to roam from one ap to another?

You have 14 SSID’s, can you tell us how you came up with each?

[jykim]

How many sites?       

There is only one site.

Is the controller located in the same site as the access points?

yes

What is the purpose to have a separate ssid per access point?   

It's a customer's request.

Intuitively, it is intended to check the condition of the equipment.

 
Is there a requirement for users to roam from one ap to another?

no

How many users per access point?

We couldn't check the number of users because the client company didn't open the service yet.

Is there a requirement for guest access?

no

If guest access is required and will guest be roaming from one ap to another?

no

Is there a secure ssid requirement with radius and would users need to roam from one ap to another?

It is encrypted with PSK and does not use Radius.

[Scott Fella]

Well with your design, a user will only be able to connect to a specific SSID and only in a given area. You should not add all these SSID’s on the client side or else you will get a poor user experience from the roaming which is a whole re-association that needs to happen. I, as an engineer would never implement this anywhere. I, as an engineer would call out the risk as the requirement to “make sure it’s working” is not valid. Also call out that it’s not best practice to implement a solution and make sure when the system doesn’t work they way “it was thought it would work”, your company is covered that you will not have to come back and re-design nor troubleshoot.
If this is something you already implemented, then you need to explain to us what is “not working” and in detail. This should be from what “you” are seeing from your testing, not what the customer is telling you.

[jykim]

In discussing the composition with the client, I said I would not recommend it, but the client did not break the argument, forcing this composition to be created.

My question is that if WLC fails during operation, I would like to use the Flex connect function so that there is no inconvenience for wireless users by doing a local switching in AP, but no matter how much I look for the Flex connect setting, I could only find an excel of connection between the head office and the branch office. I wonder how to set up Flex connect with only headquarters.

[Scott Fella]

You can’t have a mix of both. If you run FlexConnect, then you can have the aps up even if the controller is down. Now you need to look at the guide so you know what actually still works and what doesn’t. You can do local and then failover to FlexConnect. Seems like you need to go with FlexConnect or buy another controller.

[patoberli]

One more negative point of this design, if an AP reboots or fails, then all users of that SSID will be offline. Also don't configure the different SSIDs on a single client, or you'll have a lot of connection lost issues!
Very bad design indeed.

[Some_Guy]

If the client truly insists on having a terrible design with 14 completely independent SSIDs for every access point, then I think it would be better to just give them 14 independent standalone access points. Instead of trying to make an expensive unified enterprise system function as if it was a hodgepodge of standalone non-unified SOHO APs, just give them a hodgepodge of standalone non-unified SOHO APs. That way you will at least be using equipment the way it was intended instead of shoehorning it into something it's not meant for. Makes no sense for customer to be spending on expensive unified wireless if they don't actually want unified wireless.