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02-03-2023 05:57 AM
I'll start by saying that I realize that the determination for which AP a client connects to is solely decided by the client's network adapter. But I'm hoping someone can assist me in making changes to the APs to persuade the client devices in this office to connect to the appropriate AP.
We have a Cisco 2504 WLC with 20 AIR-CAP2702I-A-K9 access points and 24 AIR-CAP1532I-B-K9 access points at our site. The 2702 APs are primarily in our office environment where as the 1532 APs are primarily in our manufacturing environment.
We have a small office labeled 'office' below that houses 3 associates. The two red dots below are the nearest APs. They are both AIR-CAP1532I-B-K9 APs in the manufacturing environment.
I've monitored and witnessed the associates' devices in the 'office' room bouncing between the two access points above Both APs are about equal distance away and have similar signal strength. When using a Wifi Analyzer in their office I observed that both APs were about -75db.
I provisioned a spare AIR-CAP2702I-A-K9 AP and mounted it to the dropped ceiling in their office. Now, one or two of their devices may occasionally connect to this new AP in their office, but not for very long. The devices are still bouncing between the two 1532 APs much further away with worse signal.
We have 5 different 'AP Groups', but the only differences between them are which WLANs they are broadcasting. None of the 'AP Groups' are using 'RF Profiles'. I thought this was worth mentioning as I've seen reference to RF Profile changes to persuade a client to connect to a specific AP.
Here are the results of running 'show ap auto-rf 802.11b AP-44_ControlsOffice' on the WLC CLI:
Number Of Slots.................................. 2
AP Name.......................................... AP-44_ControlsOffice
MAC Address...................................... a0:ec:f9:57:07:94
Slot ID........................................ 0
Radio Type..................................... RADIO_TYPE_80211b/g
Sub-band Type.................................. All
Noise Information
Noise Profile................................ PASSED
Channel 1.................................... -97 dBm
Channel 2.................................... -95 dBm
Channel 3.................................... -98 dBm
Channel 4.................................... -97 dBm
Channel 5.................................... -95 dBm
Channel 6.................................... -85 dBm
Channel 7.................................... -98 dBm
Channel 8.................................... -96 dBm
Channel 9.................................... -97 dBm
Channel 10................................... -97 dBm
Channel 11................................... -85 dBm
Interference Information
Interference Profile......................... PASSED
--More-- or (q)uit
Channel 1.................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Channel 2.................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Channel 3.................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Channel 4.................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Channel 5.................................... -75 dBm @ 2 % busy
Channel 6.................................... -72 dBm @ 8 % busy
Channel 7.................................... -71 dBm @ 1 % busy
Channel 8.................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Channel 9.................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Channel 10................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Channel 11................................... -128 dBm @ 0 % busy
Load Information
Load Profile................................. PASSED
Receive Utilization.......................... 0 %
Transmit Utilization......................... 0 %
Channel Utilization.......................... 15 %
Attached Clients............................. 2 clients
Coverage Information
Coverage Profile............................. PASSED
Failed Clients............................... 0 clients
Client Signal Strengths
RSSI -100 dbm................................ 0 clients
RSSI -92 dbm................................ 0 clients
--More-- or (q)uit
RSSI -84 dbm................................ 0 clients
RSSI -76 dbm................................ 0 clients
RSSI -68 dbm................................ 0 clients
RSSI -60 dbm................................ 0 clients
RSSI -52 dbm................................ 2 clients
Client Signal To Noise Ratios
SNR 0 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 5 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 10 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 15 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 20 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 25 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 30 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 35 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 40 dB.................................. 0 clients
SNR 45 dB.................................. 2 clients
Nearby APs
AP 80:e0:1d:6b:01:20 slot 0.................. -88 dBm on 6 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP 80:e0:1d:92:db:60 slot 0.................. -91 dBm on 6 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP b0:aa:77:75:5a:00 slot 0.................. -66 dBm on 1 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:a5:00 slot 0.................. -78 dBm on 11 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:a7:30 slot 0.................. -63 dBm on 11 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:c4:40 slot 0.................. -85 dBm on 11 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
--More-- or (q)uit
AP c4:72:95:9b:d3:20 slot 0.................. -89 dBm on 6 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:d4:a0 slot 0.................. -78 dBm on 11 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:da:90 slot 0.................. -72 dBm on 1 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:de:10 slot 0.................. -62 dBm on 6 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:ee:90 slot 0.................. -88 dBm on 1 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
AP c4:72:95:9b:f5:20 slot 0.................. -92 dBm on 11 (c0:a8:fa:05:00:4b)
Radar Information
Channel Assignment Information
Current Channel Average Energy............... unknown
Previous Channel Average Energy.............. unknown
Channel Change Count......................... 0
Last Channel Change Time..................... Fri Feb 3 08:29:23 2023
Recommended Best Channel..................... 1
RF Parameter Recommendations
Power Level.................................. 5
RTS/CTS Threshold............................ 2347
Fragmentation Threshold...................... 2346
Antenna Pattern.............................. 0
Persistent Interference Devices
Class Type Channel DC (%%) RSSI (dBm) Last Update Time
------------------------- ------- ------ ---------- ------------------------
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Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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02-04-2023 08:45 AM - edited 02-04-2023 08:45 AM
Do as the others have mentioned already (update drivers, fiddle with roaming aggressiveness).
From WLC point of view - you don't mention software version but if not already done then update to 8.5.182.7 (subject to which APs you're using - refer compatibility matrix below).
Depending on coverage impact (survey required) you might want to reduce power on those 2 APs now that you have the AP in the office.
Possible workaround: create a different AP group with a different SSID for the office AP and have those users join the "office SSID" and make sure it highest on their list of known SSID. Since that SSID is only available from the office AP they will always be on the office AP while in the office. They can still use the regular SSID when away from the office.
Please click Helpful if this post helped you and Select as Solution (drop down menu at top right of this reply) if this answered your query.
------------------------------
TAC recommended codes for AireOS WLC's and TAC recommended codes for 9800 WLC's
Best Practices for AireOS WLC's, Best Practices for 9800 WLC's and Cisco Wireless compatibility matrix
Check your 9800 WLC config with Wireless Config Analyzer using "show tech wireless" output or "config paging disable" then "show run-config" output on AireOS and use Wireless Debug Analyzer to analyze your WLC client debugs
Field Notice: FN63942 APs and WLCs Fail to Create CAPWAP Connections Due to Certificate Expiration
Field Notice: FN72424 Later Versions of WiFi 6 APs Fail to Join WLC - Software Upgrade Required
Field Notice: FN72524 IOS APs stuck in downloading state after 4 Dec 2022 due to Certificate Expired
- Fixed in 8.10.196.0, latest 9800 releases, 8.5.182.12 (8.5.182.13 for 3504) and 8.5.182.109 (IRCM, 8.5.182.111 for 3504)
Field Notice: FN70479 AP Fails to Join or Joins with 1 Radio due to Country Mismatch, RMA needed
How to avoid boot loop due to corrupted image on Wave 2 and Catalyst 11ax Access Points (CSCvx32806)
Field Notice: FN74035 - Wave2 APs DFS May Not Detect Radar After Channel Availability Check Time
Leo's list of bugs affecting 2800/3800/4800/1560 APs
Default AP console baud rate from 17.12.x is 115200 - introduced by CSCwe88390
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02-03-2023 05:59 AM
short answer NO i guess, you can not do that.. Tweaking other like signal and others just waste of time as i feel.
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02-03-2023 02:49 PM
The wireless clients themselves make the final decision which AP to join.
When WiFi started taking off 10 years ago, all of the wireless NIC had problems with "roaming" -- The wireless NIC were NOT roaming. It took a while until the wireless NIC manufacturers released updated firmware which enabled the wireless NICs to roam properly.
Until now, we are still getting threads about brand-new laptops, with obsolete wireless NIC drivers, unable to properly roam. And my response would be to update the wireless NIC drivers.
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02-07-2023 04:32 AM
Thank you for responding. Unfortunately Updating the wireless NIC drivers was the first thing I tried after researching the forums.
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02-03-2023 05:41 PM
Hi
The client determine which AP it ultimately associates to. You can encourage the client to associate with the strongest signal by modifying " roaming aggressiveness" to medium or high on the wireless NIC properties.
Thanks
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02-07-2023 04:32 AM
Thank you! I will try this.
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02-04-2023 08:45 AM - edited 02-04-2023 08:45 AM
Do as the others have mentioned already (update drivers, fiddle with roaming aggressiveness).
From WLC point of view - you don't mention software version but if not already done then update to 8.5.182.7 (subject to which APs you're using - refer compatibility matrix below).
Depending on coverage impact (survey required) you might want to reduce power on those 2 APs now that you have the AP in the office.
Possible workaround: create a different AP group with a different SSID for the office AP and have those users join the "office SSID" and make sure it highest on their list of known SSID. Since that SSID is only available from the office AP they will always be on the office AP while in the office. They can still use the regular SSID when away from the office.
Please click Helpful if this post helped you and Select as Solution (drop down menu at top right of this reply) if this answered your query.
------------------------------
TAC recommended codes for AireOS WLC's and TAC recommended codes for 9800 WLC's
Best Practices for AireOS WLC's, Best Practices for 9800 WLC's and Cisco Wireless compatibility matrix
Check your 9800 WLC config with Wireless Config Analyzer using "show tech wireless" output or "config paging disable" then "show run-config" output on AireOS and use Wireless Debug Analyzer to analyze your WLC client debugs
Field Notice: FN63942 APs and WLCs Fail to Create CAPWAP Connections Due to Certificate Expiration
Field Notice: FN72424 Later Versions of WiFi 6 APs Fail to Join WLC - Software Upgrade Required
Field Notice: FN72524 IOS APs stuck in downloading state after 4 Dec 2022 due to Certificate Expired
- Fixed in 8.10.196.0, latest 9800 releases, 8.5.182.12 (8.5.182.13 for 3504) and 8.5.182.109 (IRCM, 8.5.182.111 for 3504)
Field Notice: FN70479 AP Fails to Join or Joins with 1 Radio due to Country Mismatch, RMA needed
How to avoid boot loop due to corrupted image on Wave 2 and Catalyst 11ax Access Points (CSCvx32806)
Field Notice: FN74035 - Wave2 APs DFS May Not Detect Radar After Channel Availability Check Time
Leo's list of bugs affecting 2800/3800/4800/1560 APs
Default AP console baud rate from 17.12.x is 115200 - introduced by CSCwe88390
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02-07-2023 04:33 AM
Perfect! I like the alternative solution of creating a new SSID and making it priority.
Thank you so much!
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02-07-2023 06:23 AM
You should also take a look at what you have defined for the allowed minimum data rates. Removing some of the lower rates can help prevent devices from connecting. However, if your ap's are sparse and you require these lower rates, then that will not work for you. Other options are to set you min and max power, for example, you can set the office ap to power level 1 which is the highest and devices should join that ap when in the office since the other ap's are at -75. Sometimes its all about tweaking your environment.
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02-08-2023 03:46 AM
Thank you! That's the kind of tweaks I was looking for when I made this post. I just don't have a lot of experience with wireless to know what I should be tweaking.
