How to limit the radio channels used

[zirbo]

Hi,

I need to configure an access point (1242G) to look for the least congested channel out of the 13 available (although it's the ETSI version)

I am trying to select only the first 11 channels but after applying the changes I notice that the scan is done for the whole 13 and the result is always 12 or 13 as the least congested.

The result is that the wireless clients (which can only lookup through the first 11 channels) cannot see the new network.

The workaround is to manually setup the channel in the AP config, but that is not always an acceptable solution.

Thanks,

Dragos

[Rob Huffman]

Hi Dragos,

When you configure the AP, Cisco recommends that you disable the option to search for the least-congested channel. Cisco recommends that administrators manually set all RF channels according to the data gathered during the site survey and site survey verification steps. If you use the option to select the least-congested channel, the AP will change to a different channel every time its power is reset, thus leaving no predictability and negating the time and effort spent on the site survey.

From this doc;

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/phones/ps379/products_implementation_design_guide_chapter09186a00802a036a.html#wp1040124

The default channel setting for the AP radios is least congested. At startup, the AP scans for and selects the least-congested channel. For the most consistent performance after a site survey however, Cisco recommends that you assign a static channel setting for each AP.

From this doc;

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps430/products_tech_note09186a00805190f1.shtml#topic6

I know this doesn't answer your question but you may want to go with a "best practice" solution. It really comes into play the more AP's you are supporting :)

Hope this helps!

Rob