Issues with Zoom meetings and AP roaming.

[Ryan S]

I have note been able to find anyone mentioning this as an issue so I'm not sure if this is an issue with just me or something with Zoom.

Why does Zoom kick clients out of meetings or give constant connection is unstable messages when a laptop roams between Access Points during meetings? I'm using a Cisco 8540 controller running 8.10.113.0 with about 600 2702, 2802, and 4800 APs. There are no other programs or websites that have this issue that we have found. Roaming is completely invisible to the client unless its Zoom. There were no complaints or issues about wireless until Zoom exploded in use.

We are using Flexconnect with local switching, Fast Transition currently set to over the air but was originally set to over the DS although that didn't seem to help with the problem. We have a central controller and 23 remote sites.

Anyone else experiencing anything like this?

[marce1000]

 - That is difficult to assert some apps may simply want to protect their integrity or quality standards when network resources are not sufficiently available, of course when could argue for steady meeatings (....) and avoid need to roam when 'zooming' - here is a document for bandwith requirements : 

         https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/204003179-System-requirements-for-Zoom-Rooms

 M.

[Ryan S]

Thank you for the reply, it is appreciated.

I don't believe bandwidth is the issue as we have 20Gbps links to each site from the data center and 2Gbps internet bandwidth. I feel like there might be a setting somewhere I'm missing. Or possibly Zoom just doesn't like the client to experience a change in the network path during a meeting, and if that's the case surely I'm not alone in experiencing this?

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Ryan S wrote:

Or possibly Zoom just doesn't like the client to experience a change in the network path during a meeting, and if that's the case surely I'm not alone in experiencing this?

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So clients are on a Zoom call and roaming?  

What happens if someone uses a different "platform"?  Is the issue the same?

[Ryan S]

Yes some are roaming while on a Zoom call, I suppose that's a whole different story though. They have been advised to dock their laptops and stay there but some insist on the need to move around.

I have not heard any complaints about other platforms, but other platforms aren't getting the usage Zoom is currently.

[Scott Fella]

There are other meeting type apps that don’t “like” roaming. This is to make sure that video and conference calls don’t have port experience. Not much you can do about this is the app was designed to not roam or even suppress the nic from roaming. Try it for yourself, get on a zoom video meeting and look at your connection. See if your device becomes sticky while on a zoom meeting. Then disconnect from the zoom meeting and walk the same path with zoom not being used. See if you see a difference. That will explain if the app suppress roaming or not.

[Leo Laohoo]

So these are laptops?  Have the wireless NIC drivers been updated to something more recent?

[mdroessler]

We are seeing the same issue, quality of the wireless is great and the users never get dropped but they get dropped from zoom.

Anybody have a fix for this?

[Scott Fella]

You need to understand if the application supports roaming or not.  Some do and some don't, they do this to try to keep the quality of the voice/video great and its hard if the device has to constantly scan.  This would be an excellent question for the Zoom community or their support to help answer.  The easiest test is if you are on a Zoom call and you start walking, if your device sticks to an ap and your signal drops pretty low before being dropped, then the application has prevented the NIC to scan.

[mdroessler]

Thanks for the quick reply, we are also seeing this when the users aren't roaming, appears they are on the same AP the entire time. My apologies I should have mentioned that as well, I understand now though if they do have overlap and change APs that they would have issues. 

Thanks,

Micah 

[Leo Laohoo]

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@mdroessler wrote:

the users never get dropped but they get dropped from zoom.

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There are several YT "live" broadcast.  Turn this on and compare.  When the user(s) gets dropped from Zoom is the YT live broadcast cut/interrupted in some way? 

[awatson20]

We also are hearing of issues with users using Zoom while connected to wireless and getting the "network connection unstable" message.  In many instances, there is only a single user on the AP connecting on 5GHZ with great RF stats(RSSI/SnR) and not roaming, and high data rate.  AP utilization is low, plenty of bandwidth on the LAN/WAN, yet still getting the error message.  We are using 5520 WLC on 8.5.161.0, 2700 AP, and using Flexconnect local switching in this example.

[Leo Laohoo]

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@awatson20 wrote:

there is only a single user

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"a single user" only having this problem? 

1. Can this single user replicate this on, say, a different computer or a different smartphone or tablet (must not use the same one)?
2. Can this single user have a live YouTube stream running alongside the Zoom call and observe what happens to the YT live stream when the Zoom call(s) gets into trouble?

[ahorgan]

We are also experiencing this same problem Was any type of solution found? We have Cisco switches and Meraki AP's. Plenty of bandwidth but clients are still freezing and and getting network unstable message.

[Ryan S]

I've been working to figure this out ever since I originally posted but I've had no luck. I have since confirmed it is not out of date drivers on machines and it is not because of roaming APs. It actually happens while stationary on a single AP. I have walked sites several times while on a Zoom meeting and roaming takes place with nothing more than a blip in the video feed. There are no debug logs to go through because no disconnect actually happens, and it seems to be entirely related to Zoom. It is not an issue on the wired network.  I also have a couple of colleagues in the same kind of environment using other wireless solutions and they do not experience the same issue. It seems to be some issue with the combination of Cisco wireless and Zoom combined, but I've not been able to put my finger on it yet.

I've tried wireshark a couple of times but have not been able to catch it happening at the right time.