Our wireless network needs help!

randynieukirk · ‎06-08-2011

So, I have 1 Wireless 2106 Controller, 5 Cisco 1142n APs and 1 3502i AP in our office - the 3502i is acting as an AP, not a monitor. Majority of the wireless is used by people using Lync for IMs, phone and desktop sharing. We are downtown Chicago, so there a plenty of rogue networks in our area, but they seem to be b/g networks only.

I have our private network allowing only a/n connections and our "guest" network allowing only b/g - we really dont have many people on the guest network, and you still have to get the password from me to get on it, so it is secure.

I see a lot of little things in the controller web interface that I woudl like to try, but I don't want to have to restart the APs each time. Can you offer some advice, tips and tricks to make my wireless network an amazing thing? Should I make the 3502i act as the CleanAir monitor so it can enable CleanAir on all of the channels being used? Ideas?

The office is shaped like a rectangle, one AP is in each corner (not up against the walls, but in about 10 feet from each wall). Then the other 2 APs are in the middle. Kinda makes 2 triangles in the rectangle >< - get it? Plenty of overlap.

Thanks for your help!

Randy

Leo Laohoo · ‎06-08-2011

Should I make the 3502i act as the CleanAir monitor so it can enable CleanAir on all of the channels being used?  Ideas?

I wouldn't bother because for CleanAir to work "nice" it's recommended that you have a 3500 across the building not just one or two. The philosophy is the way the 3500 talk to each other in order to do CleanAir.

We are downtown Chicago, so there a plenty of rogue networks in our area, but they seem to be b/g networks only.

Here's a very un-popular recommendation: Have you tried disable 802.11b radio completely?

nikhilcherian · ‎06-09-2011

Should I make the 3502i act as the CleanAir monitor so it can enable CleanAir on all of the channels being used? Ideas?

You can consider the following things befere you convert the 3500 to monitor mode.

Is there a possibility of high amount of interference to be detected by the clean air AP

You say there are lot of overlap in your RADIO network. If you convert the AP to monitor mode AP, will that reduce the overlapping ( without affecting the client's performance)

Thanks

NikhiL

randynieukirk · ‎06-10-2011

After doing some research, I changed all of our APs to H-REAP mode, instead of the default local mode. This improved our wireless network tenfold!!

A 2106 Wireless LAN Controller only has 100Mbs ports on them. We are using 1 of those ports to connect into our 1Gbs switches - all the APs plug into those switches as well. When the APs are set in local mode on the 2106 Controller, ALL traffic is routed back through the 2106 Controller!! Thus a big old bottleneck at that 1 port on the 2106!!

Changing the APs to H-REAP makes the AP handle everything and route from the AP directly to the 1Gbs network, aboifing the 2106 controller. It's an amazing thing!

Thanks for your thought son this issue!

Randy

nikhilcherian · ‎06-11-2011

Happy to hear, your bottleneck is resolved

You may try configure HREAP groups for the AP, this will help you to prevent a reauth, when client roams from AP to AP

Thanks

NikhiL