Roaming AP

[Toss Leey]

Hi

Is the roaming between APs for client be by default on WLC or I need to configure on wlc roaming options, i have multiple APs , and One WLC 5508,  how i can configured roaming for client when move from one AP to another

Thank you

[Freerk Terpstra]

Roaming is when the client is looking for another access-point because the current signal strength (most of the time expressed in RSSI) is not "good enough" anymore. This is also called the roam trigger. When this happens the clients goes off-channel and scans for a access-point with the same SSID but with a better signal. If the signal is better than the configured delta the client will try to roam to the better access-point.

Example: your client is connect to a access-point and has a RSSI of -75dBm which is also the roam trigger. It goes off-channel and finds a better access-point with the same SSID with a signal strength of -65dBm, because its roam delta is configured for 10dBm it will try to associate to the other access-point.

If you are lucky you can configure the roam trigger, roam delta and/or the channels to scan in the client software / driver. If not, you just have to discover which, sometimes stupid, roaming decision the client makes. Things you can do from a infrastructure standpoint to enhance roaming are:

• Make sure that there is enough cell overlap
  • Good coverage for all the kind of devices is very important, when in doubt do a site survey with the weakest client in mind
• Disable the lower data rates
• Enable roaming enhancements like CCX and 802.11k
  • Depends on the client devices what is supported

The only thing you need to do on the WLC to enable basic roaming is to make sure that the configured SSID is selected on the AP groups where you want that SSID available. The default setting is that all SSID's with an WLAN ID between 1 and 16 are enabled on the default group where all AP's are placed in by default.

Please rate useful posts! :-)

[Toss Leey]

Thank you for info. But when I accessed WLC where should I navigate to configure/tuning roaming, and one more thing better to enable all 802.11 or only g/b

[George Stefanick]

What Freerk mentioned is to let the client do its roaming. There are ways to influence a client to roam but I would not get into that buiness. You are asking for more trouble. If you gave a solid design, and good clients you shouldn't have a problem. As for your questions on all 802.11 or b/g. 

This comes down to what you need to support. Are you clients all 2.4 Ghz and do they all support 802.11g. Then just enable 802.11g. Like wise if your clients all support 5 ghz, then only enable 5 ghz and support 802.11a/n/ac. 

Hope this helps .

Freerk +5 .. good response.