Second Aironet 1141n on same SSID possible?

[hoitingae]

Hello,

I own a Cisco aironet AIR-AP1141N-E-K9 powered by PoE by my switch (Netgear GS724TP). The aironet is configured as single wireless accesspoint to create a wireless network in my home. I want to configure a second aironet on the same SSID (SWAN) to reinforce my wireless network in other parts of my home. Can this be done with the WDS service? The software on my aironet is c1140-k9w7-tar.152-2.JA

Thanks in advance,

Erik Hoitinga

[Freerk Terpstra]

Yes this can be done, even without the WDS service. The client device is always leading in the roaming process. If the client believes that the current signal is to weak it will go "off channel" and search for alternatives. If the SSID and security policy are exactly the same the client will try to associate to the other access-point. Keep in mind that only channel 1, 6 and 11 should be used for 2.4Ghz.

Please rate useful posts... :-)

[hoitingae]

Thanks for the swift answer. So if I configure the second 1141 exactly the same as the first, except for the IP address, and this will work? Or is it better to use the WDS service on one and create a SWAN with the second one? The second AP does this have to be a stand alone version like the first one or must it be configured in unified (light weight) mode?

My 1141 is on channel 11, my Sonos wireless networks are on channel 6. So I presume that I have to configure the second 1141 on channel 1 to avoid interference?

Sorry for all those questions but I want to be sure before buying a second 1141.

Thanks in advance,

Erik Hoitinga

[Freerk Terpstra]

Channel 1 sounds fine (without considering your neighbors). You can also try using the "channel least 1 6 11" command under the radio to let the access-point initially pick one of the channels based on the channel utilization at that right moment. Except for the channel and management everything can be the same.

WDS can be a little complex to setup and is somewhat overkill for a home deployment if you ask me. You can buy another 1141, but if you can get your hands on a 1700 or 2700 I would go for that. Those access-points have dual-radios instead of just the 2.4 Ghz and support 802.11ac. Technically it does not matter if the AP is currently running autonomous (k9w7) or lightweight (k9w8) software; the hardware is the same and images can be exchanged. Small note is that you do need access to the images.

[hoitingae]

Thank you for your information. My Internet connection has a bandwidth of 15Mb/s, so this will be, I presume, the bottleneck. I live in the middle of nowhere and I'm kind of glad that I have this speed. It can be much worse here. Advantage of this is that I don't have the 'neighbor problem' :-)

So I think that one or two AIR-CAP2702I-E-K9 devices will be a bit waste of money for now I think. A 1141 I can get for 50-80€ second hand. I think I will install a second 1141 on the other far end of the house to get better coverage.

Also my house has walls about 50-60cm thick, so 5Ghz will probably give range problems in my house. So spending 2 x 600€ just to get 'ac' support will imho be a bit overkill.

BTW, do you know if the 2702 supports simultaneous dual band? If so it may be possible to divide bandwidth between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz devices.

Anyway, thanks for your helpful answers and your time.

Erik

[Freerk Terpstra · Accepted solution]

Of course it all depends on the traffic flows and your specific situation. If you stay with 802.11n you can also search for a 1142 or 3500 for example. Both have dual-band radio's which operate simultaneously (most Cisco access-points do).

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