Setting wireless client's data rate

[pavanpujari]

Hi,

I am using Cisco 1242AG AP with wireless lan client adapter (CB21AG) cards on Linux laptops. I set the data rate, say 36Mbps, for the laptop during association. The association works fine and the laptop shows the associated data rate = 36 Mbps. But the AP interface shows the client rate to be always 54 Mbps, irrespective of the data rate I am trying to connect to.

Is there a way to configure AP to accept the data rate of the clients to whatever it is set during association?

Thanks

[Richard Atkin]

You shouldn't really be locking rates down like that. Ideally, you should let the rates auto-negotiate, that's how WiFi is designed to work.

I guess if you're setting one thing, but seeing another, your 36Mbps option could just be a suggestion, as opposed to a mandatory setting?

[pavanpujari]

Thanks for your reply.

I want a test setup with many laptops associated at different data rates, if possible all the data rates that is supported by dot11a/b/g. I require this to measure the number of voice calls that can be admitted in the WLAN for various combination of station rates. And I cant move around with all the laptops for the rate to fallback.

I have also observed that if I try to move the client away from the AP, I am losing the connection entirely and the rate fallback doesn't seem to work. Does the AP GUI interface display the client speed based on the signal strength or based on the supported rate information from association packet?

Is there a way out to set the client speed?