WIRELESS HIGH LATENCY AND COVERAGE ISSUES

[Baba Lukelo]

I have installed about 48 new AP From the 3800 series (AIR-AP3802I-E-K9) series.
The problem I face is
1.The distance coverage is very small,And it cannot reach inside sleeping room from sitting room where is installed
2. I wonder connection via these AP is much slower (packet round time, on ping is very high)

I am using a cisco controller 2500 series

[marce1000]

 - For coverage ,in theory , well not only in theory,  you need site survey. These issues are usually not related to the AP(s) but to the environment , such as type of walls, layout and much more. For controller use recommended software release (make sure AP's are compatible) : https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/wireless-lan-controller-software/200046-tac-recommended-aireos.html

 M.

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Baba Lukelo wrote:

1.The distance coverage is very small,And it cannot reach inside sleeping room from sitting room where is installed

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Did someone commission a wireless site survey?

[Baba Lukelo]

The site survey was  done 5 years back and huawei brand APs were installed (AP6010DN-AG),were doing fine.But after replacement to AIR-AP3802I-E-K9 coverage has been jeopardized.

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Baba Lukelo wrote:

The site survey was  done 5 years back and huawei brand APs were installed (AP6010DN-AG),were doing fine.But after replacement to AIR-AP3802I-E-K9 coverage has been jeopardized.

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Site survey design was for a Huawei and worked fine.  
It was later replaced with 3800 and problems were observed after swap out?  That is to be expected.  The two models do not have the same signal propagation footprint.  

[Flavio Miranda]

Hi

 The distance can be a problem but it is not the only problem. Depending on what the wall is made, for example, glass or concret, even in small distance the signal will degradate fastly.

You need to perform a properly site survey and follow some hotels design . This link was made for Cisco Meraki but the gerenal concept also applies for others solutions.

https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/Deployment_Guides/MR_Hospitality_Design_Guide_(CVD) 

Attached, one more good knowledge material source.

[Arshad Safrulla]

Usual culprits for latency is channel utilization and noise. Did you check them at the venue where the issue was reported?

Also make sure that you are running latest AireOS version in 2504 and also in the connecting clients.

[Baba Lukelo]

Thank you Arshad

Can you help me with the latest OS version of the AP (AIR-AP3802I-E-K9) and controller ( C9800-L-F-K9) and 2504

I want to verify.

[Arshad Safrulla]

Hi Baba,

Please refer the links below

For 9800 Recommended Cisco IOS XE Releases for Catalyst 9800 Wireless LAN Controllers - Cisco

FOr 2504 Recommended AireOS Wireless LAN Controller Releases - Cisco

For upgrading the WLCs;

For 2504 Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) Software Upgrade - Cisco

For 9800 Upgrade and Downgrade of Catalyst 9800 Controllers : Tips and Tricks - Cisco

Did you check your configuration of the WLC's, you can analyze your configuration using the link below

Wireless Config Analyzer (cisco.com)

Most of the times, configuration is the key issue why the connectivity issues are induced, I would suggest check the RF profiles and RRM of your WLC as to whether it is matching what the environment where the AP's installed demands. Also make sure that the client drivers are the latest recommended by the respective vendor.

Since it's been 5 years since the last survey and difference of AP models and it's coverage patterns I would strongly suggest you to get an new survey done. Also note that having half AP's from Vendor A and another half from vendor B will induce interference to both infra.

[ammahend]

Lot of good points to consider below, also keep in mind that 2504 supports only 50AP, you have 48, for centrally switches environment, you are using the controller to 95% of its capability, keep a watch on your cpu, that might be add on to your latency as well.