Consultation on Roaming Optimization for WIFI6

[xiaorenwu]

Hello everyone.

I am currently using WLC5520-8.10.196 and AP9115AXI in the office. I have noticed that some clients occasionally roam to farther APs. These clients are all Intel's WIFI6 network cards. The frequency band of AP is 80MHz.The AP3800 series used in another office area did not experience such extreme situations。

[marce1000]

 - Client roaming decisions are always autonomous ; however make sure that the Wifi drivers are up to date and or check if that can influence the roaming behavior , 

 M.

[xiaorenwu]

I'll check again, thank you

[jagan.chowdam]

• Are both office areas managed by the same WLC5520 controller, or do they use separate controllers?
• Do both office areas (with AP9115AXI and AP3800 series) have identical RF profiles and settings assigned, especially in terms of channel width, power levels, and band steering?
• Have any differences in client density or interference sources (such as neighboring Wi-Fi networks or physical barriers) been identified between the two office areas?
• Do you have client load balancing enabled on the APs in both office areas, and if so, is it configured the same way?

Like @marce1000 said, roaming is a client-side decision, and multiple factors can influence when and how clients roam, including signal strength, interference, driver behavior, and the device's roaming algorithm. It’s important to examine these factors closely to understand the situation better.

I would recommend reviewing your channel planning. Operating on 80 MHz channels requires careful planning since you will only have 5 non-overlapping channels available. Misconfigured channel plans can cause interference and suboptimal roaming performance.

Jagan Chowdam

/**Pls rate useful responses**/

[xiaorenwu]

1.same WLC5520 controlle

2.The RF configuration comparison is the same, but AP3800 uses 40MHz

3.The difference is that the 3800 series has a ceiling and high density, while the AP9115AXI has a wall mounted design but not high density

4.same

I will confirm and optimize based on everyone's opinions. Thank you

[jagan.chowdam]

The 3800 and 9115 access points do not have the same coverage area. Additionally, mounting an AP on a wall is not an optimal design or best practice.

I recommend conducting a validation survey to ensure your RF layer is strong and provides sufficient coverage throughout the office space.

You can also use the 'Cisco Wireless Config Analyzer' for an in-depth RF analysis. The WCAE mini-desktop version can generate detailed RF reports.

https://developer.cisco.com/docs/wireless-troubleshooting-tools/wireless-config-analyzer-express-engine/#wcae-mini-desktop

Jagan Chowdam

/**Pls rate useful responses**/

[xiaorenwu]

I'll check again, thank you

[Leo Laohoo]

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@xiaorenwu wrote:
These clients are all Intel's WIFI6 network cards.

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What firmware are the AX2xx wireless NIC cards on?

For Realtek RTL88xx, the wireless NIC driver should be, at a minimum, 6001.10.352.0 (and later).  Refer to CSCwf03870. 

For Intel-based AX2xx, the wireless NIC drivers should be 22.200.2.1 (and later) or 22.220.0.0 (and later).  Refer to CSCwe50033. 

[xiaorenwu]

I'll check again, thank you

[Flavio Miranda]

@xiaorenwu 

 Roaming is a client decision and I´ve seen this with 3800 big time. What you can do is reduce the roaming sensitivity on the wireless adapter and eventually play with optmized roaming.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/9800/17-2/config-guide/b_wl_17_2_cg/optimized_roaming.pdf

[xiaorenwu]

I'll check again, thank you

[JPavonM]

Are your C9115AXI wall-mounted with vertical orientation? If so, the radio propagation is maximum in vertical way, while ceiling-mounted AP3802 propagation cell is more optimal. That's maybe the reason why your adapters are roaming to AP3802 as they see better signal strength received from them.

[xiaorenwu]

Yes, the entire room is 9115AXI, all vertically hung on the wall.The AP (3800) in the other room has a suspended ceiling

[jmanzanera]

Hello,
As mentioned before, the roaming depends on the client decision, however, what I can see for your comment is that you are using an environment with mixed AP models. This is not recommended, however, sometimes is what we have.

Just a couple of questions about your configuration
- Are you using SSID with dual band 5GHz and 2GHz ?
- Are you able to see which signal do you receive from the 3800 AP on the room? Are you receiving good signal (please be aware that the clients will roam if we have 6dB or more between the 2 AP).
- Which is the TCP configuration on the 3800AP and 91XX TPC?

Probably , to force the client to roam it will be good to reduce the 3800 TPC or increase the 91XX TPC to get lower or stronger signal.

[xiaorenwu]

Hello! Thank you for your answer. Currently, there are no other series of APs in the 9115AXI area, and AP3800 is a separate office. Only the 9115AXI area is experiencing roaming issues.
1. The configuration of WIFI is that the Radio Policy is all
2. TPC of two RF groups as shown in the figure