Roaming between bands within the same AP?

PPC1 · 02-26-2007

We use Cisco Aironet 1130AG AP´s with both bands enabled. Our clients have dualband wireless NICs and normally they connect to any of the bands depending on load and range.

If a client connects to an AP on the 5GHz and then moves away from the AP and behind thick concrete walls the signal quality starts to degrade. You would then like for it to automatically change band to 2,4GHz which should provide a stronger signal since it penetrates concrete better than 5GHz. But unfortunately it´s not that selfevident. How is roaming between bands within the same AP supposed to work? I´ve searched the net and Cisco´s documentation hoping to find this described anywhere but haven´t come up with much so far. I´m well aware of that roaming is something that´s triggered by the client and not the AP but in this case it´s not really roaming in that sense?

Any thoughts about this?

itsnotme · 02-26-2007

Nothing penetrates concrete, brick, and similar materials like that.

Edit: Except drilling a nice little hole through it and sliding some nice cat5 through there and putting an Ethernet jack on the other side.

Dutch · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by PPC1

We use Cisco Aironet 1130AG AP´s with both bands enabled. Our clients have dualband wireless NICs and normally they connect to any of the bands depending on load and range.

If a client connects to an AP on the 5GHz and then moves away from the AP and behind thick concrete walls the signal quality starts to degrade. You would then like for it to automatically change band to 2,4GHz which should provide a stronger signal since it penetrates concrete better than 5GHz. But unfortunately it´s not that selfevident. How is roaming between bands within the same AP supposed to work? I´ve searched the net and Cisco´s documentation hoping to find this described anywhere but haven´t come up with much so far. I´m well aware of that roaming is something that´s triggered by the client and not the AP but in this case it´s not really roaming in that sense?

Any thoughts about this?

It depends on the driver implementation and the CM in use on the client.

I know that the standard Atheros supplied CM, when used with an Atheros based a/b/g card will seamlessly roam between a and b/g bands.

But again, it all depends on which algorithms has been implemented in the driver and the CM, for roaming, and when to trigger the switch to another AP or band.

Dutch

streaker69 · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsnotme

Nothing penetrates concrete, brick, and similar materials like that.

Edit: Except drilling a nice little hole through it and sliding some nice cat5 through there and putting an Ethernet jack on the other side.

I believe that quarks moving close to 10x the SoL can penetrate concrete and brick.

brwrdrvr · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsnotme

Nothing penetrates concrete, brick, and similar materials like that.

Edit: Except drilling a nice little hole through it and sliding some nice cat5 through there and putting an Ethernet jack on the other side.

I'll have to re investigate that one. The lower part of my house is concrete block. That's where my AP is located and I am sure I sit about 125' away on the dock surfing the net while I am fishing.

The reason I will re investigate this is because I just upgraded my router to a WRT54G and it MAY act differently from the old router. Now all I need is for Charter to show up at the house to get the friggin cable working again.

Dutch · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by brwrdrvr

I'll have to re investigate that one. The lower part of my house is concrete block. That's where my AP is located and I am sure I sit about 125' away on the dock surfing the net while I am fishing.

The reason I will re investigate this is because I just upgraded my router to a WRT54G and it MAY act differently from the old router. Now all I need is for Charter to show up at the house to get the friggin cable working again.

I think Charter has postponed any other work in Louisiana, untill they have cabled New Orleans back together.. Gotta provide free cable TV and Internet to the N.O. Cajuns, otherwise they'll just keep travelling around the lower 50 looking for free net access..

Dutch

PPC1 · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch

I know that the standard Atheros supplied CM, when used with an Atheros based a/b/g card will seamlessly roam between a and b/g bands.

Dutch

OK, that sounds kind of promising even if we´re not using any third party CM, only WZC. I guess it really is just like ordinary roaming since the A and G in fact are separate BSSID even if they reside in the same "box". Maybe I´ll do some labs of my own in order to explore what triggers roaming from a to g and vice versa, at least with the kind of hardware/software we´re using at the moment.

The problems we´ve seen before is that the client for some reason tends to "cling" to the A-band even when signal/noise ratio is way better on the G-band from the same AP. This occures after first associating to the A-band and then moving to areas with less signal quality, for example behind a wall or even just NLOS. It almost seems like the client is reluctant to switch band until it actually looses connectivity.

brwrdrvr · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch

I think Charter has postponed any other work in Louisiana, untill they have cabled New Orleans back together.. Gotta provide free cable TV and Internet to the N.O. Cajuns, otherwise they'll just keep travelling around the lower 50 looking for free net access..

Dutch

Blah!

I had a bad month with the money situation so I let my service go. Now trying to get it reconnected. They came out Friday morning and reconnected the cable to the pole. Now for some reason the cable modem can't lock a signal. Soooo Nooowww I have to wait this morning for them to show at the house. If the guy has to stay there all day to run new cable it's going to be on him. He is not leaving my house before I get my services back up. Words of advice, pay the cable bill before anything else. The bastards take their sweet time getting shit done right.

By the way, I am more important than those dimwits in N.O. let them keep roaming around looking for free wifi. It will get the economy back up and running everywhere except N.O.

Dutch · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by brwrdrvr

Blah!

I had a bad month with the money situation so I let my service go. Now trying to get it reconnected. They came out Friday morning and reconnected the cable to the pole. Now for some reason the cable modem can't lock a signal. Soooo Nooowww I have to wait this morning for them to show at the house. If the guy has to stay there all day to run new cable it's going to be on him. He is not leaving my house before I get my services back up. Words of advice, pay the cable bill before anything else. The bastards take their sweet time getting shit done right.

By the way, I am more important than those dimwits in N.O. let them keep roaming around looking for free wifi. It will get the economy back up and running everywhere except N.O.

You could allways move to Florida.. I hear the weather is nice down in Mexico Beach...

Dutch

wrzwaldo · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsnotme

Nothing penetrates concrete, brick, and similar materials like that.

Edit: Except drilling a nice little hole through it and sliding some nice cat5 through there and putting an Ethernet jack on the other side.

Really?

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g72w4h0447403170/

streaker69 · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrzwaldo

Really?

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g72w4h0447403170/

I believe this also penetrates concrete and cinder block

itsnotme · 02-26-2007

Ok, Ok, Ok, I'll be a tad more specific about what doesn't go through concrete next time!

streaker69 · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsnotme

Ok, Ok, Ok, I'll be a tad more specific about what doesn't go through concrete next time!

You had better, because we expect accuracy in postings here, after all, this isn't /.

itsnotme · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by streaker69

You had better, because we expect accuracy in postings here, after all, this isn't /.

Hey! You forgot a . after the /.! We expect proper punctuation here too!

/me runs for the border

streaker69 · 02-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsnotme

Hey! You forgot a . after the /.! We expect proper punctuation here too!

/me runs for the border

Care to try again?

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/periods.asp

Quote:

Rule 2 If the last word in the sentence ends in a period, do not follow it with another period.
Examples I know that M.D. She is my sister-in-law.
Please shop, cook, etc. I will do the laundry.

02-26-2007	#1 (permalink)
PPC1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 98	Roaming between bands within the same AP? We use Cisco Aironet 1130AG AP´s with both bands enabled. Our clients have dualband wireless NICs and normally they connect to any of the bands depending on load and range. If a client connects to an AP on the 5GHz and then moves away from the AP and behind thick concrete walls the signal quality starts to degrade. You would then like for it to automatically change band to 2,4GHz which should provide a stronger signal since it penetrates concrete better than 5GHz. But unfortunately it´s not that selfevident. How is roaming between bands within the same AP supposed to work? I´ve searched the net and Cisco´s documentation hoping to find this described anywhere but haven´t come up with much so far. I´m well aware of that roaming is something that´s triggered by the client and not the AP but in this case it´s not really roaming in that sense? Any thoughts about this?

02-26-2007	#2 (permalink)
itsnotme Dumbass checker Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Somewhere below Lake Ontario Posts: 1,076	Nothing penetrates concrete, brick, and similar materials like that. Edit: Except drilling a nice little hole through it and sliding some nice cat5 through there and putting an Ethernet jack on the other side. Last edited by itsnotme : 02-26-2007 at 01:59 AM.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

02-26-2007	#12 (permalink)
itsnotme Dumbass checker Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Somewhere below Lake Ontario Posts: 1,076	Ok, Ok, Ok, I'll be a tad more specific about what doesn't go through concrete next time!