Laptops don't switch between AP's
Hi Experts!
I have a challenge with having office laptops switch between the 3 AP's when users are carrying them from room to room.
All 3 AP's are Ubiquity Pikostation M, which are 1000mW supposedly. I turned down the db power 1/4. All 3 of them are configured exactly the same, with same SSID.
When I move laptop from one office to one across the hallway, the laptop may take up to several minutes to switch to the new AP (or may not switch at all), EVEN if I move very close to the AP with a straight line of sight.
How can I troubleshoot this?
Thanks in advance!
I have a challenge with having office laptops switch between the 3 AP's when users are carrying them from room to room.
All 3 AP's are Ubiquity Pikostation M, which are 1000mW supposedly. I turned down the db power 1/4. All 3 of them are configured exactly the same, with same SSID.
When I move laptop from one office to one across the hallway, the laptop may take up to several minutes to switch to the new AP (or may not switch at all), EVEN if I move very close to the AP with a straight line of sight.
How can I troubleshoot this?
Thanks in advance!
"All 3 of them are configured exactly the same" - even on the same channel ?
You're probably better off if using different channels for less interference. Are you using WDS? Are you using Ubiquity adapters on the clients? If not, WDS may not be the best option.
ASKER
Hello,
Sorry for late reply.
The 3 AP's are on different channels - 1, 6, 11 and there's no WDS, just individually configured. Yes, laptops are Windows 7.
I'll try to look at the roaming settings, and will report back.
Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to resolve my issue.
Thank You!
Sorry for late reply.
The 3 AP's are on different channels - 1, 6, 11 and there's no WDS, just individually configured. Yes, laptops are Windows 7.
I'll try to look at the roaming settings, and will report back.
Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to resolve my issue.
Thank You!
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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ASKER
Hello.
I've tried to decrease the power of the AP's to the minimum - 12db (of the max 1000mW) power of Ubiquity Pico Station M2, but my laptops are still taking several minutes to switch between the AP's. Sometimes, the laptops won't change to the new AP at all, even though the AP has a "straight line of sight" and is in the same room.
Laptops don't have much settings on its "wireless card", and nothing related to "beacon".
Is there anything else I can do to troubleshoot this issue?
I've tried to decrease the power of the AP's to the minimum - 12db (of the max 1000mW) power of Ubiquity Pico Station M2, but my laptops are still taking several minutes to switch between the AP's. Sometimes, the laptops won't change to the new AP at all, even though the AP has a "straight line of sight" and is in the same room.
Laptops don't have much settings on its "wireless card", and nothing related to "beacon".
Is there anything else I can do to troubleshoot this issue?
Make sure that your drivers and wireless card firmware are up to date. Also, same thing with the access points. I had problems with some Cisco access points once that clients had problems roaming between. Once I updated the firmware, they were fine. Like I said, you want to make sure the the beaon is set, not on the client, but on the access point itself. Access point channel should be hard coded but the client should be set to automatic. Each access point should be on a different channel also.
ASKER
The Ubiquity PicoStation 2M AP's don't seem to have any "beacon" related settings.
All of the drivers and fw are updated, and I've tried changing various settings on the AP's, as well as posted on the Ubiquity forums. Nobody seem to have a solution for me.
I've spent 2 days troubleshooting this issue, and so far no results. I'm about to go out and just buy new AP's. :-(
All of the drivers and fw are updated, and I've tried changing various settings on the AP's, as well as posted on the Ubiquity forums. Nobody seem to have a solution for me.
I've spent 2 days troubleshooting this issue, and so far no results. I'm about to go out and just buy new AP's. :-(
What kind of wireless cards are in the laptops? Normally roaming isn't so much an access point problem as it is a client issue.
ASKER
Hello. I'm still stuck with this problem... trying to work on it once or twice a week.
The laptops are new HP's ProBook, but I also use another Latitude Laptop to test, and IBM laptop. All 3 laptops have roaming issues, so I'm assuming that it may not be related to the laptop drivers.
I'm suspecting that it's the issue with AP's - these Ubiquity PikoStation M2's are 1000mW, and even if I turn them down all the way (80%), seems like they're still pretty powerful. :-/
I tried to use 2 Cisco/Linksys E1000 routers in AP mode, and those ones had problems roaming as well.
Any other things I can try?
Thank You.
The laptops are new HP's ProBook, but I also use another Latitude Laptop to test, and IBM laptop. All 3 laptops have roaming issues, so I'm assuming that it may not be related to the laptop drivers.
I'm suspecting that it's the issue with AP's - these Ubiquity PikoStation M2's are 1000mW, and even if I turn them down all the way (80%), seems like they're still pretty powerful. :-/
I tried to use 2 Cisco/Linksys E1000 routers in AP mode, and those ones had problems roaming as well.
Any other things I can try?
Thank You.
The issue isn't likely in the router, but in your client (i.e. Windows). Inherently, they're not designed to roam. When they lose a connection, they reconnect, but in your near environment, they're not completely losing the connection. As long as they're connected to a weak signal, they won't bother to look for a stronger one, even if it's right next to it. Since your connections are so strong, why do you need roaming in the first place? Max out the signal on all 3 overlapping frequencies, and let anyone connect anywhere. Are clients having signal issues? In any case, when they do reconnect for any reason, they'll find the strongest signal at that time. Do people really move around that much that it's a problem? How large is the office (length, width, floors), the distances and obstructions/walls?
Ultimately, if you really need to roam freely, you're going to have to setup WDS on both routers and clients. Cisco supports this well, but I'm not familiar with Ubiquity support on the matter.
Ultimately, if you really need to roam freely, you're going to have to setup WDS on both routers and clients. Cisco supports this well, but I'm not familiar with Ubiquity support on the matter.
Do you have both "Connect Automatically When This Network Is In Range" and "Connect to a More Preferred Network If Available." set in the "Manage Wireless Networks" settings ?
Are the SSIDs the same or different ?
Are the SSIDs the same or different ?
If it is Windows 7, accoring to the advice of SPITwSPOTS, try the following:-
"Go to your adapter properties (as if you were going to change your IP). On the "Networking" tab click the button that says "configure" under your adapter description. In new window click the second tab "advanced". There you will find many options. Often roaming options are among them."
Source: http://ubnt.com/forum/showthread.php?p=140825