Requirements for multiple APs sharing one SSID
Imagine a small network, 10-20 computers, and they are spread out over several floors of a building.
Typically, to get good wireless coverage on all of the floors, I'd put in three access points - one on each floor. The APs are connected via ethernet cable to the switch, which is connected to the router. The APs all have the same SSID and security/encryption configuration, but use different channels.
The thing is - cheap routers or access points don't tend to do this properly. For example if you buy 3x WRT54G routers, turn off the NAT/router/dhcp, and use them as wireless APs, they'll confuse each other and NO computer will connect successfully to any AP at all.
If I use something "good" - generally I put in an Engenius EAP350 APs, then everything is fine, the APs can co-exist together and everything works great.
So my question is - is there some kind of determinableFEATURE of the access point that it needs to have in order to support this configuration of multiple APs with the same SSID? Is there some portion of the 802.11 spec that I can check that it supports, or something else?
Is there a strict requirement that all the APs be the same make and model? Can it be a mixed environment?
Basically, how do I differentiate between a "cheapo" access point that won't support multiple APs with the same SSID, and a "good" access point that will?
Typically, to get good wireless coverage on all of the floors, I'd put in three access points - one on each floor. The APs are connected via ethernet cable to the switch, which is connected to the router. The APs all have the same SSID and security/encryption configuration, but use different channels.
The thing is - cheap routers or access points don't tend to do this properly. For example if you buy 3x WRT54G routers, turn off the NAT/router/dhcp, and use them as wireless APs, they'll confuse each other and NO computer will connect successfully to any AP at all.
If I use something "good" - generally I put in an Engenius EAP350 APs, then everything is fine, the APs can co-exist together and everything works great.
So my question is - is there some kind of determinableFEATURE of the access point that it needs to have in order to support this configuration of multiple APs with the same SSID? Is there some portion of the 802.11 spec that I can check that it supports, or something else?
Is there a strict requirement that all the APs be the same make and model? Can it be a mixed environment?
Basically, how do I differentiate between a "cheapo" access point that won't support multiple APs with the same SSID, and a "good" access point that will?
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Hi iconnectu,
I agree that WDS isn't a good way to go - it unnecessary chews up wireless bandwidth for use as your backhaul instead of using that bandwidth to communicate with clients. Besides that... positioning of the APs is pretty critical, since they need to be close enough to a neighbouring AP that they can communicate, but far enough away that it is actually extending the range of the wireless somewhat.... it's a messy and flaky way of doing it and I think that's basically the concept behind "wireless repeaters / extenders". I never do it.
.... in my case the access points are always connected to the network with an ethernet cable, they are not using WDS.
Or is there something about WDS I'm not understanding?
Again, I'm not looking for suggestions on what devices to use. I'm looking for information on why some devices do not interoperate together properly.
Is this concept of having multiple APs sharing the same SSID part of the 802.11 spec? Is it that this is a vendor-specific functionality and that's why some devices don't play nice with each other?
I agree that WDS isn't a good way to go - it unnecessary chews up wireless bandwidth for use as your backhaul instead of using that bandwidth to communicate with clients. Besides that... positioning of the APs is pretty critical, since they need to be close enough to a neighbouring AP that they can communicate, but far enough away that it is actually extending the range of the wireless somewhat.... it's a messy and flaky way of doing it and I think that's basically the concept behind "wireless repeaters / extenders". I never do it.
.... in my case the access points are always connected to the network with an ethernet cable, they are not using WDS.
Or is there something about WDS I'm not understanding?
Again, I'm not looking for suggestions on what devices to use. I'm looking for information on why some devices do not interoperate together properly.
Is this concept of having multiple APs sharing the same SSID part of the 802.11 spec? Is it that this is a vendor-specific functionality and that's why some devices don't play nice with each other?
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And I guess my original question did make it seem like I was talking about a mid-size business that would need that sort of equipment... but in reality I'm dealing with smaller fish e.g. a tech-enthusiastic home network or a home office. Imagine a "big" home that consists of a family of 5 each with a laptop, smartphone, tablet, a couple of gaming consoles and desktops kicking around. They need 2 or 3 access points to get full bars on both floors of the house and outside on the patio.
I've had success with various combinations of the following equipment:
- Engenius EAP350
- ASUS RT-N16 running Tomato Firmware
- Linksys RV120W
- Apple Airport Extreme
And I have seen it consistently fail when I use the following:
- Linksys WRT54G
- Linksys WAP54G
- DLink DIR601
- Most gateway/router/modem combo devices that are provided by an ISP
- Generally any consumer router that costs <$60
Even if in this smaller scenario you'd still deploy Ubiquity equipment, it's just sidestepping my question, which is what is the difference between, say the Engenius EAP350, which is a stand-alone wireless access point and works great, and the WRT54G which is a standalone wireless access point and fails? Is there a way for me to tell which access points can support multiple APs sharing a single SSID, and which ones won't?