Wireless VLAN Setup

[Eudora931]

Hi all ,

 

Read through some posts on this topic already and have done some research, but a little confused....plus I need diagrams! lol Getting some conflicting info - (or maybe just not understanding) But here is a very basic account

 

We are a wifi heavy school with 90% Apple products. Chatter from these devices (especially Apple TV's etc) is noisy.

 

I thought that by creating a VLAN for all our Apple devices and giving them lions share of bandwith - we could contain the chatter etc.

 

Turns out - setting up a non wired VLAN to control traffic is either 1) not possible 2) if possible doesn't really help make the wifi better?

 

I understand that VLAN's are primarily about security? So confused...

So I guess what I'm asking is am I wasting my time putting in VLAN's and if not how is the architecture set up .

Again, my limited understanding is - client goes to AP, AP goes to layer switch (or possibly a WLAN controller?), separates out the traffic... but then how does that contain the broadcasting etc ( apologies if using the wrong terminology etc)

I just need a how to for dummies with diagrama!

 

Any help much appreciated. Thank you!

[win]

I would say it can help with security by separating your domain computers from the guest wifi. Also it helps to control broadcast traffic as it will only be broadcasted on those ports where the vlan is set.

[CyberNerd]

 

Turns out - setting up a non wired VLAN to control traffic is either 1) not possible 2) if possible doesn't really help make the wifi better?

 

1) it is possible

2) VLAN's will help but contain broadcast chatter between networks, but they won't help in discrete areas (that the access point is in) because all VLAN's are still using the same frequencies. Thus if two clients are on separate vlans but in range of the same access point they will not see each others traffic but will be competing for bandwidth. VLANs will help stop machines across the other side of the school from getting broadcast traffic so are a good thing to do.

 

I understand that VLAN's are primarily about security? So confused...

So I guess what I'm asking is am I wasting my time putting in VLAN's and if not how is the architecture set up .

Again, my limited understanding is - client goes to AP, AP goes to layer switch (or possibly a WLAN controller?), separates out the traffic... but then how does that contain the broadcasting etc ( apologies if using the wrong terminology etc)

 

It really depends how many clients you have. We setup 6 wireless vlans with 500 hosts in each.

[Eudora931]

It really depends how many clients you have. We setup 6 wireless vlans with 500 hosts in each.

 

We have 300 plus iPads, 90 macbooks, 20 apple tv's , windows Genee boards- all running off wifi

 

then about 150 windows machine that are wired in . This does not account for any BYOD that staff currently bring in -e.g iPhones .

[twin--turbo]

VLANS are not going to help traffic issues in wi-fi

 

Wi-Fi is CSMA-CD

Wired is CSMA-CA

 

What that basically means is Wired networks have "Collision Avoidance" the sender waits for the network to be quiet before sending.

 

Wireless has no way to tell if the network is quite so sends regardless. If the network is busy it gets no respose, detects this and waits to send again... In a small wi-fi that's ok, the second or third attempt may get through... With 20+ clients 10 may not get through and have to resend 7 of them may still not get through and now an aditional other 5 want to send and 3 don't 4 of that ten mannage to send but the 6 remaining is joing be another 12 that are blocked , and then you go into resend meltdown.

 

Only way to combat this is better wi-fi with more access points and higher throughput.

 

TT