Multiple Wireless points, same SSID?

[Guest Guest]

I've not got the budget for managed wireless next year, alas!

 

I do have a reasonable number of wireless devices made by a wide wide wide range of manufacturers.

 

In the absence of proper grown up wireless, if I set them up to all have the same SSID, same WPA key and to roam the channels, will that mean that our windows laptops will be able to kinda roam? If they have the details for one will it let them automatically connect to any?

[plexer]

Basically yes.

 

Ben

[featured_spectre]

In theory yes, however it would be better if they were the same make and model access points as it would make it easier for you to disaggregate the channels better as some dont see other models despite the broadcast being next to them!

[smurfomatic]

No problems there - we have 18 WAPs (of four different makes) scattered across the school, everyone roams happily. Try to make sure the wireless channels are well separated for nearby WAPs though, ideally you'd want four channels between each device, e.g. channels 1, 5, 9, 13 to reduce problems.

[gjdb]

No problems there - we have 18 WAPs (of four different makes) scattered across the school, everyone roams happily. Try to make sure the wireless channels are well separated for nearby WAPs though, ideally you'd want four channels between each device, e.g. channels 1, 5, 9, 13 to reduce problems.

 

If i`m not mistaken (and i don`t think i am), channels 1, 6, 11 are unique channels, so putting 1 AP on channel 1 and the AP next to it on channel 5 will give interference, because there are in the same Hz range.

[smurfomatic]

gjdb - sorry, my bad - 1, 5, 9, 13 is used here because we have a lot of access points relatively close together (as it's an old stone building which eats wireless signals for breakfast!) so we have to accommodate more frequencies. 1, 6, 11 is a preferable combination if they're more spaced out.

[Guest Guest]

thanks Guys,

 

I'm VERY tempted to do a bit of a gradual conversion to Ruckus, replacing APs as they got old with Ruckus ones that can be controlled in the future when my budget unseizes a little

[Haptic]

Hi jstuttard,

 

We could help you help on this sort of staged upgrade, i'll drop you a PM so we can discuss further- always good to help out local sites.

 

Thanks,

 

Mark