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Reconnecting to Wireless access points

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by thisnorthernboy

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Hi everybody, first time poster here.

If a building has more than 1 wireless access points, is there any way for a laptop computer running Windows XP professional to automatically reconnect to another
access point when it gets out of range of the original one, so that there is never an instance of
no network connectivity. For example: If I were connected to access point A and I walked away until the signal was too weak, it would automatically connect to access point B with no
user intervention and no down time? I have a feeling it has something to do with the Wireless Network Connection Dialog box but it may need 3rd party software.

Any input would be hugely helpful, so thanks in advance.

TNB

5 replies

by sajchurchey

If the access points are configured with the same SSID to identify the network and encryption keys (WEP,WPA), then roaming should just occur automatically. Your wireless card will make the determination about which signal is best. Make sure that access points are on different channels to reduce interference if they are within range of one another.

by nepenthe0

Due to bandwidth considerations, you should not assign consecutive channel numbers to overlapping APs. If AP #1 is channel 1, the nearest AP should be channel 6. There should be a 5-channel gap between nearest APs to avoid interference.

Let me know by reply post if you wish to have the reference source, and I'll try to locate it for you.

Rick/Portland, OR

by john

If your WAPs support it, you can also set them up to Bridge instead of a completely separate APs. Usually they will say something about Wireless Bridge or Extender in their documentation. This, in effect, widens the range of your primary AP so that you won't have to reconnect to a different AP.

by nepenthe0

I was unaware of this option, which would greatly simplify installing multiple APs.

Thanks.

Rick/Portland, OR

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