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802.11b Roaming Problems

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by msenkbeil

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I just acquired a second Lucent 802.11b access point and I'm not sure how to allow my Windows XP Pro laptops to roam between the two access points without having to manually select the access point they are closest to. Should I have configured bothaccess points to have the same network (SSID) ID? Can anyone give me a summary of how I should set this up? It is the simplest possible roaming scenario: two access points. Thanks.

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by jpomposelli

I am not exactly sure how to do this on Lucent equpiment, but if you did set it up in the first place you should be able to change the settings.

The way you get multiple access points to allow a user to roam is to use the same SSID and same WEPkey if you are using one. If the both APs are connected to your wired LAN you will need to make sure they are on different channels as to not create a loop. There are technically 11 channels but because of overlap you can only really use three. The common ones are 1,6,11. If the second AP is not on the wired LAN and you are going to use it as a repeater of the first, you must set it as such and make sure that it is set on the same channel as the first.

You may be able to use multiple SSIDs, if your client software allows multiple SSIDs. This can be done in Windows XP very easily. As long as each SSID is loaded into XP with the cooresponding WEP key you should have no problem what so ever.

If you need to change channels on your APs do not worry about resetting your clients, they should search all channels with no problem.

Jason

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