hi mates
I have these:
one RB433
3 mikrotik wireless cards
3 sector 120 antenna
I want to make something like an omni 360 antenna:
same SSID on all wireless cards
same frequency on all cards
and no frequency conflict
with roaming capability
whatever setup I test results in something like a loop and there will be no access to MT unless I remove wireless cards!!!
any help would be appreciated
you can never setup a similar scenario… each mini pci must have a unique ssid
I have the same configuration, but its better to use different frequencies, you can use same ssid.
but if you will use same ssid and same frequency you will need to add rule in wireless->access list,
for example in mac address type one ofthe cards mac address and uncheck checkbox authenticate and forwared, after that cards willnot connect to each other, you will need to do this for all cards
I currently have several multi-radio APs set up as follows:
Now use this three-radio bridge as a single interface, as you would use any other: for DHCP server, hotspot server, etc..
Dan
You will end up with CSMA problems if you use the same frequency on all sectors. Use non-overlapping channels for best results. In the USA that’s 2412MHz, 2437Mhz, and 2462Mhz.
If you use the same SSID you can have clients choosing which antenna is the best e.g. “Roaming”.
For best results when a client hops sectors, use the bridging configuration described above.
If you use different channels, and don’t use WDS, doesn’t this mean the client has to drop association with the first radio card before it can associate with another? If so, the resulting experience for the user is temporary loss of connectivity (and probably dropped VoIP/streaming media) at each transition.
Which begs the question: is there another way to get radios to hand clients to each other seamlessly, without putting them on the same channel and using WDS?
It’s my understanding that weather or not it’s on the same channel doesn’t matter, the behavior would be the same. It would disassociate from one, then associate to the other.
Regardless, why would you intentionally gimp your system? If you run all three sectors on the same channel, you’ll have huge CSMA and CCQ issues, and major problems with collisions.
Which begs the question: > is > there another way to get radios to hand clients to each other seamlessly, without putting them on the same channel and using WDS?
To my understanding 802.11 does not support seamless roaming.
From Cisco Press:
The Nature of Roaming in 802.11
802.11 roaming is known as “break before make,” referring to the requirement that a station serves its association with one AP before creating an association with a new one. This process might seem unintuitive because it introduces the possibility for data loss during roaming, but it facilitates a simpler MAC protocol and radio.
If 802.11 were “make before break,” meaning a station could associate to a new AP before disassociating from the old AP, you would need safeguards in the MAC to ensure a loop-free topology. A station connected to the same Layer 2 broadcast domain via simultaneous network connections has the potential to trigger broadcast storms. A “make before break” architecture would necessitate an algorithm such as 802.1D spanning tree to resolve any potential loops, adding overhead to the MAC protocol. In addition, the client radio would have to be capable of listening and communicating on more than one channel at a time, increasing the complexity of the radio (and adding to the overall cost of the devices).
same ssid different frequencies and bridge them up
I currently have several multi-radio APs set up as follows:
- Define a bridge
- Configure all three radios to ap-bridge, same frequency, same SSID, dynamic WDS, with WDS-bridge set to the bridge you just defined
- Add all three radios as ports to the bridge
Now use this three-radio bridge as a single interface, as you would use any other: for DHCP server, hotspot server, etc..
Dan
I’m pretty new to MikroTik gear but trying to learn fast on my self teach crash course.
I am trying to set up a second 120 deg AP on my system and have set up as Dan said (I’m using different SSID’s and channels). When I add the radio port to the bridge it sets up as disabled port and the radio is in italics,
Whats going on there?
How can I overcome?
Thanks in advance (for someones assist).
If I remember correctly, the Mikrotik shows the wireless as being down when there is no one associated to the access point. If you associate to the wireless interface it should show it as enabled.
Yes thanks that solves it (after a 4 hour round trip to install a client device)
I was worried that the italicised device name may mean another problem but it looks like the italics dont seem to mean anything.
Thanks for assist