Wireless Access

Hi all,

I have been focusing on band steering for a few days. If my understanding is correct, band steering works due to client match feature,even if band steering is disabled under VAP profile. I wonder:

1-How much does using both of them together make sense?

2-How about disabling band steering under VAP profile? The band steering,that client match doing, is as effective as "normal" band steering?

3-What is the difference between "normal" band steering and client match's band steering?

Thanks a lot,

Emre

1.  If ClientMatch is enabled, Band Steering is not used

2.  If you are using a 802.11nac AP, band steering is not used

3.  ClientMatch is enabled by default, so it is rare that band steering is used.  You would have to turn client match off and be using and 802.11n or older AP.

4.  Band steering happens on client association.  Client Match happens after association, after measuring that the 5ghz signal strength is strong enough, first.

5.  Client Match is better because it ensures that the 5ghz signal strength would be a certain signal strength before it moves a device.

Once you enable ClientMatch band steering is no longer in use.

Band steering doesn't work on 802.11ac APs so you need to use ClientMatch

ClientMatch has the following functions:

- Band steering

- Sticky client steering (Station Handoff)

- Dynamic load balancing

- MU-MIMO Steering

>From user guide:

Band Steering/Band Balancing: APs using the client match feature monitor the RSSI for clients that advertise a dual-band capability. If a client is currently associated to a 2.4 GHz radio and the AP detects that the client has a good RSSI from the 5 Ghz radio, the controller attempts to steer the client to the 5 Ghz radio, as long as the 5 Ghz RSSI is not significantly worse than the 2.4 GHz RSSI, and the AP retains a suitable distribution of clients on each of it's radios.