Controllerless Networks

Hello I have been given the task to figure out why computers are disconnecting from the WiFi network after a period of time

We have 3 x APIN0115 access points (Latest Firmware installed) in the office, two in the main area and 1 near the meeting rooms

We are having issues with the one near the meeting rooms, when a user goes in to the room with a Surface Pro 4 they connect (but not all SP4's connect some don't get a DHCP IP address) to the WiFi and everything is fine, then after a period of time the connection drops for about 30 seconds and then starts to work again.

I just had the issue with a user about 30 mins ago, and the user had an IP address but could not connect to Citrix over the internet, is there a log file I can check to see what is happening?

I am using my MacBook Air on the WiFi network and I have zero issues with any of the access points

I did not set the access points up or do I have any idea how to administer them, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks 

Matt

Do you have any idea what is the firmware of the access points?  Type "show version" on the commandline.

Under each SSID and Advanced, Make sure broadcast filtering is on.

Hi

Thanks for the reply, the firmware version is 6.4.2.6-4.1.3.0_54915

I will enable the broadcast filtering now, what does this do?

Do I select "All" or "ARP" for the broadcast filtering option? (See screen attached)

Thanks 

Matt

Broadcast Filtering keeps unwanted broadcasts from congesting wifi traffic.

You should use ARP for maximum effect.

I have been watching these videos http://www.arubanetworks.com/products/networking/aruba-instant/training/instant-training/

Should I enable Background Spectrum monitor on the IAPs to check for interferance on the channels the IAPs are broadcasting on?

My understanding is if I enable the "Monitor" option (see screenshot attached) the IAPs will still continue to provide Wireless Access to my users?

If I select the "spectrum" option the IAPs will not longer provide WiFi access since the IAP will be dedicated to Spectrum?

Also should the IAPs have both 2.4GHz and 5GHz running at the same time?

Thanks

You can enable Hybrid Spectrum, which allows you to do spectrum and serve clients at the same time, but it might not say anything.  It is better to look at the channel utilization on each access point and see how high it is, because your problem could be a combination of wifi and non-wifi interference.

Whats the best way to check the channel utilization for each access point?

When you click on Access Point, it will say channel utilization as a column in the list.

Thanks for your help so far but I dont see the column?

Click on the heading that says 3 access points:

Ok found it 

Is this normal? It's 10.46pm here in Australia so no one is in the office using the WiFi network

40% is  very high for nobody on the network.  You should Make sure that Broadcast Filter ARP is on for all of your SSIDs, first.  See if that makes a difference.

OK So I have checked and there are now users using the WiFi in the office and here are the stats from the APs

One seems to have more users on than the other, is this becuase it power db is stronger than the others?

Also i have checked and I think AP has issues, see screenshot attached

You have two problems:

1.  You are using Wide (bonded) channels in the 2.4ghz

2.  Your transmit power is more than 18.

To fix #1:

Go to RF> ARM and Change Wide Channel Bands to None

To fix#2:

Go to RF> ARM and change Max Transmit Power to 18.  On the same page, also make sure Client Aware is disabled.

Thank you for the reply, I have applied the two fixes, I will be heading to the client office this afternoon and will test with the affected devices

I will report back my findings, thanks again :)

Did you also make sure that on all SSIDs, under Advanced, you have Broadcast Filter ARP?

Yes I changed this last night 

Also I have set the following under RF, is this OK?

No.  I would disable ClientMatch on 4.1.3.0

So I can see AP1 is showing alot of noise

But utilization and errors are not high, so it is not something to be worried about at this time.

So I tested the WiFi network with one of the users who was having issues and today everything worked perfectly, thank you for all your help 

I still need to test with a few mroe people, I will report back

Go to RF> ARM and change Max Transmit Power to 18.  On the same page, also make sure Client Aware is disabled. what about minum transmit power ???

---

@cjoseph wrote:

You have two problems:

 

1.  You are using Wide (bonded) channels in the 2.4ghz

2.  Your transmit power is more than 18.

 

To fix #1:

 

Go to RF> ARM and Change Wide Channel Bands to None

 

To fix#2:

 

Go to RF> ARM and change Max Transmit Power to 18.  On the same page, also make sure Client Aware is disabled.

 

 

 

---

---

@cjoseph wrote:

You have two problems:

 

1.  You are using Wide (bonded) channels in the 2.4ghz

2.  Your transmit power is more than 18.

 

To fix #1:

 

Go to RF> ARM and Change Wide Channel Bands to None

 

To fix#2:

 

Go to RF> ARM and change Max Transmit Power to 18.  On the same page, also make sure Client Aware is disabled.

 

 

 

---