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AT-TQ2403 - Management Software - User's Guide

 

 

Chapter 17: Load Balancing

The AT-TQ2403 Management Software allows you to balance the distribution of wireless client connections across multiple access points. Using load balancing, you can prevent scenarios where a single access point in your network shows performance degradation because it is handling a disproportionate share of the wireless traffic.

The following sections describe how to configure Load Balancing on your wireless network:

∙Understanding Load Balancing

∙Identifying the Imbalance: Overworked or Under-utilized Access Points

∙Specifying Limits for Utilization and Client Associations

∙Load Balancing and QoS

∙Navigating to Load Balancing Settings

∙Configuring Load Balancing

∙Updating Settings

Understanding Load Balancing

Like most configuration settings on the AT-TQ2403 Management Software, load balancing settings are shared among clustered access points.

Note: In some cases you might want to set limits for only one access point that is consistently over-utilized. You can apply unique settings to a particular access point if it is operating in stand-alone mode. (See “Understanding Clustering” and “Navigating to Access Points Management”.)

Identifying the Imbalance: Overworked or Under-utilized Access Points

A typical scenario is that a comparison of Client Association data and Transmit/Receive data for multiple access points allows you to identify an access point that is consistently handling a disproportionately large percentage of wireless traffic. This can happen when location placement or other factors causes one access point to transmit the strongest signal to a majority of clients on a network. By default, that access point will receive most of client requests while the other access points stay idle much of the time.

Imbalances in distribution of wireless traffic across access points will be evident in Client Association statistics and Transmit/Receive statistics, which will show higher "Utilization" rates on overworked APs and conversely, higher "Idle" times on under-utilized APs. An AP that is handling more than its fair share of traffic might also show slower data rates or lower transmit/receive rates due to the overload.

Specifying Limits for Utilization and Client Associations

You can correct for imbalances in network AP utilization by enabling load balancing and setting limits on utilization rates and number of client associations allowed per access point.