USRobotics Instant802 APSDK manual Backup Links and Unwanted Loops in WDS Bridges, LAN Segment

Professional Access Point

Administrator Guide

and West Wing access points with a WDS link to create a single network for clients in both areas.

Client Station Client Station

WDS Bridge

"Conference Room" AP

Client Station

Client Station

)

)

t

t

e

e

n

n

r

r

e

e

h

h

t

"West Wing" AP

t

E

d(E

ed(

n

e

n

r

r

i

o

i

o

W

i

W

i

t

t

c

c

e

e

n

n

n

n

o

o

C

C

LAN Segment 2

LAN Segment 1

Using WDS to Extend the Network Beyond the Wired Coverage Area

An ESS can extend the reach of the network into areas where cabling would be difficult, costly, or inefficient.

For example, suppose you have an access point which is connected to the network by Ethernet and serving multiple clients in one area ("East Wing" in this example) but cannot reach other clients which are out of range. Suppose also that it is too difficult or too costly to wire the distant area with Ethernet cabling. You can solve this problem by placing a second access point closer to second group of stations ("Poolside" in this example) and bridge the two APs with a WDS link. This extends your network wirelessly by providing an extra hop to get to distant stations.

Client Station Client Station

WDS Bridge

Client Station "Poolside" AP

"East Wing" AP				Client Station
										t)
									e
								rn
							e
					th
				E
			(
		d					n
re
i						o
W					ti
				c
			e
		n
	n
o
C
LAN

Backup Links and Unwanted Loops in WDS Bridges

Another use for WDS bridging, the creation of backup links, is not supported by the Professional Access Point. The topic is included here to emphasize that you should not try to use WDS in this way; backup links will result in unwanted, endless loops of data traffic.

If an access point provides Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), WDS can be used to configure backup paths between access points across the network. For example, between two access points you could have both

Wireless Distribution System - 154