ZyAIR
See the Wireless Security chapter for information on the other labels in this screen.
6.4 Configuring Roaming
A wireless station is a device with an IEEE 802.11mode compliant wireless adapter. An access point (AP) acts as a bridge between the wireless and wired networks. An AP creates its own wireless coverage area. A wireless station can associate with a particular access point only if it is within the access point’s coverage area.
In a network environment with multiple access points, wireless stations are able to switch from one access point to another as they move between the coverage areas. This is roaming. As the wireless station moves from place to place, it is responsible for choosing the most appropriate access point depending on the signal strength, network utilization or other factors.
The roaming feature on the access points allows the access points to relay information about the wireless stations to each other. When a wireless station moves from a coverage area to another, it scans and uses the channel of a new access point, which then informs the access points on the LAN about the change. The new information is then propagated to the other access points on the LAN. An example is shown in see Figure 26.
If the roaming feature is not enabled on the access points, information is not communicated between the access points when a wireless station moves between coverage areas. The wireless station may not be able to communicate with other wireless stations on the network and vice versa.
Figure 26 Roaming Example
The steps below describe the roaming process.
Chapter 6 Wireless Configuration and Roaming | 84 |