C5210 Roaming Question

[Ian_Broadway]

Hi All,

I’m looking for some advice on “roaming”, specifically how I determine whether the controller or the client made the decision.

I have a particular client that was connected for over an hour to a specific access point and then “roamed” to another access point within the vicinity of that office area, it was logged as an event below;

“Inside AC from AP/Radio[2] to AP/Radio[2] VNS[SSID]” replaced SSID with placeholder.

the controller lists in the active client report that it started the session again after this so is now shown as connected for a few minutes rather than the hour or so it already had been.

So am I right in thinking that the client disconnected? or is the timer misleading? I hope it is the later as “roaming” shouldn't cause the client to disconnect between APs surely?

I'm trying to determine if the roaming is causing the device to “disconnect” completely from the wireless and then associating to the new AP causing the timer refresh?

the user operating the client is complaining of dropouts, i.e. interruptions to VC etc and it appears to coincide with these events.

I still can't determine whether it is the Wireless/Controller instigating this or the client.

so to confirm;

does “roaming” between different APs or different radios within the same AP cause a “disconnect”

or

does it just reset the session “timer” but that does reset the “session” giving the same effect as a disconnect?

If roaming is causing disconnects how do I resolve? Surely the point of roaming is it seamlessly move throughout an organisation with the same wireless system and work?

We’re running 2x C5210 Controllers, latest code, 10.51.16.0003, mostly AP3825s with some 3935s.

the APs in this particular area are 3935s.

Thanks

Ian

[SamPirok]

Hi Ian, roaming should not disconnect clients, you are absolutely correct that roaming is a transition from one AP to another without ending the clients actual session. To my knowledge, roaming is always going to be a client decision. We can adjust some settings on the AP to help influence the choice, but it’s ultimately the client device that makes the call. I’ll need to look in to the question about the session timers, can you confirm what page you’re looking at so I know I’m in the same place in my lab?