Introduction
15
Roaming Between Multiple Access Points
For larger environments, Harmon 802.11a client devices may roam from one 802.11a
Access Point to another while maintaining the same network connection. The 802.11a
Access Points establish coverage areas or cells similar in concept to those of a cellular
phone network. The mobile clients will connect to any 802.11a Access Point that is
within range.
Figure 4: Roaming Between APs
Each 802.11a Access Point within a roaming network must be configured to use the
same SSID and security settings (if applicable), but each should be configured with a
unique, independent Channel.
Mobile clients equipped with 802.11a wireless adapters are configured to operate in
Infrastructure mode and have the same SSID and security settings as the Access
Points. Alternatively, the mobile client may use an SSID of “any” to associate with any
available Access Point, regardless of the Access Point’s SSID.
As the mobile client seamlessly switches from cell to cell, its network connectivity is
preserved. The user can move freely between the Harmony 802.11a Access Points in
the network. When the roaming client leaves the transmission range of one 802.11a
Access Point, the software automatically polls the other 802.11a Access Point(s) in the
same vicinity to continue the network connection.
