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Ruckus T301N mesh mode

mohammad_shamse

Hello team,

I have a query regarding the ruckus T301N outdoor access point.

Can this AP work as a mesh ? that is, is there any means to have this AP work in a wireless environment without the need to connect it through cable ? and if yes, does the neighboring AP need to be ruckus with specific compatibility ?

Looking forward for your cooperation,

Thanks and Best regards

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sam_evans

Hi Mohammad,

The T301 does support mesh* and the root AP will need to be a suitable Ruckus AP.

*The AP will need to be connected to one of our management platforms to enable mesh as this feature is not available in standalone mode.

Kind regards,

Sam

DarrelRhodes

Hi Mohammad,

Ruckus SmartMesh is a proprietary feature and therefore only works with Ruckus Access Points that support the feature.

Therefore to utilise SmartMesh with your T301N AP you have you will need to deploy another Mesh-capable Ruckus AP within signal range, alternatively you can use a Wi-Fi client-bridge device if you only have a single AP. Please note; in my experience Client-Bridge devices are often proprietary in themselves and often aren't fully compatible with Wi-Fi protocols.

You can check Ruckus AP Mesh functionality by checking the AP's data-sheet. If it's not mentioned then it's not supported, e.g. R300, R310, R320, H320.

I hope that helps,
Darrel.

mohammad_shamse

thanks for your reply,

All the existing APs are connected directly to the local area network. So it is possible to have a combination of mesh and non mesh on the same ruckus controller ? and if yes, how will the root ap (the other mesh enabled ap) be connected to the network, as it is already connected through lan , when enabling smartmesh on the ap (lets call it the provider) , i can still connect it directly through local area network ?

sam_evans

Hi Mohammad,

Mesh is a global configuration on the controller, so you only enable it once. Here is an example topology of a Mesh network:

Image_ images_messages_60532a1a3e44fe1a1268cabd_4caab786019ef2da707306bc0037b9f9_SmartMesh-82f31346-9c96-44db-a368-41abb531c870-451263631.png

I think you might find this best practice guide a useful resource. https://support.ruckuswireless.com/documents/2016-ruckus-wireless-mesh-best-practices-guide.

Kind regards,

Sam

DarrelRhodes

Hi Mohammad,

Absolutely, that's the intention, all hard-wired and Mesh APs need to be on a common controller platform.

The Ruckus SmartMesh feature is fully automated with self-forming and self-healing functionality.

When SmartMesh is enabled it doesn't change the behaviour of the AP from a management or Wi-Fi access point of view.

You can find more details in the link my colleague Sam has shared.

Best,
Darrel.

eizens_putnins

T301 has only Ethernet port, so you must use PoE. But powering outdoor AP through PoE is actually more convenient than using 12V port, which is available on some other APs, as PoE cable can be longer, and it is also cheaper. Just use any PoE injector with enough power.

Meshed APs are quit a suitable solution in many cases -- for example, we have implemented network in the airport (aircraft parking area), and there was no way to get cabling to AP locations, we had only power available. Mesh links with 100-150 Mbps rates were established (500-700 m distances) and stayed stable. You need to remember that for good mesh link you want good signal level, so if you use 301S or 301N, antenna orientation must allow good coverage for mesh link (and as same antenna is used for servicing clients, it is not always so).

When mesh AP is restarted, it may take up to 5 min to establish mesh link, and until that service on this AP will be not available. Otherwise it is stable and reliable solution. If there is choice of 2 route APs to set-up mesh link, with similar signal quality, link may switch between them periodically, and it will interrupt service, in this cases better to set route AP manually to avoid switching.

Also, you need to remember that meshed APs always stay on same channel, which will have impact on network capacity on 5GHz band, as airtime will be used by both AP clients and mesh link too, basically you'll have much less than half of usual capacity (any traffic going to clients on meshed AP uses air-time twice - on mesh link to AP and than when transmitted from AP to client, so it's at least 1/2 of capacity, but if mesh link is slow, capacity may be severely impacted). Of cause, if clients use only 2.4Ghz, but 5GHz is dedicated for mesh, there will be no such impact.

If you have 2 APs colocated, on may be connected to mesh, and second connected to it by Ethernet cable, this configuration is supported and is very useful in some cases.

Mesh is usually used, where no other options are available, and having 50-100Mbps is definitely better than nothing and enough in most cases. If wired connection is possible, it is always preferred.

Hope it helps.