Do i need a ZoneDirector for Wireless Roaming?

[marco_eichstet1]

Hi,

Do i need a ZoneDirector for Wireless Roaming?
One of my Customers need a Wireless Network for his Warehouse. There will be about 15 to 20 Wireless Barcode Scanner. The Scanner supports 802.11b/g/n.

I read there is no need for a ZoneDirector for Layer 2 Roaming because this is implemented in the 802.11 Protocoll. Is this true?

Please clarify.

Thanks.

Kind Regards
Marco

[nick_wollman]

Is the beam flex technology just the new and improved standard to replace the zone flex technology and/or zoneflex aps? Can zoneflex aps and (7343) and newer (r600) aps work together in a system?

[john_d]

ZoneFlex is the name of the AP models, but BeamFlex is still the name of the adaptive beamforming technology.

It requires no specific support from clients or other AP's. Think of it like cupping your hands and yelling at someone across a room. As far as they're concerned, you are just magically louder to him, and to the guy next to you, it magically is quieter to him. That's the simple explanation of BeamFlex technology -- the AP directs its transmissions in the direction where it thinks the client is, which increases apparent signal strength to the client, but decreases apparent co-channel interference/contention to other nearby AP's.

N and AC Ruckus AP's can work together, but I do not recommend deploying them in the same space, because there's no AP/controller level smarts for load-balancing with channel capacity in mind (e.g. 5 users on the N radio would make the 7343 more loaded than 8 users on the R600), or number of spatial streams in mind. Clients rarely are smart enough either to decide to prefer a slightly weaker AC AP to a closer N AP. By using this combination in close quarters, you'll simply increase the chances of getting clients making suboptimal roaming decisions.

[nick_wollman]

So they don't know to connect to the faster one they just connect to the nearer one. If I'm right not a lot of devices have ac yet. Only the new iPads and iPhones I think so the ac would still be kind of useless at this time. Thanks for th explanation I just watched the ruckus YouTube vid on beamforming, mimo, adaptive ant. Technology. I think I have the hang of it now.

Btw Do you know off the top of your head whether the 7343 and the 7962 supports back group ms scanning and/or fast bss transition roaming? My guess is the 7363 has the background scanning but not the 7343. Is that correct?

[john_d]

Correct -- roaming is a purely client side decision (*), and for the most part the only thing the control / AP can do is pretend not to hear a client in the hopes that it goes and makes a better decision by process of elimination. This is what Ruckus calls "SmartRoam", but there's downsides to using it too -- namely, clients intolerant may just give up on connecting to your wifi altogether.

And unfortunately, sorry, I'm not very familiar with Ruckus's older lineup. My experience started with the 7372 and R5/6/700. All those models now support background scanning and 802.11r FT roaming.

(*) 802.11v (directed BSS transition) finally provides a way for an AP to tell a client "You should really roam. Here's a list of AP's you should roam to.". It's still voluntary that the client uses this information.

[nick_wollman]

R and V....now I have to go research those protocols. Relatively new I would assume. and not all devices support it yet? They are just addon protocols to the ac right?