Deploying Dumb AP and Roaming

Hi
I am trying to deply WLAN Roaming with 2 APs. One is a main and the other one is set as a dumb ap.

As normally,


this is the general dumb ap setting. just wired with the main.

And.. can I deploy them like below?


Main AP and Dumb AP are wired as router, and their IP addresses are in the same subnet, and static. Manually set.

Add a DHCP Server IP of Router here.

Or how about this? Add a 2L Switch or Hub.

I think Main AP and Dumb AP can communicate each other in that circumstance.
So they gonna work.

Are they correct to construct a Roaming WLAN system?

You can follow the bridged AP recipe for both APs. The basic idea is that you will disable the DHCP server on the APs and set the IP address on the same subnet as your main router (but unique addresses that are not used elsewhere and that does not overlap the DHCP pool). Then, each of those devices will be connected via the lan port. You can cascade them or have them in a "star topology" -- either way is valid as long as it's all lan-lan connections.

https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/wifiextenders/bridgedap

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So you mean that I can make all of them as dumb AP and connect them with LAN ports only like a star topology. And finally, they can make a wlan roaming? Is it right?

As long as the APs are connected using their lan ports (and not the wan ports), you can use any of these topologies:

  • directly to the main router
  • connected to a switch that is connected to the main router
  • main router > AP 1 > AP 2.

All three of those are valid, so just use the one option that works best for your physical setup.

Yes. Don't forget that you also need the devices to have the same SSID, encryption type, and password. It is best to also make sure you adjust your AP's so they use non-overlapping channels and often lower power levels to encourage roaming.

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A valid 802.11r config can help with roaming transition time. But perhaps that's a stretch goal once it's working?

I recommend against 802.11r unless there is a demonstrated need for it, and only after optimizations have been made to the radio configuration.

Specifically, there are some wifi client devices that do not work properly when 802.11r is enabled (and that doesn't even address the possibility of misconfiguration).

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Thank you for your reply!