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Neighbor AP feature and Mesh
Hi I have fully read the user manual of the Wax610Y and Wax620 but there is no mention on what is the usage of the "Neighbor AP" feature (configuration/security/neighbor AP menu option) Wh...
Not available in the standalone management - Insight features only:
- Basic roaming and OKC roaming can be enabled by location.
- 802.11r can be enabled by SSID on the Wireless Settings
Hi, Thanks for replaying
My ignorance still does not allow me to see how to get any benefit from the Neightbor AP feature, but can you explain this a bit further "Just to avoid any confusion: Wireless Access Points WAX6xx and WAC6xx connected to a wired network don't have to be added to create an Insight Mesh."
I have wax620 and wax610y both are ethernet connected and POE from a switch, what are you referring to when you said that in a wired configuration wax6xx don't have to be added to create an Insight Mesh ?? Do not have to be added to what?? you mean added as known APs or is that something different ?
Thanks again
ugonzalezh31 wrote:
My ignorance still does not allow me to see how to get any benefit from the Neightbor AP feature, ...
This is a monitoring feature. Each AP is re-evaluating it's wireless environment on a regular, kind-of semi-random schedule. It does collect from what the AP does "see" on the air, and list wireless MAC (BSSIDs) and wireless names (SSIDs) in tables sorted to two tables: Some are known to the access point (because there is a logical dependency), others are unknown to the AP (neighbors, rouge APs, other wireless systems, ...)
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Monitoring > Neighbor AP
Unknown AP List
This page displays the list of unknown Access Points. The list retains the latest 200 (or less) neighbor access points. Inactive entries are removed from the list after 12 hrs. Use the Refresh button to update the list of access points
Use the Refresh button to update the list of Access Points.
Known AP List
This page displays the list of known Access Points.
Use the Refresh button to update the list of Access Points.
===
ugonzalezh31 wrote:
but can you explain this a bit further "Just to avoid any confusion: Wireless Access Points WAX6xx and WAC6xx connected to a wired network don't have to be added to create an Insight Mesh."
Users new to work with wireless access point infrastructures often don't understand the consumer marketing terms like a "Wireless Mesh System". Yes, they come from consumer mesh systems and think they have to configure an Insight Mesh to allow e.g. seamless roaming. The Insight Mesh does allow adding additional wireless access points to add more coverage, without additional cabling.
ugonzalezh31 wrote:
you mean added as known APs or is that something different ?
No need to configure Insight Mesh for APs on pure wired networks.
Known AP config is not available (or required typically) for Insight managed WAX6xx/WAC6xxx when I have it right.
Another indirect use of Neighbor AP feature is while debugging high channel utilization issues due to co-channel interference.
We can find out what other APs are operating on the same channel and and at what RSSI and can they cause co-channel interference.
-Pramendra
"Users new to work with wireless access point infrastructures often don't understand the consumer marketing terms like a "Wireless Mesh System". Yes, they come from consumer mesh systems and think they have to configure an Insight Mesh to allow e.g. seamless roaming. The Insight Mesh does allow adding additional wireless access points to add more coverage, without additional cabling"
schumaku
According to Netgear tech support the only way to get Mesh is to use Insight and that implies an extra cost yearly, it is not that much, yes, but it is recurrent. Is there any other way to get seamless roaming ??Pramendra yes, that extra usage you mentioned for the neighbor AP could be a valuable one in some cases.
I was a little bit to brief in my previous post:
There is no requirement to enable Insight Mesh support when configuring all-wired network. WPA2-Personal does not require additional support - that's why you can combine e.g. also WAX21x/220 as well as WAX6xx - permitting the same SSID and security settings - into the same network. Any WPA3-SAE/-Personal and more obvious the WPA3 variants for enterprise deployments need additional support for seamless roaming. This is where the requirement is coming from.
Insight Mesh in general (for adding wireless satellites), you can't configure without the additional cloud support.
schumaku
Thanks for your explanation it is now clear for me that WAP2 in a fully wired AP config will provide me seamless roaming as long as all the APs have same wireless configurations. Can you please explain or point me to a right documentation in order do have seamless roaming using WAP3-personal (SAE), please??Thanks again
ugonzalezh31 wrote:Pramendra yes, that extra usage you mentioned for the neighbor AP could be a valuable one in some cases.
All WAX6xx and WAC5xx offer the Neighbor AP list for operations and monitoring - the Insight integrated models don't need manual configuration and synchronization of Known Access Points for neighbor networks, the lists provided for Neighboring Access Points (as detected by each the access points) is always up2date. No export, fancy merge, and import of generated lists of trusted networks is required.
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