Auto connecting to strongest WAP

The latest (9.0.3.9, from the 9.0.3.0 package) Intel 2200BG Mini-PCI card drivers have a Driver Advanced Setting called "Roaming Aggressiveness":

/* Lowest: Your wireless client is very sticky. Only significant link quality degradation causes it to roam to another access point.

Highest: Your wireless client continuously tracks the link quality. If any degradation occurs, it tries to find and roam to a better access point.

Dunno if you have that card and can upgrade the driver, or can upgrade to that card, or have a card with a similar driver setting, as you forgot to mention the OS, driver rev level, and client hardware, but it's an option...

No. This is what 802.11r (fast roaming and handoff) is going to address:

"Jack B. Pollack" top-posted:

That's nice. WHAT KIND OF CARDS????? If they are Intel 2200BG Mini-PCI cards, update to the latest driver from the Intel site and see if fiddling the knob I pointed out in my previous posting helps.

Dell sells Intel cards and their own Dell brand cards, but the Intel specs are (arguably) better, and the Intel drivers are updated much more often.

That's still awfully vague. Current "Dell Laptops" (of which there are two lines and about a dozen models) come with a choice of at least 3 different wireless NICs (Intel & Broadcom, maybe others). Most models you can choose from two. My inspiron 6000 has an Intel ipw2200 - that _doesn't_ support "Roaming Aggressiveness".

Hi,

As Jeff mentioned, 802.11r will be (is?) the IEEE standard for seamless transitioning. It'll come more into play as "mobile VoIP" takes form.

Until then, I guess it is just manufacturer-specific how well handovers are done. (?)

I can report that my two D-Link DWL-7100AP's (in WDS mode, one used as a repeater) do seamless handovers with my two laptops. One laptop has a DWL-AG660 cardbus, while the other has an older DWL-AB650. There is no break in connectivity, or even IP re-newing, as the laptops move and transition between the origin SSID and the repeat. Transitions are seamless while using WEP or WPA-PSK.

My PDA does automatically transition to the stronger SSID, but there is a momentary break in connectivity and it has to re-new IP's. Its using a relatively older CF card though, (DCF-660W, 802.11b only), and the drivers are kept pretty simple to fit a PDA.

Cheers, Eric

I have always set my WAPs to use different channels. In the past I have setup a few Apple Airports (in WDS mode to act as repeaters) and they HAD to be on the same channel.

Anyone want to comment on the pros/cons of setting up the Aironets on the same channel. They are both wired into the network backbone (not acting as a repeater).

Thanks