Understanding Repeater Access Points - Allen-Bradley Stratix 5100 User Manual

Understanding Repeater
Access Points
Configuring Repeater and Standby Access Points
and Workgroup Bridge Mode
This chapter describes how to configure your access point as a repeater, as a hot
standby unit, or as a workgroup bridge.
Topic

Understanding Repeater Access Points

Configuring a Repeater Access Point
Understanding Hot Standby
Configuring a Hot Standby Access Point by Using CLI
Understanding Workgroup Bridge Mode
Configuring Workgroup Bridge Mode
Using Workgroup Bridges in a Lightweight Environment
A repeater access point is not connected to the wired LAN; it is placed within
radio range of an access point connected to the wired LAN to extend the range of
your infrastructure or to overcome an obstacle that blocks radio communication.
You can configure either the 2.4 GHz radio or the 5 GHz radio as a repeater. In
access points with two radios, only one radio can be a repeater; the other radio
must be configured as a root radio.
The repeater forwards traffic between wireless users and the wired LAN by
sending packets to either another repeater or to an access point connected to the
wired LAN. The data is sent through the route that provides the best
performance for the client. When you configure an access point as a repeater, the
access point's Ethernet port does not forward traffic.
You can set up a chain of several repeater access points, but throughput for client
devices at the end of the repeater chain is low. Because each repeater must receive
and then re-transmit each packet on the same channel, throughput is cut in half
for each repeater you add to the chain.
A repeater access point associates to the access point that has the best
connectivity. However, you can specify the access point that the repeater
associates with. Setting up a static, specific association between a repeater and a
root access point improves repeater performance.
Rockwell Automation Publication 1783-UM006A-EN-P - May 2014
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