Wds Bridge - Cisco WAP131 Administration Manual

Wireless

WDS Bridge

WDS Bridge
Cisco WAP131 and WAP351 Administration Guide
The Wireless Distribution System (WDS) allows you to connect multiple WAP
devices. With WDS, the WAP devices communicate with one another without
wires. This capability is critical in providing a seamless experience for roaming the
clients and for managing multiple wireless networks. It can also simplify the
network infrastructure by reducing the amount of cabling required. You can
configure the WAP device in point-to-point or point-to-multipoint bridge mode
based on the number of links to connect.
In the point-to-point mode, the WAP device accepts client associations and
communicates with the wireless clients and other repeaters. The WAP device
forwards all traffic meant for the other network over the tunnel that is established
between the access points. The bridge does not add to the hop count. It functions
as a simple OSI Layer 2 network device.
In the point-to-multipoint bridge mode, one WAP device acts as the common link
between multiple access points. In this mode, the central WAP device accepts the
client associations and communicates with the clients and other repeaters. All
other access points associate only with the central WAP device that forwards the
packets to the appropriate wireless bridge for routing purposes.
The WAP device can also act as a repeater. In this mode, the WAP device serves
as a connection between two WAP devices that may be too far apart to be within
cell range. When acting as a repeater, the WAP device does not have a wired
connection to the LAN and repeats signals by using the wireless connection. No
special configuration is required for the WAP device to function as a repeater, and
there are no repeater mode settings. The wireless clients can still connect to an
WAP device that is operating as a repeater.
Before you configure WDS on the WAP device, note these guidelines:
• WDS only works with the Cisco WAP131 and Cisco WAP351 devices.
• All Cisco WAP devices participating in a WDS link must have the following
identical settings:
- Radio
- IEEE 802.11 Mode
- Channel Bandwidth
- Channel (Auto is not recommended)
5
102