Reasons for disconnectivity/slowness of clients and how to prevent it

Summary

This article tries to list all possible reasons for client disconnections and possible remedies.

Question

What causes a client to disconnect and what can be done to address it?

Customer Environment

Ruckus APs under ZD management or in standalone mode

Root Cause

Frequent connection lost or slowness

Troubleshooting Steps

Following list attempts to mention all the possible reasons for a client to disconnect from the wireless network:
1. Too much interference from non-WiFi sources such as microwaves, cordless phones, analog security cameras, audio headsets, radars, etc.
2. Too much interference from WiFi APs whether from neighbors or from the same network
3. Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems
4. Low signal
5. Too many wireless stations on the network
6. Too much management traffic due to many SSIDs
7. Unsuccessful roaming
8. Wrong IP assignment or wrong VLAN assignment
9. Incompatible or non-standard wireless radios on the clients
10. Incompatible encryption or authentication methods
11. High beacon interval or high data rate of management traffic
12. Software related issues on the APs or Controller
13. Fast Transition roaming (802.11r) feature on a SSID

Resolution

Following actions can be taken to prevent client disconnections:
1. Proper site survey that will prevent any type of interference OR use some modern WiFi system that can avoid interference through advanced channel selection algorithms
2. A good site survey will also ensure good coverage and optimal data rates
3. Use open authentication system if the issue is related to encryption or authentication
4. Make the wireless a known system if wireless intrusion prevention system is on the network
5. Use standard beacon interval and data rate for management traffic
6. Update drivers or update radio hardware on the clients
7. Physical inspection of the coverage and surrounding areas for any recent changes
8. Install latest software on the wireless system
9. Add more APs if the existing APs are overloaded
10. Adjust roaming aggressiveness on the stations
11. Attempt to connect to a single frequency instead of keeping both radios enabled. For example, if the 2.4 GHz is not usable, make use of 5 GHz spectrum.
12. Replace or move the AP to a different location
13. Check network connectivity
14. Use local breakout instead of tunnelling traffic to the controller
15. Make sure client radio is enabled or disable and then re-enable the radio
16. Check the country code setting for any incompatibility if 802.11d is enabled

Article Number:
000002711

Updated:
August 18, 2020 06:49 AM (about 4 years ago)

Tags:
Performance, Troubleshooting, Known Issues and Workarounds, ZoneDirector, ZoneFlex Indoor, ZoneFlex Outdoor, MediaFlex, SmartCell AP

Votes:
61

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