Summary

Question

Customer Environment

Symptoms

1. Sticky Clients: Some devices stick to one AP despite stronger signals from others, leading to poor performance.
2. Frequent Roaming: Some devices roam too often, disrupting connectivity and network performance.
3. Signal Strength Fluctuations: Devices with roaming issues show erratic signal strength, causing connection instability.
4. Performance Degradation: Roaming problems result in poor network performance, higher latency, and intermittent connectivity.

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Optimizing AP Placement: Proper placement of Access Points (APs) is essential for seamless client roaming and network performance. Conducting site surveys and analyzing neighboring AP signals can help identify optimal positions and design flaws.

2. Dense Deployment : Excessive AP density can cause interference. If channel optimization doesn’t help, consider shutting down some APs to improve roaming performance and reduce signal confusion.

3. Physical Obstructions: Evaluate and address physical barriers like walls and large equipment that can block Wi-Fi signals and cause connectivity issues.

4. Channel and Power Settings: Ensure APs use all available channels and adjust channel bonding and transmit power levels carefully. Use Auto Cell Sizing (ACS) for optimal performance and avoid manual power settings unless necessary.

5. Interference Sources: Identify and mitigate RF interference from neighboring networks, microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, and cordless phones.

6. Roaming Assistance Features: Enable features like Fast Roaming (802.11r/k/v) to facilitate seamless client transitions between APs, ensuring device compatibility.

7. BSS Minimum Rate: Adjusting the BSS minimum rate can influence device connectivity and roaming behavior, promoting faster transitions or stable connections in weak signal areas.

8. Client Load Balance: This feature can force clients to roam to less congested APs, potentially causing frequent disconnections. Disable it if unnecessary roaming occurs.

9. Smart Roam: Disconnects clients at specific RSSI levels, but use it as a last resort to avoid worsening connectivity issues.

SmartZone Controllers :

1. Check the APs deployment and wireless environment.
2. Check whether the roaming issue is related to a few specific users, and a few specific device types (Windows, Android, IOS, MAC OS).
3. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific set of APs or any specific location.
4. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific WLANs.
5. Verify the client connection details on SmartZone GUI under Monitoring TAB-->Troubleshooting & Diagnostic --> Troubleshooting.

 
 

6. Use Ruckus AI for more details of client connection, roaming and APs details.

 

7. Identify the AP on which the user is connected along with adjacent/neighbor AP and collect AP support logs from all APs.
8. How to collect AP support logs from SmartZone GUI. Navigate to SmartZone AP Zones view, Identify the AP, select that AP click on the MORE icon, and download support logs.

    
 

RUCKUS Cloud :

1. Check the APs deployment and wireless environment.
2. Check whether the roaming issue is related to a few specific users, and a few specific device types (Windows, Android, IOS, MAC OS).
3. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific set of APs or any specific location.
4. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific WLANs.
5. Check the clients details in the R1 clients TAB--> Troubleshooting--> filter with client MAC, date and time

 

6. Identify the AP on which the user is connected along with adjacent/neighbor AP and collect AP support logs from all APs.
7. How to collect AP support logs from R1 GUI. Navigate to WIFI TAB--> AP List--> More Actions--> Download logs.  

Unleashed APs :

1. Check the APs deployment and wireless environment.
2. Check whether the roaming issue is related to a few specific users, and a few specific device types (Windows, Android, IOS, MAC OS).
3. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific set of APs or any specific location.
4. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific WLANs.
5. Collect Debug Info Logs from Unleashed AP.
6. On the Debug Info tab, check all Debug Components and enable Client MAC address, connect the live client and Start Roaming, then click Save Debug Info. Provide that file to Ruckus Support for further diagnostics.

Zone Director (EOL) :

1. Check the APs deployment and wireless environment.
2. Check whether the roaming issue is related to a few specific users, and a few specific device types (Windows, Android, IOS, MAC OS).
3. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific set of APs or any specific location.
4. Check whether the roaming issue is related to any specific WLANs.
5. Collect ZD debug Info logs, System Logs, and AP support logs of the AP on which the client is connected along with the neighbor APs.
6. How to collect AP support logs from Zone Director GUI. Navigate to Troubleshooting TAB-->diagonstic-->Debug logs-->select log type--> Apply and Save Debug Info.  



7. Identify the AP on which the user is connected along with adjacent/neighbor AP and collect AP support logs from all APs
8. How to collect logs from AP CLI and verify if APs are broadcasting the WLAN and its status is up. 

     # support (to generate the log) 
     # support show (to populate logs in putty terminal)

Resolution

SmartZone Controller :

1. Optimize the AP radios config under AP zones if APs are densely deployed this will help us to reduce co-channel interference and AP flagged issues due to High Airtime, connection failures.
     On 2.4 Ghz Radio :
      -Set 2.4 Ghz radio with Min Transmit power
      -Channels to Auto
      -Set channelization to 20 Mhz
      -Set Auto Channel Selection to Background Scan and Background scan interval to 3600 sec 
     On 5 Ghz Radio :
      -Set 5 Ghz radio with -3,-6, -9 dB Power depending upon APs distance between 2 neighbor APs or set to Auto Transmit power with Auto-cell sizing enabled.
      -Channels to Auto
      -Set Channelization to 40 Mhz 
      -Set Auto Channel Selection to Channel fly and Background scan interval to 20 sec

2. Optimize the Min BSS Rate to 12 Mbps on the WLAN Advance configuration.
3. Enable Fast Roaming in the WLAN under Encryption options.

    
4. Check all Troubleshooting steps suggested in the troubleshooting section and Connect a live user to the WLAN perform roaming and collect the AP support logs to further investigate with Ruckus support, if you are not able to solve/isolate the issue.

Ruckus Cloud :

Unleashed APs :

Zone Director (EOL) :

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