Summary

Question

When migrating to RUCKUS One with a mix of RUCKUS Edge?managed APs and APs managed directly by RUCKUS One, how does WLAN policy co

Customer Environment

Symptoms

Brief client traffic interruption during roaming.
Client re?authentication events.
Session resets during handoff.
Perceived degradation of user experience in mixed roaming areas.

Root Cause

Troubleshooting Steps

1.)Identify AP management mode in RUCKUS One.
2.)Confirm which APs are integrated with RUCKUS Edge.
3.)Confirm which APs are managed directly by RUCKUS One.
4.)Verify WLAN profile assignment.
5.)Ensure the same WLAN profile is applied to both Edge and non?Edge APs.
6.)Review roaming design
7.)Identify physical areas where clients roam between Edge and non?Edge APs
8.)Validate authentication method.
9.)Roaming impact is more visible with 802.1X or captive portal authentication.

Workaround

• Avoid deploying Edge?managed and non?Edge APs within the same roaming domain when seamless mobility is required.
  
  Segment coverage areas so that:
  1.)One area is served only by Edge?managed AP's.
  2.)Another area is served only by non?Edge AP's.
  3.)Maintain consistent WLAN configuration across all APs to ensure policy alignment.

Resolution

1. Mixed AP Management Support:
RUCKUS One supports managing both RUCKUS Edge?compatible APs and non?Edge AP models within the same tenant. AP models that are not compatible with RUCKUS Edge operate normally when managed directly by RUCKUS One.

2. WLAN Configuration Consistency:
When an SSID is created in RUCKUS One, the same WLAN configuration—including:
SSID name
Authentication method
VLAN assignment
Quality of Service (QoS) settings
can be applied to:
APs integrated with RUCKUS Edge
APs managed directly by RUCKUS One
As long as the same WLAN profile is assigned, configuration consistency is maintained across all APs.

3. Client Roaming and End?User Experience:
Clients can associate with both Edge?managed and non?Edge APs. However, due to different forwarding methods:
Seamless or transparent roaming cannot be guaranteed
Clients may experience:
Brief interruptions
Re?authentication
Session resets
The impact depends on the authentication type, VLAN design, and overall network architecture.

4. Virtual RUCKUS Edge Instance Replacement:
Each virtual RUCKUS Edge instance generates a unique serial number that must be registered in RUCKUS One.
If a virtual Edge instance fails and is redeployed:
The new instance generates a new serial number
The new serial number must be registered again in RUCKUS One
Re?registration is required for every newly deployed virtual RUCKUS Edge instance.

5. Overall Operational Behavior:
All APs can operate under RUCKUS One management regardless of Edge association.
For optimal user experience, RUCKUS recommends minimizing mixed Edge and non?Edge AP deployments within the same roaming area when seamless mobility is required.