{"id":783,"date":"2021-09-21T12:46:49","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T12:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/?page_id=783"},"modified":"2021-10-05T16:59:25","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T16:59:25","slug":"roaming-to-wrong-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/roaming-to-wrong-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Wireless Tips: Roaming to the Wrong AP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poor signal or performance issues? Your wireless card may be connecting to the ‘wrong’ access point.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Eric Geier<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you connect to a wireless network, you are connecting to a single\u00a0access point<\/a>\u00a0(AP) — though the radio card (aka client card, network interface card, or\u00a0NIC<\/a>) in your laptop will roam to other APs with the same\u00a0SSID<\/a>\u00a0(or network name), which allows mobile users to move about a facility and continue to use the network. However, not all client radios use the exact same reasoning and techniques to deal with roaming, and radio frequency (RF<\/a>) interference and other environment conditions can cause problems.<\/p>\n

If your wireless network is outfitted with multiple APs, and users experience poor signal strength and performance despite proper coverage in the area, the user\u2019s radio card may not be connecting to the closest or most ideal access point for that specific location.<\/p>\n

Here are a few symptoms of a client connecting to the wrong AP:<\/p>\n