In a point-to-point
bridging scenario, a 1500 Series Mesh AP can be used to extend a remote network
by using the backhaul radio to bridge two segments of a switched network. This
is fundamentally a wireless mesh network with one MAP and no WLAN clients. Just
as in point-to-multipoint networks, client access can still be provided with
Ethernet bridging enabled, although if bridging between buildings, MAP coverage
from a high rooftop might not be suitable for client access.
If you intend to use an
Ethernet bridged application, we recommend that you enable the bridging feature
on the RAP and on all MAPs in that segment. You must verify that any attached
switches to the Ethernet ports of your MAPs are not using VLAN Trunking
Protocol (VTP). VTP can reconfigure the trunked VLANs across your mesh and
possibly cause a loss in connection for your RAP to its primary WLC. An
incorrect configuration can take down your mesh deployment.
Figure 2. Point-to-Point Bridging
Example
For security reasons the
Ethernet port on the MAPs is disabled by default. It can be enabled only by
configuring Ethernet bridging on the Root and the respective MAPs. To enable
Ethernet bridging using the controller GUI, choose
page, click the
Mesh tab, and then select the
Ethernet
Bridging check box.
Note |
The overall
throughput of backhaul radio decreases by half for each hop of a mesh tree.
When the Ethernet-bridged clients are used in MAPs and heavy traffic is passed,
it may result in a high throughput consumption, which may cause the downlink
MAPs to disassociate from the network due to throughput starvation.
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Ethernet bridging has to be
enabled for the following two scenarios:
When you want to use the mesh
nodes as bridges.
When you want to connect
Ethernet devices such as a video camera on the MAP using its Ethernet port.
Ensure that you enable
Ethernet bridging for every parent mesh AP taking the path from the mesh AP in
question to the controller. For example, if you enable Ethernet bridging on
MAP2 in Hop 2, then you must also enable Ethernet bridging on MAP1 (parent
MAP), and on the RAP connecting to the controller.
To configure range parameters
for longer links, choose
. Optimum distance (in feet)
should exist between the root access point (RAP) and the farthest mesh access
point (MAP). Range from the RAP bridge to the MAP bridge has to be mentioned in
feet.
The following global
parameter applies to all mesh access points when they join the controller and
all existing mesh access points in the network:
Range: 150 to 132,000 feet