Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?

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From: RogerC (rojoch_at_NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk)
Date: 08/26/04 

Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 01:23:25 +0100

Hi Bar,
Thanks for your response.
To clarify a few points....
I did not say "2 APs per server" - I have 2 windows 2003 servers that are
DC's with IAS configured. The 4 Access points are setup to use both of them
as their primary and secondary RADIUS servers. The access points are set
with the same SSID but all different channels.
The clients and servers use PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 authentication with 'fast
reconnect' enabled on the laptop and servers
The building I am trying to cover is a long two storey office block with a
large central staircase. I need an access point in each 'wing' to get
sufficient coverage.
A laptop user will successfully authenticate against the nearest access
point but if he/she moves to another wing to say go for a meeting, even
though there is an access point in the meeting room area the laptop will
remain on the original access point even though the signal is too weak to be
useable.

 RogerC

"BAR" <BAR@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E83086FC-8261-4EF5-93A7-3A1E0801F107@microsoft.com...
> How large an area do you need to cover?
> Roaming and random connections leaves you open to unauthorised access.
> If you have all the access points set up the same then network adapters in
> the Laptops will not properly differentiate between the APs: except for
> signal strength, so you'd need to set channels differently for each one.
>
> Many issues in doing what you have suggested, and why 2 APs per server?
>
> My basic recommendations follow this:
>
> OK you have a PC connected to the internet at home or the office and you
> want other PCs to share the internet access. Hopefully you'll have Cable
> or
> DSL internet access.
> What should one do?
> First, make sure everything you buy conforms to the dominant wireless
> standard known as 802.11b, or Wi-Fi (short for wireless fidelity). That
> way
> you can mix brands, operating systems, even network a Mac to a Windows PC
> and
> everything should still work together.
> There are two new, faster versions of Wi-Fi: 802.11a and 802.11g. "A" is
> for
> business use; "g" is for the home. Both bump networking speeds up from 11
> megabits per second to 54 mbps. But unless you're moving around big video
> files or sharing other graphics-rich multimedia applications, "b" will be
> more than sufficient. If you still want "g," wait until the standard has
> been
> officially ratified this summer.
> The heart of your network will be a wireless access point and the Internet
> Access or preferably one device that does both called a router, acting as
> Wireless Access Point and cable or DSL modem and Network Switch. The
> two-in-one units, available from Linksys, D-Link, Netgear and others,
> start
> at about $100; with a few Ethernet ports and USB port too, so you can
> connect
> to PCs using a standard Ethernet cable or USB cable.
> To establish a wireless connection between a desktop PC and the wireless
> router, you need a USB or Ethernet Cable.
> To connect a notebook PC, you'll need a wireless PC card. If new
> notebooks
> have Wi-Fi capabilities built in. Notebooks with Intel's new Centrino
> chip,
> for example, are Wi-Fi-enabled.
> Note that 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b - meaning a laptop
> with a "g" card will talk to a "b" router, albeit at the slower speed -
> but
> 802.11a is not. If your office installs an 802.11a network, get a
> dual-band
> wireless PC card for your laptop so that it can connect both at home and
> at
> work.
> Make sure that the software that comes with your gear will walk you
> through
> the installation. The steps will vary slightly, depending on each
> computer's
> operating system. The older the OS, the trickier it can be; Windows XP is
> designed to detect and configure a PC card to talk to an existing network.
> Before you start, gather the following information:
> . your broadband connection's IP address, e.g., 123.43.2.1
> . subnet mask, e.g., 255.255.122.0
> . default gateway e.g., 192.168.0.2
> . DNS IP addresses e.g., 123.123.123.1
> You can get these things from your Internet provider; your
> customer-service
> rep will know what you're talking about (or you can find this using the
> Properties tab, under Network Connections). Each is just a series of
> numbers
> (e.g., 123.43.2.1) that you'll be prompted to plug in during setup. (If
> your
> provider supports a protocol called DHCP, your router should retrieve
> these
> settings automatically when you plug it in.)
> You may also be asked to choose an SSID (service set identifier) I
> recommend
> that you do not accept the default setting as anyone nearby with a
> wireless
> device can also use your internet access. Set your SSID to a meaningful
> name
> use your Business Name. For work-group name use 'Wireless' and a
> wireless
> channel select from 1 - 11, I recommend you use a higher channel as
> default
> settings usually select the lower end. Keep these consistent for all of
> your
> machines.
> Security
> For additional security you can and should use Wired Equivalent Privacy
> (WEP) algorithm: and set this at 64bit: you can then choose a combination
> of
> 10 hexadecimal characters [0-9 + A-F], again for this may I recommend you
> select your mobile phone number as it is 10 characters long and not known
> to
> all your neighbours.
> Additionally you can set the Access Point to only allow access to specific
> units, where you would enter their MAC address, again a series of Hex
> numbers, usually found on the Wireless Card plugged into the Laptops or
> other
> desktop PCs.
>
>
>
>
> "RogerC" wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
>> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
>> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless network
>> with
>> several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly roam' between
>> them?
>>
>> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x
>> enabled
>> and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate correctly but will
>> not roam when moving to another area.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> RogerC
>>
>>
>>

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