Rockwell Automation 1783-WAPxxx Stratix 5100 Wireless Access Point User Manual - Manual (Page 537)

Rockwell Automation Publication 1783-UM006A-EN-P - May 2014 537
Configuring Repeater and Standby Access Points and Workgroup Bridge Mode Chapter 20
Treating Workgroup Bridges
as Infrastructure Devices or
as Client Devices The access point that a workgroup bridge associates can treat the workgroup
bridge as an infrastructure device or as a simple client device. By default, access
points and bridges treat workgroup bridges as client devices.
For increased reliability, you can configure access points and bridges to treat
workgroup bridges not as client devices but as infrastructure devices, like access
points or bridges. Treating a workgroup bridge as an infrastructure device means
that the access point reliably delivers multicast packets, including Address
Resolution Protocol (ARP) packets, to the workgroup bridge. You use the
infrastructure-client configuration interface command to configure access points
and bridges to treat workgroup bridges as infrastructure devices.
Configuring access points and bridges to treat a workgroup bridge as a client
device allows more workgroup bridges to associate to the same access point, or to
associate by using an SSID that is not an infrastructure SSID. The performance
cost of reliable multicast delivery—duplication of each multicast packet sent to
each workgroup bridge—limits the number of infrastructure devices, including
workgroup bridges, that can associate to an access point or bridge.
To increase beyond 20 the number of workgroup bridges that can associate to the
access point, the access point must reduce the delivery reliability of multicast
packets to workgroup bridges. With reduced reliability, the access point cannot
confirm whether multicast packets reach the intended workgroup bridge, so
workgroup bridges at the edge of the access point's coverage area can lose IP
connectivity.
When you treat workgroup bridges as client devices, you increase performance
but reduce reliability. You use the no infrastructure client configuration interface
command to configure access points and bridges to treat workgroup bridges as
simple client devices. This is the default setting.
Use a workgroup bridge as an infrastructure device if the devices connected to the
workgroup bridge require network reliability equivalent to that of an access point
or a bridge. Use a workgroup bridge as a client device if these conditions are true:
• More than 20 workgroup bridges associate to the same access point or
bridge
• The workgroup bridge associates by using an SSID that is not an
infrastructure SSID
• The workgroup bridge is mobile