Wireless Solution & Roaming

The whole point of wireless LANs is the convenience of the mobility you get being able to wander from one part of the office to the other. Users expect the same completely transparent service they get as their mobile phones move from one cell to another.

Roaming is the ability of a wireless computer user to communicate continuously while moving freely throughout an area greater than that covered by a single access point. In such a system, the users end node undertakes a search for the best possible access to the system. First, it evaluates such factors as signal strength and quality. Based on that information the node next selects the strongest Access Point and registers its address. Communications between end node and host computer can then be transmitted up and down the backbone. When a node no longer receives acknowledgment from its original access point, it undertakes a new search. Upon finding a new access point, it then reregisters, and the communication process continues.