User Manual

Deployment Guide 65

Chapter 5HiveOS

You can deploy a single HiveAP and it will provide wireless access as an autonomous AP (access point). However, if

you deploy two or more HiveAPs in a hive, you can provide superior wireless access with many benefits. A hive is a

set of HiveAPs that exchange information with each other over a layer-2 switched network to form a collaborative

whole (see Figure1). Through coordinated actions based on shared information, hive members can provide the

following services that autonomous APs cannot:

• Consistent QoS (quality of service) policy enforcement across all hive members

• Coordinated and predictive wireless access control that provides fast roaming to clients moving from one hive

member to another

• Best-path routing for optimized data forwarding

• Automatic radio frequency and power selection

Figure 1 HiveAPs in a Hive

Wired or Wireless Hive Communications (Backhaul)

Wireless Network Access Connections

Wired Ethernet Network Connections

Not shown: Switches for wired backhaul

connections and the portal link to the wired network.

Hive Members

Wireless Clients

Hive