User's Manual

MP-622 Installation Guide
2 - 2
WLAN Mesh Configuration
WLAN mesh services allow an MP to provide wireless services to clients without a wired interface
for the MP. Instead of a wired interface, the MP has a radio link to another MP with a wired
interface.
WLAN mesh services can be used at sites where running Ethernet cable to a location is
inconvenient, expensive or impossible. Note that power must be available at the location where
the Mesh AP is installed.
The following illustration shows how a client can connect to a network using WLAN mesh
services.
Figure 2–2. WLAN Mesh Topology
In the illustration, a client is associated with a Mesh AP, which is an MP without a wired interface
to the network. The Mesh AP is configured to communicate with a Mesh Portal AP, an MP with
wired connectivity to an MX. Communication between the Mesh AP and the Mesh Portal AP takes
place over a secure radio link (a Mesh Link). When associated with the Mesh AP, the client has
the same connectivity to the network as if the Mesh AP is using a wired link.
The Mesh AP and Mesh Portal AP make use of both radios. One radio (for example, the 802.11a
radio) can be used for Mesh Link communications, using an SSID reserved for this purpose, while
the Mesh AP can use its other radio for client associations in the same way a non-Mesh AP can.
Client
Mesh AP
Mesh Portal AP
Mesh Link
Backbone
MX-216
MX Switch