Access Point User Guide

Introduction AP-4000 Series User Guide
Mesh Networking (AP-4000M/4900M Only)
11
Mesh Networking (AP-4000M/4900M Only)
Using the ORiNOCO Mesh Creation Protocol (OMCP), The AP-4000M and AP-4900M support structured Mesh
networking. For information on converting an AP-4000 into an AP-4000M to enable Mesh functionality, see Mesh
Software Kit.
In a mesh network, access points use their wireless interface as a backhaul to the rest of the network. Access points
connected directly to the wired infrastructure are called “portals;” mesh access points relay packets to other mesh access
points to reach the portal, dynamically determining the best route over multiple “hops.”
Mesh networks are self-configuring (a mesh access point will scan for other mesh access points periodically and choose
the best path to the portal) and self-healing (the network will reconfigure data paths if an AP or link fails or becomes
inactive).
Mesh Network Convergence
Mesh networks are formed when mesh APs on the same channel have the identical Mesh SSIDs, security settings, and
management VLAN IDs when VLAN is enabled. As these Mesh APs come online, they discover and set up links with
each other to form the Mesh network.
Figure 1-2 Mesh Startup Topology Example – Step 1
In Figure 1-2, MP1 and MP9 are APs configured as Mesh portals, each on a different channel. When they are up and
running, they will transmit beacons with a Mesh information element (IE) containing a Mesh SSID, and respond to probe
requests that contain Mesh IEs with the same Mesh SSID.
To find Mesh connections, Mesh AP (MAP) 2 through 8 will scan all allowed channels, either actively or passively. In
active scanning, the MAP sends a broadcast probe request; in passive scanning, the MAP listens for beacons. Active
scanning is used in regulatory domains that do not use Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS); passive scanning is used in
DFS-controlled regulatory domains (see Dynamic Frequency Selection/Radar Detection (DFS/RD)). As other Mesh APs