User`s guide

Chapter 6 Wireless

NWA5120 Series User’s Guide

Each field is described in the following table.

6.4.1 Disassociating and Delaying Connections

When your AP becomes overloaded, there are two basic responses it can take. The first one is to

“delay” a client connection. This means that the AP withholds the connection until the data transfer

throughput is lowered or the client connection is picked up by another AP. If the client is picked up

by another AP then the original AP cannot resume the connection.

For example, here the AP has a balanced bandwidth allotment of 6 Mbps. If laptop R connects and

it pushes the AP over its allotment, say to 7 Mbps, then the AP delays the red laptop’s connection

Table 27 Configuration > Wireless > Load Balancing

LABEL DESCRIPTION

Enable Load

Balancing

Select this to enable load balancing on the NWA.

Mode Select a mode by which load balancing is carried out.

Select By Station Number to balance network traffic based on the number of specified

stations connect to an AP.

Select By Traffic Level to balance network traffic based on the volume generated by

the stations connected to an AP.

Once the threshold is crossed (either the maximum station numbers or with network

traffic), then the AP delays association request and authentication request packets from

any new station that attempts to make a connection. This allows the station to

automatically attempt to connect to another, less burdened AP if one is available.

Max Station

Number

Enter the threshold number of stations at which an AP begins load balancing its

connections.

Traffic Level Select the threshold traffic level at which the AP begins load balancing its connections

(Low, Medium, High).

Disassociate

station when

overloaded

Select this option to disassociate wireless clients connected to the AP when it becomes

overloaded. If you do not enable this option, then the AP simply delays the connection

until it can afford the bandwidth it requires, or it transfers the connection to another AP

within its broadcast radius.

The disassociation priority is determined automatically by the NWA and is as follows:

• Idle Timeout - Devices that have been idle the longest will be kicked first. If none

of the connected devices are idle, then the priority shifts to Signal Strength.

• Signal Strength - Devices with the weakest signal strength will be kicked first.

Note: If you enable this function, you should ensure that there are multiple APs within the

broadcast radius that can accept any rejected or kicked wireless clients;

otherwise, a wireless client attempting to connect to an overloaded AP will be

disassociated permanently and never be allowed to connect.

Apply Click Apply to save your changes back to the NWA.

Reset Click Reset to return the screen to its last-saved settings.