Wireless
Participate in insightful discussions regarding issues related to Intel® Wireless Adapters and technologies
7955 Discussions

What is the dBm values for each configuration of "roaming aggressiveness" in the "Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6205"?

cclau4
Beginner
9,319 Views

I am doing a Design for a high density people environment with a lot of laptop with wifi card Intel Centrino. To understand what is the best access point location, I would like to know what is the roaming behavior defined by each configurations of "roaming aggressiveness" in the .

This values will define how far the APs will be from each other, ok?

Regards,

Claudio Rosa

0 Kudos
14 Replies
ASouz7
Honored Contributor II
7,648 Views

Hello Claudio.Rosa,

We are going to check this piece of information and will get back to you as soon as possible. In the mean time, please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Best regards,

Aleki

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Claudio,

Thank you for your time. The transmit output power of the It is hard to tell which one is better as there are many factors you need to consider in order to place the APs (Access Points) such as:

 

1. Background noise in the environment.

 

2. The amount of clients on the network.

 

3. What the desired data rates are.

 

4. What applications will be used, for example: VoIP and/or VoWiFi system...and the like.

As you know, WiFi is generally measured with dBm which is not an absolute value, being logarithmic instead. Look at this example: A 3 dBm gain means twice the signal strength while 3 dBm loss may represent half of the expected signal strength. It is important to keep this in mind when setting signal strength requirements.

 

This model may be helpful:

 

-30 dBm - Max achievable signal strength. The client can only be a few feet from the AP (Access Point) to achieve this. *Not typical or desirable in the real world.

-67 dBm - Minimum signal strength for applications that require very reliable, timely packet delivery such as VoIP/VoWIFI, streaming video...and the like.

-70 dBm - Minimum signal strength for reliable packet delivery such as E-mail, web... and the like.

-80 dBm - Minimum signal strength for basic connectivity. In this case, packet delivery may be unreliable.

-90 dBm - Aproaching or drowning in the noise floor. Any functionality is very unlikely.

There are third-party tools that can help you track the signal strength. A very famous one used by many people is the http://www.metageek.com/products/inssider/?utm_campaign=KnowledgeBase&utm_source=SignalStrengths&utm_medium=ZenDesk inSSIDer* - *Please understand that this link is being offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel of the content, products, or services offered there.

Best regards,

 

Aleki

0 Kudos
cclau4
Beginner
7,648 Views

May be I was not clear in my question but what I am looking for they are the dBm values for roaming behavior when you configure "Roaming Agressiveness":

  1. Lowest = ? dBm
  2. Medium-low = ? dBm
  3. Medium = ? dBm
  4. Medium-high = ? dBm
  5. High = ? dBm

Is it more clear now ?

Regards,

Claudio

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Claudio.Rosa,

 

 

We did understand your question. In this case, you need to consider the antenna, the system and many other factors. There is not an specific definition to each value as this depends a lot on the factors informed to you previously.

 

 

The computer manufacturer may help you obtain an estimate of these values. You may find your computer manufacturer contact information here: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/topics/OEMs.html Computer Manufacturer Websites.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Aleki
0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Claudio.Rosa,

 

 

We haven't heard from you in a while so we would like to know if there is anything else we can do to assist you.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Aleki
0 Kudos
cclau4
Beginner
7,648 Views

Aleki,

This is not the anwser that I was waiting for, but if you don´t the information that I looking for, I will try to look in another source.

Claudio

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Hello Claudio.Rosa,

 

 

The options available for Roaming aggressiveness as defined as follows:

 

 

- Lowest: Your wireless client will not roam. Only significant link quality degradation causes it to roam to another access point.

 

- Medium-Low/Medium-High: Allow Roaming.

 

- Medium: Balanced setting between not roaming and performance.

 

- Highest: Your Wi-Fi client continuously tracks the link quality. If any degradation occurs, it tries to find and roam to a better access point.

 

 

We do not have specific dBm values for roaming to take place. If you require this type of information, we advise you to check with the Computer Manufacturer Support.

 

 

Here are some advisories about this topic:

 

 

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005585.html Advanced Intel® Wireless Adapter Settings

 

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000006020.html Wi-Fi Client Adapter Connection and Roaming Behavior

 

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005546.html Learn about Wi-Fi Roaming Aggressiveness

 

 

Regards,

 

Jonathan
0 Kudos
cclau4
Beginner
7,648 Views

Thank by your answer Jonathan.

In a Wifi environment, it is normal to base the roaming decision in a RSSI (Received Signal Strenght Indication) or/and SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio). In my Wifi Environment Design with Intel Wifi Network Interface Cards, I need to know how the roaming decision is made.

My wifi environment today is compound by three kind of devices: Laptops (most of them), Smartphones, Tablets and old VoIP phones. For Apples and Android devices, the roaming decision is made when the RSSI reach -70 dBm and/or SNR reach 20/25. Recently, Microsft anounced the Windows 10 now Support IEEE 802.11k. This IEEE standard make the wireless network send the RSSI information to mobile device to reduce active scans and save battery and give the information that it is necessary to make the roaming(access point) choice.

I understand that in the past the roaming behavior was not so importante because most of the people put their laptops in "standby mode" to move, but thinking about tablets, this is another history.

This way, if this parameter name is "Roaming Agresiveness" for me make no sense it don´t have a "value" to define when/how the roaming decision will be made.

Is it more clear my doubt now?

Regards,

Claudio

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Hello,

 

 

Thanks for the additional details, regarding the dBm values, we do not handle this type of information, as we mentioned, we advise you to check with the Computer Manufacturer about it.

 

 

We would like to let you know that the Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 does not support 802.11k, or other fast roaming technologies available in Windows® 10 (802.11v, 802.11r).

 

Only the current generation adapters support these features, as noted in the following advisory:

 

 

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000021562.html Windows® 10 and Supported Intel® Wireless Adapter Protocols

 

 

Feel free to let us know if you have additional questions.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jonathan
0 Kudos
cclau4
Beginner
7,648 Views

Jonathan,

What it is not clear for me it is that in your answer when you describe the roaming behavior, what kind of criteria is used to make a roaming decision. I am saying that because expressions like " Only significant link quality degradation" or "If any degradation occurs" depending of kind of application it could mean many different kind of things, for instance:

  • for real time applications like VoIP and Video Conf. the target use to be RSSI -67dBm, SNR 25, packet Loss should remain under 1 percent and jitter should be kept to less than 100 ms.

These are number where the roaming decision can be based on them, regardless the gain given by antennas and other considerations,

The only thing that since the begining of this conversation it was: if this parameter is called "roaming agressiveness", what is the roaming behavior based on numbers , that each kind of value (lowest,...,highest) that it is provide.

Regards,

Claudio

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Claudio.Rosa,

 

 

Regarding dBm, it is recommended to contact the computer manufacturer and consult these parameters. As you suggested, signal strength is one of the factors involved in the roaming decision.

 

 

Roaming involves different factors and calculations, and is not based on dBm only. The different levels of roaming aggressiveness are preset from factory according to Wi-Fi* standards and can not be modified.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Aleki
0 Kudos
cclau4
Beginner
7,648 Views

Ok, I give up!

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Claudio.Rosa,

 

 

We are at your disposal for any further question or clarification you might have. Please, don't hesitate to contact us should you need any assistance with our wireless adapters.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Aleki
0 Kudos
idata
Employee
7,648 Views

Claudio.Rosa,

 

 

We haven't heard from you in a while so we would like to know if you have any more doubts or questions.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Aleki
0 Kudos
Reply