Channel Management

The Channel Management page shows the current and planned channel assignments for WAP devices in a Single Point Setup cluster.

When channel management is enabled, the AP automatically assigns radio channels used by WAP devices in a Single Point Setup cluster. Automatic channel assignment reduces mutual interference (or interference with other WAP devices outside of its cluster) and maximizes Wi- Fi bandwidth to help maintain efficient communication over the wireless network.

The automatic channel assignment feature is disabled by default. The state of channel management (enabled or disabled) is propagated to the other devices in the Single Point Setup cluster.

At a specified interval, the channel manager (that is, the device that provided the configuration to the cluster) maps all clustered WAP devices to different channels and measures interference levels of the cluster members. If significant channel interference is detected, the channel manager automatically reassigns some or all of the devices to new channels per an efficiency algorithm (or automated channel plan). If the channel manager determines that a change is necessary, then the reassignment information is sent to all members of the cluster. A syslog message is generated as well indicating the sender device and the new and old channel assignments.

To configure and view the channel assignments for the Single Point Setup members:

Select the Single Point Setup > Channel Management in the navigation pane.

From the Channel Management page, you can view channel assignments for all WAP devices in the cluster and stop or start automatic channel management. You can also use the advanced settings to modify the interference reduction potential that triggers channel reassignment, change the schedule for automatic updates, and reconfigure the channel set used for assignments.

To start automatic channel assignment, click Start.

Channel management overrides the default cluster behavior, which is to synchronize radio channels of all WAP devices that are members of the cluster. When channel management is enabled, the radio channel is not synchronized across the cluster to other devices.

When automatic channel assignment is enabled, the channel manager periodically maps radio channels used by WAP devices in a Single Point Setup cluster and, if necessary, reassigns channels to reduce interference with cluster members or with devices outside the cluster. The channel policy for the radio is automatically set to static mode, and the Auto option is not available for the Channel field on the Wireless > Radio page.

See Viewing Channel Assignments and Setting Locks for information on the current and proposed channel assignments.

To stop automatic channel assignment, click Stop.

No channel usage maps or channel reassignments are made. Only manual updates affect the channel assignment.

When channel management is enabled, the page shows the Current Channel Assignations table and the Proposed Channel Assignments table.

The Current Channel Assignments table shows a list of all WAP devices in the Single Point Setup cluster by IP address.

Location—The physical location of the device.

IP Address—The IP address for the access point.

Wireless Radio—The MAC address of the radio.

Band—The band on which the access point is broadcasting.

Channel—The radio channel on which this access point is currently broadcasting.

Locked—Forces the access point to remain on the current channel.

Status—Shows the status of the wireless radio in the device. (Some WAP devices may have more than one wireless radio; each radio is displayed on a separate line in the table.) The radio status is up (operational) or down (not operational).

When selected for an access point, automated channel management plans do not reassign the WAP devices to a different channel as a part of the optimization strategy. Instead, WAP devices with locked channels are factored in as requirements for the plan.

Click Save to update the locked setting. Locked devices show the same channel for the Current Channel Assignments table and the Proposed Channel Assignments table. Locked devices keep their current channels.

The Proposed Channel Assignments table shows the proposed channels that are to be assigned to each WAP device when the next update occurs. Locked channels are not reassigned—the optimization of channel distribution among devices takes into account that locked devices must remain on their current channels. WAP devices that are not locked may be assigned to different channels than they were previously using, depending on the results of the plan.

For each WAP device in the Single Point Setup, the Proposed Channel Assignments table shows the location, IP Address, and Wireless Radio, as in the Current Channel Assignations table. It also shows the Proposed Channel, which is the radio channel to which this WAP device would be reassigned if the channel plan is applied.

The Advanced settings area enables you to customize and schedule the channel plan for the Single Point Setup.

By default, channels are automatically reassigned once every hour, but only if interference can be reduced by 25 percent or more. Channels are reassigned even if the network is busy. The default settings are designed to satisfy most scenarios where you would need to implement channel management.

Change channels if interference is reduced by at least—The minimum percentage of interference reduction a proposed plan must achieve in order to be applied. The default is 75 percent. Use the drop-down menu to choose percentages ranging from 5 percent to 75 percent. Using this setting lets you set a threshold gain in efficiency for channel reassignment so that the network is not continually disrupted for minimal gains in efficiency.

For example, if channel interference must be reduced by 75 percent and the proposed channel assignments will only reduce interference by 30 percent, then channels will not be reassigned. However, if you reset the minimal channel interference benefit to 25 percent and click Save, the proposed channel plan will be implemented and channels will be reassigned as needed.

Determine if there is better set of channels every—The schedule for automated updates. A range of intervals is provided, from 30 minutes to six months

The default is one hour, meaning that channel usage is reassessed and the resulting channel plan is applied every hour.

If you change these settings, click Save. The changes are saved to the active configuration and the Startup Configuration.