1. Active Roaming & Fast Roaming Not the Same

2. What are we talking about?
Roaming – What is the problem/issue?
Active Roaming makes the roam happen
Fast Roaming isn’t roaming at all – despite the name

3. Passive Roaming / Fast Roaming
-45 dBm
-45 dBm
-75 dBm
-100 dBm AP AP
The roaming decision is left entirely to the client device – this is the problem.

4. Roaming – It’s a Sticky Situation
Larger homes/offices require > 1 AP for complete coverage
The reconnection process takes less than 100ms (but that’s not the problem)
The problem: mobile devices connect to the AP with the best signal and STAY THERE until failure
-40db
-60db
-50db
-70db
-80db
-90db
-100db
Data Rate
ideal
Slippery Slope
Hell
Failure
In larger homes and offices or similar large environments, the installation may require more than a single AP for complete coverage. The problem is that in multi-AP environments, mobile devices connect to the AP with the best signal and once connected to that AP, devices are now “sticky” and will not drop that connection until failure. For example, at signal strengths of -40db life is perfect (relatively speaking). At -65 to -70dB, you still retain solid connections with full data rates. But at -80db data rates slow to a crawl, but your device will hold on to its connection even if a better AP is present. Finally, at about -90dB to -100dB, connections will finally fail, forcing the client to finally disconnect and find a new AP if present. In other words, it is ONLY after the disconnect which ONLY occurs at failing data rates that devices look to connect to another approved AP. Sure, the reconnection is fast, hence “fast roaming”, as the reconnection process takes less than 100ms but that’s not the problem.

5. Solving the Roam = Unsticking Client Devices
Client Decision. Disconnecting from a WAP is a device decision – therein lies the problem. It waits until failure.
There are two ways to force a client to roam:
Manual Roaming. The manual cure to the roam, is to manual turn off WiFi and then turn it back on – The client device will now automatically connect to the AP with the strongest signal. Or you can wait for the device to decide to roam.
Controller Based Roaming. Hardware-based controllers such as Ruckus Zone Director and Luxul XWC-1000 instigate a roam to ensure that mobile devices are connected to the best possible AP. Based on signal strength, these controllers actively “push” the client to the AP with the stronger signal.
Devices don’t scan in search of greener pastures until they are disconnected. The controller does this for them.

6. Controller-Based Roaming
WAPs constantly report device signal strength back to the controller
Controller ensures that mobile devices are always connected to the AP with the stronger signal
When a mobile device is connected to the “wrong” AP – ie there’s one with a stronger relative signal – the Luxul Controller pushes that device to the AP with the stronger signal
In milliseconds client device disconnects from old and roams to the better WAP
NOTE: Not all “controllers” include Active Roaming – Pakedge & Trendnet do not!
We call this Active Roaming. Passive Roaming waits for the mobile device to decide when to roam, and then optimizes the process from there. Passive Roaming / Fast Roaming does nothing to make the device roam.

7. Active Roaming AP AP Wireless Controller -45 dBm Roam -75 dBm -50 dBm

8. “Fast Roaming” isn’t really Roaming at all
Fast Roaming – /r – has been around for a decade. If it solved roaming you wouldn’t even know what Roaming is.
Fast roaming does not address device stickiness – just quickness after device disconnects
Once a mobile device decides to roam fast roaming reduces the time needed to re- authenticate with the radius server
The only benefit of Fast Roaming is in WPA2-Enterprise networks with a radius server authentication which can take several seconds
No noticable benefit with WPA2 Personal where no radius server is present
Mesh likewise has nothing – zero, nada, zilch – to do with roaming. Eero uses Fast Roaming only.
For more info please read: fast-roaming-simplified/

9. What is Fast Roaming
“Fast roaming, also known as IEEE r or Fast BSS Transition (FT), allows a client device to roam quickly in environments implementing WPA2 Enterprise security, by ensuring that the client device does not need to re- authenticate to the RADIUS server every time it roams from one access point to another.”
- Jason Hintersteiner
Network Computing
Essentially, fast roaming cuts the number of steps in the re-authentication process in half reducing the time it takes to reauthenticate to the radius server in WPA-Enterprise. It does nothing for WPA2 Personal and nothing to address the mobile clients from clinging to the AP.

10. Araknis Fast Roaming Notice the passive terminology like “allows”.
Still relies on the phone to release – which it won’t until it’s too late
But the image tells a smooth transition story
To see the animation – the guy walking around – run the PPT.

11. Who uses what? Ruckus Zone Director – Active Roaming
Luxul – Active Roaming
Pakedge – Fast Roaming
SnapAV – Fast Roaming
Ubiquiti – Fast Roaming

12. Passive Roaming Technologies
Uses a key stored on all APs so the client doesn’t have to perform a complete re- authentication process to the radius server every time the client decides to roam.
802.11/k
AP provides client info about other APs in the network and the channel they are on. When the client decides to roam, it has a better idea of where it will roam to.
802.11/k and /r
Sometimes called Fast Roaming
Is a Passive Roaming System – it’s 100% up to the client device
When turned on, requires each device to be ompatible with /r -- if device is not /r compatible, it won’t connect to WiFi
For the reason above, APs with /r and /k often ship with it off by default (SnapAV)

13. Summary Roaming is the problem of sticky clients.
Ruckus Zone Director and Luxul WiFi Controller address roaming with active roaming which “unsticks” sticky clients.
Fast Roaming used by Araknis (SnapAV), Pakedge, and even Ubiquity does nothing to address client stickiness. It is pure marketing only – Don’t believe the hype.
WiFi Controllers from Pakedge and Trendnet do not support active roaming – they support centralized configuration and fast roaming.
Many dealer think Mesh is synonomous with Roaming. Mesh has nothing to do with roaming.
Please refer confused dealers to