Introduction AP-4000/4000M/4900M User Guide
Mesh Networking
12
After a short while, the network in this example will look like Figure 1-4, where solid lines indicate active Mesh links and
dotted lines indicate established but inactive Mesh links.
Figure 1-4 Mesh Startup Topology Example – Step 3
In this example, if MAP8 loses the Mesh link to MP9, MAP8 will immediately activate the Mesh link to MAP7. If the link to
MAP7 has a higher path cost than a possible link to MAP4, which has the same Mesh SSID and security mode but is on
a different channel, then MAP7 may decide to switch channels and establish and activate a link to MAP4.
Mesh Network Configuration
In the AP-4000/4000M/4900M, either of the wireless interfaces may be configured for Mesh functionality, with the
following considerations in mind:
• To form or join a Mesh network, Mesh APs must have identical Mesh SSIDs and security modes (None or AES). If
using AES, the shared secret should also be identical.
• All Mesh APs connected to a Portal will be on the same channel. The channel used by the Mesh Portal will determine
the channel used by all of its connected Mesh APs.
• On Mesh APs, Mesh and WDS functionality cannot co-exist on the same wireless interface. Mesh and WDS can
co-exist on Mesh Portals.
• The maximum number of links downlinks from a Mesh Portal to Mesh APs in the tree is 32. Proxim recommends a
maximum of 30-40 APs total per portal (whether connected directly to the Portal or to another Mesh AP) for an
average per-client throughput of 300-500 Kbps. This recommendation is based on the following assumptions:
– 18 Mbps throughput is available at the portal (max is 25 Mbps, but rates decrease as distance between APs
increases).
– 20 wireless clients are supported per AP.
